BSJ Game Report: Bruins 5, Capitals 2 - Czech line dominates, Ullmark stands tall in opening win

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 5-2 win over the Capitals, with BSJ insight and analysis:

BOX SCORE

HEADLINES

Krejci, Pastrnak dice up Caps 

Tales of David Krejci’s steep decline have been greatly exaggerated.

Wednesday’s season-opening matchup down at Capital One Arena might have been Krejci’s first taste of NHL action since June 9, 2021, but the 36-year-old pivot sure didn’t look like he has missed a step at all — recording three points and helping lead Boston to a 5-2 victory against the Capitals.

Not to be outdone, Krejci’s linemate and fellow countryman in David Pastrnak began his campaign for a new contract with a four-point showing (one goal, three helpers)

The Bruins might be shorthanded out of the gate with Brad Marchand still on the mend, but so long as Krejci and Pastrnak are out on the ice together, the B’s should be able to stay afloat when it comes to generating consistent offense in the top-six unit. 

"Obviously, it's gonna be different for him — maybe he doesn't admit it,” Pastrnak said of Krejci. “It's obviously different coming from big ice to small. He's only gonna get better. And he already looked pretty good out there to me, but there are things we can clean up overall — as a team and as a line. So obviously a good start, but there are many games coming ahead of us and tough ones. So hopefully we can build off this game today."

Taylor Hall, Hampus Lindholm and Patrice Bergeron also added tallies in the win, while Linus Ullmark was strong in net, stopping 33 of 35 saves. And as we said earlier this week, the Bruins will continue to play with fire with each passing day that Pastrnak is not locked up to a new deal — because his stock will just continue to soar with additional offensive showing like this one.

"I'm feeling old. But I'm still pretty young. I definitely think I can get better,” Pastrnak joked.

Defense still a work in progress

Jim Montgomery offered an ominous musing a few hours ahead of puck drop on Wednesday, noting that his team is still a work in progress when it comes to fully adopting his new systems and tweaks.

"No. Not a chance,” Montgomery said when asked if his team has run with his changes. “And you know what, it doesn't matter. Because you want guys to play with creativity. You want them to play on their toes and not be afraid of making mistakes. If we're, especially me, if I'm correcting too much right now … We'll get it. We'll get there on the Xs and Os. But right now, it's about playing with effort and emotion, more than it is about execution these first couple of weeks.”

Even though Boston’s new bench boss has stressed talking points like quality over quantity with shot volume and puck possession — his most sizable adjustment revolves around the need for Boston’s defenseman to get more involved in the play, with the B’s willing to sacrifice some D-zone structure if it adds another layer of offense.

Wednesday’s win stood as a perfect example of the pros and cons that come with such a system readjustment — with Mike Reilly helping spark a goal from Taylor Hall in the second period, only to pinch up twice later in the period in sequences that led to two Capitals goals.

Some growing pains were always going to be expected, but it does seem like Montgomery is more than happy to live with it — for now, at least. 

"Yeah, I mean, the one goal that we gave up was an odd-man rush," Montgomery said. "I know both were. But the one, Pasta has the puck in a slot — because the defenseman goes back door, he's wide open. And we're going to take that every time. It's a blocked shot, goes the other way. That's hockey.”

DeBrusk exits game with upper-body injury

Even with the win, an already banged-up B’s roster took another hit on Wednesday — as Jake DeBrusk suffered an upper-body injury in the second period after taking a hit from Erik Gustafsson. 

DeBrusk managed to gut through it and play his next shift, but the winger did not return for the start of the third period, with Craig Smith earning reps on Bergeron’s line for the remainder of the game. Montgomery did not have an update on DeBrusk’s condition after the game. 

Smith can stand as a solid replacement in the short term. But with Marchand still on the mend, the Bruins will be hoping that DeBrusk isn’t out long-term — as Boston’s top line is now missing some much-needed finishing talent next to Bergeron. 

THREE UP 

Czech Line: Yep, I have to say I’m feeling a bit better about my “bold” predictions that Krejci and Pastrnak were going to hit 80 points and 50 goals, respectively.  If there is one bit of caution worth mentioning when it comes to any line anchored by Krejci+Pastrnak — the B’s might want to balance some of that aggressive O-zone work by anchoring a shutdown option like Hampus Lindholm on the blue line whenever that line is out on a shift. 

Linus Ullmark: This game easily could have gone sideways if it wasn’t for the play of Ullmark, who turned aside 33 of 35 shots — including 13 total saves in the third period. A couple of those stops, including a 2-on-1 chance by Lars Eller, helped Boston stay in the driver’s seat. 

“He was awesome. He battled hard, he fought for every rebound,” Montgomery said. “I mean, he was, it was really good for us tonight.

Derek Forbort: A game like tonight validates why you need a player like Forbort on your D corps. 23:36 of ice time. Five hits. Six blocks. He was a beast out there tonight, especially when battling down low and snuffing out chances around Ullmark. 

TWO DOWN

Mike Reilly: Maybe Reilly deserves a bit more of a “so-so” designation here, considering his assertive play in transition did help lead to Hall’s second-period tally. That being said, this was a classic “giveth / taketh away” type of game from the puck-moving blueline — with a couple of pinches up the ice leading to odd-man rushes for Washington that led to goals.

Jakub Zboril: A pretty quiet night from a few bottom-six regulars will get absolved a bit, considering that they were also handed a hefty amount of D-zone draws. Instead, we’ll focus on Zboril — who was knocked for a few dangerous misplays with the puck. The Caps might be an older squad, but they can still make you pay in a hurry if you cough up pucks in your own end. 

PLAY OF THE GAME

Who else would score the B’s first goal of the season? 

Bergeron (37 years, 80 days) became the third-oldest player in Bruins history to score the team's opening goal of the season behind Zdeno Chara (41 years, 200 days on Oct. 4, 2018) & Ray Bourque (38 years, 278 days on Oct. 2, 1999).

QUOTE OF NOTE

“It’s crazy. … It’s like he has no ceiling. He just keeps getting better.” - David Krejci on David Pastrnak

LOOKING AHEAD

The Bruins will now head back to Boston and brace for their home opener on Saturday night when they welcome the Arizona Coyotes to TD Garden. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.