The Boston Bruins take on the Washington Capitals at TD Garden on Saturday looking to continue what they started against Vancouver on Thursday.
BOSTON – The Boston Bruins are approaching the midway point of their seven-game homestand, taking on the Washington Capitals on Saturday afternoon.
The Bruins are coming off their 4-0 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday in what was a dominant showing against the top team in the Western Conference.
Anthony Richard will make his Bruins debut on the fourth line, Bruins coach Jim Montgomery confirmed before the game. Oskar Steen will draw out, while Parker Wotherspoon will remain in the lineup on the third defensive pair with Kevin Shattenkirk scratched.
“Drive the net, finish at the net, use your speed to create anxiety on the other team’s defensemen,” Montgomery said as his message to Richard.
Washington enters Saturday on a six-game losing streak, but Montgomery is not taking Alex Ovechkin & Co. lightly.
“They’re a big, heavy team. You look at their forwards, they’re big,” Montgomery said. “They hang on to pucks well, they can create mismatches down low with their puck protection.”
Warmup Lines:
James Van Riemsdyk - Pavel Zacha - David Pastrnak
Brad Marchand - Charlie Coyle - Jake DeBrusk
Jakub Lauko - Morgan Geekie - Trent Frederic
Anthony Richard - Jesper Boqvist - Danton Heinen
Matt Grzelcyk - Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm - Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort - Parker Wotherspoon
Jeremy Swayman
Puck drop is 3:30 p.m. ET.
Five Things to Know About the Capitals:
- The Capitals have the third-worst scoring offense (2.37 goals per game) and sixth-worst power play (14.6%) in the NHL.
- Alex Ovechkin is on pace for the lowest-scoring season of his career (0.24 goals per game), but he is currently riding a three-game goal streak.
- Charlie Lindgren is starting in net for Washington. He has a .912 save percentage and 2.71 goals against average.
- Dylan Strome leads the team in goals (19) and shares the lead in points (33) with Ovechkin.
- The Capitals are the last team in the Eastern Conference that the Bruins have not played this season.