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McAvoy scores clutch goal to power Bruins past Capitals, 4-3

By Matt Dolloff January 20th, 2022
Jan 20, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73) celebrates with defenseman Urho Vaakanainen (58) after scoring a goal against the Washington Capitals during the third period at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

Charlie McAvoy scored on the power play with just 45 seconds left in regulation, giving the Boston Bruins a 4-3 win over the Washington Capitals on Thursday night at TD Garden.

With the game tied 3-3 and 2:37 left in the third period, Capitals forward Nic Dowd found himself in the penalty box after dragging the Bruins’ Derek Forbort down with his stick. In the closing seconds of the power play, Jake DeBrusk threaded the puck through a lane to McAvoy, who sniped a wrist shot past Capitals goalie Vitek Vanecek for the eventual game-winner.

McAvoy also delivered one of his signature wrecking-ball hits to the Capitals’ Trevor van Riemsdyk, which was also one for the highlight reels. He blocked four shots and finished with a team-high 24:35 of ice time in a strong all-around game.

  • McAvoy’s hit was presumably a response to the Capitals’ Tom Wilson, who laid out the Bruins’ Anton Blidh with a forceful hit earlier in the game. Wilson wasn’t penalized for the hit, which forced Blidh to exit the game with what the Bruins termed an upper-body injury.

    The Bruins’ stars also responded on the scoreboard. David Pastrnak scored twice, and is now up to nine goals in his last seven games. Patrice Bergeron briefly gave the Bruins a 3-2 lead with a goal that wasn’t initially confirmed on the ice, which led to a review and stoppage to reset the clock.

    Brad Marchand played only 8:54 after a dangerous hit by the Capitals’ Garnet Hathaway forced him out of the game with a reported upper-body injury.

  • Pastrnak’s first goal, which you can watch above, came on an end-to-end rush in which he slipped through the Capitals’ defenders as if he were invisible, then tapped home an easy one into a wide-open net off the forward pass from Taylor Hall. Vanecek had no chance with his defense hanging him out to dry like that.

    Watch below for Pastrnak’s second goal, which he scored on a breakaway during a Bruins power play. The winger slipped behind the entire Capitals team this time, and Matt Grzelcyk was able to fire a perfect stretch pass to him right down the middle of the ice. Pastrnak finished the play with a shootout-like move to beat Vanecek and give the Bruins a 2-1 lead at the time.

  • Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark allowed three goals on just 17 shots, which let the Caps hang around. Nonetheless, he improved to 14-5 on the season.

    Up Next: The B’s continue their homestand on Saturday, when they take on the Winnipeg Jets. In the meantime, they’ll have to hope Marchand and Blidh are OK.

Click here for complete Boston Bruins coverage at 985TheSportsHub.com.

Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @mattydsays. You can also email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.

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