After falling 3-0 on home ice to the Washington Capitals in February, the Boston Bruins travel to DC as they try to solidify their playoff seeding atop the Atlantic Division.
WASHINGTON – The Boston Bruins will look to get back on track against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on Saturday.
After losing three of their past four, the Bruins are focusing on playing the right way to finish out the final eight games of the season. Even with their playoff spot clinched, their first-place position in the Atlantic Division is far from secure.
The Florida Panthers (97) sit two points behind Boston with a game in hand. Meanwhile, the Carolina Hurricanes have the same number of points (99) as they sit three points behind the New York Rangers in the Metropolitan Division.
This game is important for Washington, which is clinging to the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, but it remains significant for the Bruins as the rest of the conference leaders will be jockeying for position down the stretch.
“They embarrassed us the last time we played them,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said on Saturday. Washington won the previous matchup 3-0 on Feb. 10. “They embarrassed us on our home ice, so what we learned is it’s a team that’s really committed to checking. It’s a team that plays the right way and that we better be ready to go tonight if we want to have a chance of success.”
With Jakub Lauko and Kevin Shattenkirk re-entering the lineup in place of James van Riemsdyk and Parker Wotherspoon, respectively, this is the projected lineup for Saturday’s game:
Brad Marchand - Pavel Zacha - David Pastrnak
Danton Heinen - Charlie Coyle - Trent Frederic
Jake DeBrusk - Morgan Geekie - Justin Brazeau
Johnny Beecher - Jesper Boqvist - Jakub Lauko
Hampus Lindholm - Charlie McAvoy
Matt Grzelcyk - Brandon Carlo
Kevin Shattenkirk - Andrew Peeke
Jeremy Swayman
Linus Ullmark
During Friday’s practice, Montgomery pointed out the Capitals’ top line with Alex Ovechkin and TJ Oshie as a “big, heavy” unit that will pose a challenge for Boston’s defense. The top two pairs have flopped partners on the left side, with Lindholm moving up to play with McAvoy while Grzelcyk shuffles down to pair with Carlo.
“I love playing with guys like ‘Grizzy,’” Brandon Carlo told The Hockey News on Friday. “Great puck-moving defenseman. I think he has more offensive upside than he’s shown at times. I think, hopefully, with playing with me, I’ll be able to encourage him to get up in the play as much as possible and join that offensive prowess, but it’s been great playing with him.”
Montgomery hopes the new combinations will unlock a new look against what the Capitals will bring, which could later be utilized during the postseason. Puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Five Things to Know About the Capitals:
- Washington has won six of its past eight games as it fights to retain position in the second Eastern Conference wild card spot.
- The Capitals have the fifth-lowest scoring offense in the NHL (2.71 goals per game) and 19th-ranked scoring defense (3.13 goals per game).
- Washington’s power play ranks 19th in the league (20.9%) and the penalty kill ranks 18th (79.2%). However, its power play has clicked at a 36.4 percent clip (8-for-22) in the past eight games.
- Dylan Strome leads the team with 60 points (25 goals, 35 assists) in 72 games. John Carlson ranks third on the team with 45 (seven goals, 38 assists), and he's slated to skate in his 1,000th NHL game.
- Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren has a .911 save percentage and 2.74 goals against average.
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