BSJ Game Report: Capitals 4, Bruins 2 - Power play falls flat, Grzelcyk injured as B’s come up short in DC

WASHINGTON, D.C.  — Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 4-2 loss to the Capitals, with BSJ insight and analysis:

BOX SCORE

HEADLINES 

Pastrnak’s loss felt on power play: Boston might have been able to trudge ahead on Friday night and earn a regulation win over Tampa Bay without both David Pastrnak and Hampus Lindholm in the lineup, but you can only string together so many solid periods of hockey before you start feeling the absence of some high-end talent across the depth chart. 

And on Sunday afternoon, the Bruins desperately could have used Pastrnak’s tried-and-true one-timer on the man advantage. Without Pastrnak and his ability to draw out PKers looking to account for his howitzer, Boston’s power play struggled to generate much of anything at Capital One Arena — going 0-for-4 on the man advantage in an eventual 4-2 loss to the Capitals. 

“Frustrating” was the term that Curtis Lazar offered up when asked to sum up Boston’s showing in Washington — especially when factoring in that the Caps were on the second leg of a back-to-back slate after a hard-fought win over the Penguins on Saturday.

In a close contest, the Bruins had plenty of chances to build themselves some breathing room off of their stints on the power play — but be it errant passes or trying to force pucks past a wall of Caps skaters near the slot, the B’s just couldn’t generate much against Vitek Vanecek. 

Add in some brutal D-zone miscues from the lower depths of the B’s lineup and another string of injuries (a regular post-game musing, it seems, when the B’s battle the Caps), and the Bruins ended this four-game road swing on a pretty sour note. 

B’s lose another key cog in Matt Grzelcyk 

With just three weeks to go until the playoffs get underway, the Bruins roster is getting decimated at the worst possible time.

Already without both Pastrnak and Lindholm, the B’s lost another top-four defenseman just minutes into Sunday’s matchup — with Matt Grzelcyk exiting the game in the first period due to an upper-body injury. 

Bruce Cassidy didn’t have any updates postgame, with Grzelcyk appearing to injure his shoulder while getting tangled up with Garnet Hathaway early in the game. 

Losing a puck-mover in Grzelcyk was already a major hit, especially with Lindholm also out of commission on the left side. But to make matters worse, Boston’s shorthanded D corps crumbled down the stretch, with Derek Forbort putting together an ugly showing in the D-zone and playing a hand in all three of the Caps’ 5v5 goals.

THREE UP

Fourth line: Boston’s checking unit might have been out on the ice for John Carlson’s opening tally at 4:11 in the second period, but they battled throughout the afternoon with one of their stronger performances as of late — with Lazar muscling a puck past Vanecek less than four minutes after Carlson’s goal to tie things up. 

All things considered, this fourth line managed to tilt the ice in Boston’s favor despite a daunting matchup against Alex Ovechkin and the Caps’ top line. In the 4:31 of 5v5 ice time in which Lazar was matched up with Ovechkin, the Bruins held an 11-3 edge in shot attempts and a 6-1 advantage in scoring chances.  

Linus Ullmark: Yes, Ullmark gets dinged for letting that rebound slip loose on Tom Wilson’s game-tying goal, but let’s face it — the Caps would have buried five or more tallies had it not been for the play of Ullmark, who turned aside a bevy of Grade-A chances with his glove hand. 

Charlie McAvoy: McAvoy was credited with the primary helper on Erik Haula’s second-period tally, but the B’s top blueliner easily could have finished the night with another goal or two — considering the number of Grade-A chances that he was able to generate in the offensive zone. With Grzelcyk out for most of the game, McAvoy more than picked up the slack in Boston’s top-four unit, logging 28:18 of ice time and landing four hits, blocking one shot and registering three shots on goal.

TWO DOWN

Derek Forbort: Not the sharpest night at the office for Forbort, especially with Boston in need of some stability following Grzelcyk’s injury. Carlson’s second-period strike was generated shortly after Forbort knocked Evgeny Kuznetsov into Ullmark and failed to block Carlson’s offering, while Wilson’s equalizer was the byproduct of him outmuscling the Bruins D-man down low. Add in the fact that Lars Eller shook off Forbort in coverage shortly before he lit the lamp — and Forbort had an unfortunate hand in Boston's undoing on Sunday afternoon. 

Power play: Boston’s power-play woes stretch far beyond Pastrnak’s absence. Over the last 14 games, the Bruins have cashed in on just six of their last 46 bids. 

PLAY OF THE GAME

Take your pick when it comes to some standout stops from Ullmark today.

LOOSE PUCKS

LOOKING AHEAD

The Bruins will now return to TD Garden for a three-game homestand — starting with a bout against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night at TD Garden. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.