The Boston Bruins’ win streak ended at five games Sunday night after a 2-0 loss to the Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center.
The Capitals were the better team right from the opening faceoff. They scored the first goal, controlled the majority of puck possession, won the special teams battle and received another excellent performance from goaltender Braden Holtby.
The Bruins will return home for a Tuesday night game against the Buffalo Sabres at TD Garden.
Here are three takeaways from Bruins-Capitals:
1. Poor First Period Gives Capitals Early Lead
The Bruins didn’t begin the game with much energy and that allowed the Capitals to earn a 13-2 shot attempt and a 10-1 shots on goal advantage early on.
B’s goaltender Tuukka Rask was forced into action early and often and made 10 saves in the first five minutes. He finished the period with 15 saves on 16 shots.
The only goal Rask allowed in the opening period was a power-play tally on a shot from the point by Capitals defenseman John Carlson. The Caps now rank second in power-play goals with 52 on the season, trailing only the Detroit Red Wings.
Washington ended the period with a 16-9 edge in shots on goal and a 1-0 lead, which ended Boston’s streak of 11 straight games in which it scored first.
2. Braden Holtby Continues Dominance Over Bruins
Braden Holtby entered Sunday’s game with a 4-2 record, a 2.20 goals against average and a .930 save percentage in his regular-season career versus the Bruins.
He improved that stat line with a 32-save shutout in his league-leading 61st appearance of the season.
Holtby is now 2-0-0 with 61 saves and two shutouts against the Bruins this campaign, and his shutout streak over the B’s dating back to the 2013-14 season stands at 126:43.
3. Bruins Struggle on the Power Play
Boston went 0-for-4 with just four shots on the power play.
Bruins right winger David Pastrnak drew a tripping penalty on Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner at 13:47 of the third period, but the B’s failed to tally a single shot on goal during the ensuing power play. Loui Eriksson couldn’t bury a golden scoring chance with an empty net.
The B’s are scoreless on their last 13 power-play opportunities after scoring five goals with the man advantage in a 3-game span from March 7 through March 10. They have gone 0-for-4 with the man advantage in each of the last three games.
Thumbnail photo via Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports Images
