Washington Capitals vs. Boston Bruins Pick & Prediction APRIL 1st 2025
Preview and Prediction
The quest of Alex Ovechkin to become the NHL's record-breaking goal scorer continues as the Washington Capitals, who currently lead the Eastern Conference, begin a back-to-back road trip against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday. The Capitals (47-17-9, 103 points) have lost their last three games (0-2-1), including a high-scoring 8-5 defeat to the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday. This was the first time all season that they allowed more than five goals, but they have still managed to outshoot their opponents in all three games.
Head coach Spencer Carbery acknowledged the team's recent struggles, but is confident they will bounce back. "We've got to get this thing going...but we're finding ways right now to come out on the other end," he said. Despite the losses, Ovechkin had a strong performance with three points, including his 890th career goal, bringing him within five of breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time record. Defenseman Jakob Chychrun also had a standout game with two goals, becoming the first Capitals defenseman to score 20 goals in a season since 2008-09.
The Capitals made a big signing on Monday, adding top prospect Ryan Leonard to their roster on a three-year, entry-level contract. The 20-year-old from Amherst, Mass. had just finished his college career at Boston College, where he became the first player since 2011 to score 30 goals in consecutive seasons. He is expected to make his NHL debut on Tuesday. "Proud of him and the season he's had, but also how he's conducted himself," Carbery said of Leonard. "Anytime you don't win the last game, it's a tough feeling, especially having played college hockey."
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The Bruins (30-35-9, 69 points) have been struggling in the playoff race, currently on a 0-7-1 skid. Their latest loss was a close 2-1 defeat to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, but forward Morgan Geekie believes they showed improvement. "I thought we played hard for 60 minutes that's the most complete game we've had for a while," he said. "It's tough to not see any results from that, but we can take some positives from it."
The challenge of defending Ovechkin is a daunting one, especially for Bruins interim coach Joe Sacco, who specialized in penalty killing during his time as an assistant. Ovechkin has scored 30 goals against the Bruins in his career, and they hope to put a stop to his recent run of three goals in five games. "He's caused some nightmares, for sure," Sacco joked. "I think with him on the power play, a guy that you have to pay close attention to over the years, especially in his spot over there in the elbow."
Meanwhile, Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy is still rehabbing from a shoulder injury and infection he suffered in February. He recently joined practice without a non-contact jersey, but there is no set timeline for his return. "What I'm trying to do right now is just rehab the best I can and work every single day to put myself in a position to potentially play this year," McAvoy said.
Washington Capitals vs. Boston Bruins Recap APR 18TH 2021
Patrice Bergeron scored twice, and David Krejci had a goal and two assists to lead the Boston Bruins past the visiting Washington Capitals 7-3 Monday night.
Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle had a goal and an assist, and Jake DeBrusk and Anders Bjork also tallied as the Bruins picked up their second win in their last 10 games (2-4-4). Tuukka Rask stopped 39 shots in net.
Alex Ovechkin, Lars Eller and Garnet Hathaway scored for the Capitals, who lost for only the third time in their last 13 games.
The Bruins scored four goals in the first period, during which the Capitals committed five penalties. Braden Holtby (seven saves) was pulled from the net by Washington at the end of the period; Ilya Samsonov took over and allowed a goal on four shots the rest of the way.
DeBrusk got the scoring started when he wedged the puck under the pad of Holtby on the power play 5:37 into the game. Marchand increased the lead to 2-0 when he put the rebound of a David Pastrnak shot between the legs of Holtby at 13:29 to snap a 12-game goal-less drought.
Just 27 seconds later, Bjork made it 3-0 with a snipe right side through traffic. Bergeron completed the scoring in the period on a 5-on-3 power play off a redirect of a Pastrnak feed at 18:57.
Early in the second period, it appeared the Capitals put the puck in their own net on a delayed penalty. However, as explained on Boston's TV broadcast, the referees told the NHL Situation Room they blew the play dead before the puck crossed the goal line, and thus it was not reviewable.
Washington went on the power play, and Boston made the score 5-0 anyway when Coyle put home his 100th NHL goal on the shorthand at 6:55.
Ovechkin got the Capitals on the board at 14:35 of the second period, and Eller and Hathaway alternated goals with Krejci and Bergeron -- both on an empty net -- in the final five minutes of the third.
Playing without captain Zdeno Chara (jaw infection), Boston lost two more defensemen to injury as Torey Krug (upper body) didn't return after a second period hit, and Charlie McAvoy appeared hurt following a late hit from T.J. Oshie in the waning minutes.