Harry Lichtman
The Washington Capitals (31-26-7) needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Unfortunately, the Boston Bruins (35-22-5) are just too good at home as they won 3-1 on Saturday afternoon.
It certainly didn’t help that the Capitals traded away franchise legend John Carlson to Anaheim early Friday morning. The team also sent veteran Nic Dowd to Vegas.
The Capitals lacked discipline and finished with six total penalties. The power play was also abysmal on all three chances.
Aliaksei Protas scored the Capitals’ lone goal in the game. Jakob Chychrun also played well to keep his team alive.
However, Boston was just too much as they got goals from Pavel Zacha, Viktor Arvidsson, and Elias Lindholm. The Bruins are now six points ahead of Washington with the final Wild Card spot in the East.
Next up, the Capitals head back home for an interconference matchup against Calgary on Monday night.
Capitals Analysis
After an emotional week, the Capitals did all they could to stay in Saturday’s game. Unfortunately, the team didn’t have discipline and took six separate penalties.
Those penalties gave Boston the momentum several times throughout the game. They eventually broke through when Pavel Zocha scored on the man advantage in the middle frame.
The Capitals were lucky to go 5-for-6 on the penalty kill on Saturday. Unfortunately, the man advantage was a different story, as the team went 0-for-3.
Down 1-0 in the second, Chychrun was able to come through to help his team. The 27-year-old moved the puck up net and set up Protas in front for the game-tying tally.
Chychrun now has points in five of his last six games, with the assist moving him past the 50-point mark.
With Carlson gone, it seems the Capitals will be relying on Chychrun for more offense. The 27-year-old blueliner didn’t disappoint as he was moving the puck efficiently and helped drive the forecheck.
With the game tied early in the third, the Capitals let Boston score the go-ahead goal. The puck was turned over, as Arvidsson went on a breakaway and beat Logan Thompson.
The Capitals had run out of gas in the third period and weren’t able to rally behind 2-1. Boston’s Elias Lindholm eventually sealed it with an empty-net goal.
Capitals Report Card
Team: C-
The Capitals just lacked discipline for a majority of the game. Not the type of performance they needed after the departures of Carlson and Dowd.
Jakob Chychrun: A
Chychrun was the team’s MVP of the day, moving the puck around and assisting on Protas’ goal. The 27-year-old blueliner looks to drive the offense going forward with Carlson gone.
Capitals Power Play: D-
After going 2-for-2 this past Tuesday, the Capitals’ power play issues returned. The team went 0-for-3 on the man advantage and really needed the momentum to swing their way.
Capitals Penalty Kill: B+
Despite giving up one Boston tally, the Capitals went a strong 5-for-6 on the penalty kill. The team had to adjust without Dowd being on the PK unit.
Logan Thompson: B
Thompson did all he could to keep his team in the game, stopping 27 of 29 shots.
