BSJ Game Report: Bruins 7, Capitals 3 - B’s score 6 unanswered goals in blowout win over Washington

Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 7-3 win over the Capitals, with BSJ insight and analysis:

Box Score

SHORT SHIFT

Through the first 18 minutes of play on Monday night, it sure looked as though it was going to be one of THOSE NIGHTS at Capital One Arena for the Bruins.

Facing off against a foe in the Capitals that has regularly given them fits for a decade-plus, the B’s seemed poised to enter the first intermission both beaten on the scoreboard and bloodied on the ice — trailing 2-0 off of a pair of Conor Sheary tallies. 

But after a high-sticking call against Nic Dowd late in the frame all but rearranged Brad Marchand’s nose, the B’s dormant offense finally woke up.

Over the next 14:35 of ice time, the Bruins buried six unanswered goals against the Capitals — with the offensive salvo more than enough to lift Boston to an eventual 7-3 win over Washington. 

Matt Grzelcyk led the way with a five-point night — becoming just the fifth B’s blueliner to reach such a scoring threshold — while five different players lit the lamp, headlined by a pair of tallies from Marchand and David Pastrnak. 

Linus Ullmark stopped 27 of 30 shots for the Bruins, who improve to 19-11-2 and cap this two-game road trip with four out of a possible four points against the Lightning and Caps. 

The Bruins erased their two-goal deficit in just 40 seconds during the closing minutes of the first, with Pastrnak and Marchand both beating Zach Fucale on the power play to force a 2-2 deadlock going into the second period.

The middle period was completely dictated by the Bruins, who lit the lamp another four times over that 20-minute stretch. 

Grzelcyk gave Boston its first lead of the night at 2:51 after snapping a puck past Fucale from the high slot, while Craig Smith chased the rookie netminder a little over five minutes later with his fourth goal of the season.

Things didn’t get any better for Vitek Vanecek in relief, with a 2-on-1 rush from Taylor Hall and Pastrnak leading to the latter’s second goal of the night at 8:54.

Erik Haula capped off Boston’s scoring surge at 13:09 in the second, with the second-line pivot picking the top corner to make it a 6-2 game.

Washington answered back with a strike from T.J. Oshie at 14:06 in the second, but there would be no late-game surge from the Caps — with Marchand’s second goal of the night at 10:59 standing as the lone goal of the third period.

Since the start of the new year, the Bruins have won five out of their last six tilts and have averaged 4.6 goals per game over that stretch. It’d be one thing if the B’s were knocking over tomato cans (as they were last week), but to deliver two decisive defeats to a pair of legit teams in Tampa and Washington (on the road, no less) is awfully impressive. 

FIVE UP

Matt Grzelcyk: After a rough start to the game, Grzelcyk bounced back with a casual five-point game — including a pair of power-play helpers that erased a two-goal deficit at the end of the first period. Grzelcyk became the first B’s blueliner to record a 5-point game since Ray Bourque accomplished the feat in a game against Washington back on Jan. 2, 1994. If you want to feel old? Bourque hit that scoring mark three days before Grzelcyk was even born.

Brad Marchand: It’s one thing to take the amount of damage that Marchand sustained on that high stick and stay in the game. It’s another to come right back out on the ice and record two points on a 5-on-3 sequence. Another standout game from Marchand, who helped spark the B’s in arguably their best win of the season. 

David Pastrnak and the second line: Yep, Pastrnak’s scoring surge continues to be a positive development (five goals in four games now), but this second line as a whole has been nails as of late. 

When Bruce Cassidy made the decision to bump Pastrnak down to a line with Hall, I’m sure the 2-on-1 rush that both wingers pulled off in the second period is the exact scenario that played out in the coach's head. 

Good luck stopping those two if they continue to click like this. 

Patrice Bergeron: No points for Bergeron tonight, but he did just about everything else. Along with going 18-for-22 at the faceoff dot, Bergeron had arguably the save of the game — absorbing a shot from Evgeny Kuznetsov that otherwise would have sailed into the B’s net.

Anton Blidh: Oskar Steen might be getting most of the praise when it comes to Providence call-ups that are producing — but don’t sleep on a north-south skater in Blidh. The Swedish winger has been as advertised in terms of physical play, but with his two-point night on Monday, Blidh is now up to 7 points in 15 games this year with Boston. 

ONE DOWN

Blueliner miscues

The Bruins eventually started landing punch after punch as Monday’s game progressed, but the first 18 minutes of the matchup was pretty ugly for the road club. 

The Caps are a talented crew, but Boston made things easy for Washington (and especially Sheary) in the early going. A brain fart between Brandon Carlo and Ullmark allowed a loose puck to skitter out to Sheary just three minutes into regulation — with the Winchester native burying it to give the Caps an early lead. 

Grzelcyk certainly redeemed himself as the game went on, but his turnover on a failed breakout that went right to Sheary in the slot was a tough hit. Good to see him respond in short order. 

LOOSE PUCKS

Forbort/Clifton enter COVID protocols 

The Bruins are going to be shorthanded on the blue line for at least the next couple of days, as the club announced shortly ahead of puck drop that both Derek Forbort and Connor Clifton were entering COVID protocols. 

Granted, the B’s managed to hold their own on Monday against a high-powered Caps offense — with Urho Vaakanainen in particular stringing together a couple of solid showings in a row. 

Meanwhile, some reinforcements should be on the way for the B’s once they return to TD Garden, as Jake DeBrusk could be back in the lineup on Wednesday night.

Trent Frederic exits with injury

Marchand might have been dealt the most visible injury on Monday, but Trent Frederic was the lone B’s skater that did not finish the game — as he was ruled out during the second intermission with an upper-body injury. 

We’ll see when Tomas Nosek is cleared from COVID protocol, because a trio of Blidh-Nosek-Lazar could hold its own for the time being if Frederic lands on the shelf for a bit. 

PLAY OF THE GAME

What a snipe from Marchand here — just minutes after his nose was pulverized by Dowd’s stick. 

PARTING THOUGHTS

LOOKING AHEAD

The Bruins will now head back to TD Garden for a seven-game homestand — starting with a matchup against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.