Live blog: Boston Bruins defeat Washington Capitals 3-2 in shootout

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The Washington Capitals authored one of their most improbable victories of the year on Thursday, defeating the Buffalo Sabres 2-1. The first-in-the-Atlantic Sabres had won eight-straight games coming into the night and were the hottest team in the league since January.

While the victory may have improved morale, the two points did little to help the Capitals’ floundering playoff odds, which jumped only to 12.9 percent per Money Puck. If you’re an optimist, someone who sees the glass as always half full, today’s game against the Boston Bruins is arguably The Biggest Game of the Season. The Capitals literally need a regulation win today to have any remaining hope of a possible playoff appearance by season’s end.

The Capitals trail the Bruins by five points for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, but the Bruins have two games in hand (meaning they could earn a maximum of four more points when they catch up to the Capitals in games played). Behind the Bruins sit the surging Columbus Blue Jackets, who have earned points in nine of their last 10 games, the Ottawa Senators (6-2-2 in their last 10), and the Philadelphia Flyers (6-3-1 in their last 10).

The Capitals also sit six points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders, who are tied with 79 standings points and sit second and third in the Metropolitan Division, respectively. The Capitals’ current closeness to these fringe playoff teams is a bit of a mirage, though, because they have played the most games (67) in the Eastern Conference, one or two more than every other team.

Lineup wise, the Capitals will go with the same players and Logan Thompson will get the start, per Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery. David Kampf will miss his fourth straight game since being traded due to visa issues.

Today’s game is a national boi, airing on ABC at 3:00 pm. Let’s go Caps.

Lines

Washington Capitals

Boston Bruins

Goalie matchup

Tunnel shenanigans

1st Period

Puck is dropped. Duhaime-McMichael-Frank and Chychrun-Liljegren get the start.

Chychrun is already ailing seconds into the game holding his arm or wrist. He finished his first shift.

Pierre-Luc Dubois and Morgan Geekie both off for roughing at 4:24. We’ll go to four-on-four hockey.

McMichael and Wilson inches away from scoring on two separate chances in front of the net.

David Pastrnak stopped by Logan Thompson on a semi-breakaway. This game certainly has a playoff feel.

Ovi rips an 85.1 MPH one-timer on net. ABC reports he’s gone 36 straight games without a power-play goal.

Capitals can’t score.

At intermission: The score’s tied 0-0. Caps lead in shots 9-7. They had the last 11 shot attempts of the period. Playoff intensity in this one. Fun to watch thus far.

2nd Period

Puck is dropped.

Matt Roy off the post and in. What a rip! Bad change by the Boston Bruins gave the Capitals a 5v4 in the offensive zone briefly and that was enough to open the game’s scoring.

Rasmus Sandin with some soft hands but is stopped on a shorthanded breakaway by Swayman! WHOA, huge save.

Tanner Jeannot with a huge shot from the right side. Thompson makes the save but it leaks behind him, the puck is eventually cleared. Boston is bringing some huge pressure now.

Rasmus Sandin wide open in the slot, but Swayman makes another huge save. That’s two Grade-A’s he’s been stopped on. He looked up to the Capital One Arena roof and started screaming.

Brandon Duahime with a partial breakaway, shoots the puck right into Swayman’s crest down low.

Charlie McAvoy scores on a 55 mph muffin from the point, tying the game 1-1. He asked analyst Ray Ferarro inside the glass how fast it went. Upon being told, he replied, per Ferraro, “NICE 55!”

Hendrix Lapierre and Mark Kastelic both to the box for matching roughing penalties at 16:40. Lapierre not backing down at all in a net-front battle. Love to see it. Caps and Bruins will now play four-on-four for two minutes.

At intermission: The Capitals and Bruins are tied 1-1. Shots on goal are 19-18 Caps.

3rd Period

Puck is dropped.

Andrew Peeke and Ryan Leonard get locked up in the corner on a puck battle, both players exchange shoves.

Justin Sourdif rips a shot from the top of the circles, but Swayman makes an easy glove save.

Rasmus Sandin blasts a loose puck from the point into the net. The biscuit deflected past a Bruins player and in.

Uh oh – Bruins get a 5v3 for 39 seconds.

Timeout Boston. HUGE HUGE HUGE upcoming PK here.

Caps kill the 2 man advantage with two huge clears.

Caps kill the remaining 5v4. They’re getting a standing ovation from the crowd.

Ovechkin-Strome-Beauvillier gets dominated and hemmed into the Caps’ D zone for about a minute.

McAvoy activating to the front of the net, deflects a Zacha point shot past Thompson. Unbelievable deflection.

Alex Ovechkin stopped from point-blank range. If he doesn’t score today, he will go 11 straight home games without a goal for the first time in his career.

Zadorov nails Ethen Frank in the defensive zone. Huge hit, but from behind directly into the glass. Caps going to a huge power play here.

Bruins clear the puck into the crowd, a potential delay of game penalty. After officials review, they say it deflected out. No 5v3.

Justin Sourdif draws a late third period power play after speeding into the offensive zone and nearly springing himself on a breakaway.

Ovi with a one-timer clocked going 88 mph.

Another Ovi one-timer – this one deflected off the rink.

OH NO.

Capitals get a standings point. But so does Boston. Better than a regulation loss but this doesn’t help much in the standings.

At the end of regulation: We’re tied 2-2. Shots are 32 to 27 Boston.

Overtime

The Bruins will have a 45 second 4-on-3 power play to start OT. Another huge kill here.

Puck is dropped.

Geekie off the post and out.

Caps kill the power play.

They played four-on-four for the rest of OT because there were not stoppages after the PK.

Shootout

❌ Pierre-Luc Dubois stopped by Swayman’s pad on a shot.
❌ Michael Eyssimont, a fourth liner for the Bruins, beats Thompson clean but rings it off the post.
❌ Ryan Leonard goes wide down the left wing, curls to the middle, beats Swayman, and hits the post and out. OH NO.
❌ David Pastrnak stopped by Logan Thompson on a shot that may have also deflected off the right post.
❌ Dylan Strome beats Swayman, but the puck hits off the goal post, stopping just outside the goal line
❌ Viktor Arvidsson goes five-hole but is stopped by Logan Thompson
❌ Anthony Beauvillier off the post again. That’s three times the Capitals have hit the left post.
❌ Casey Mittlestadt hits the post and out
❌ Connor McMichael goes to his backhand and is stopped by Swayman
❌ Charlie McAvoy stopped by Thompson on a shot, trying to go five-hole
❌ Alex Ovechkin runs out of space and gets poke-checked by Jeremy Swayman
❌ Pavel Zacha stopped by Thompson with the glove. THIS SHOOTOUT IS INCREDIBLE.
❌ Jakob Chychrun stopped by Swayman’s right pad
❌ Morgan Geekie stopped by Thompson on a shot – we’re now 14 shooters deep and no one has scored!
❌ Ethen Frank with an incredible move, but Swayman stops him
❌ Mason Lohrei rips one off the post. This shootout is crazy.
❌ Shooter 17 is Aliaksei Protas. He’s stopped by Swayman’s pad.
✅ Fraser Minten – the 18th shooter of the shootout – scores, dekeing past Thompson and scoring on his backhand. Heartbreaking.

Capitals lose 3-2 (SO) to the Bruins.

Bruins beat Caps 3-2 in soul-destroying shootout

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