The Boston Bruins struggled to solve Washington Capitals goaltender Darcy Kuemper in their return from the bye week, falling 2-1 for just their second home regulation loss of the season on Saturday afternoon at TD Garden. Spotty puck management doomed the Bruins at both ends of the ice, as over-passing caused missed opportunities on offense and turnovers led directly to Capitals goals at the other end.
A wild series of penalties ultimately led to the Capitals scoring the game’s first goal on a power play. The Bruins had a brief man advantage, but three Boston penalties in a span of 28 seconds put the Caps on a power play of their own. Nicklas Bäckström put Washington up 1-0 after whacking a loose puck past Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman, who couldn’t quite handle the rebound in heavy traffic around the net.
