That’s it from here, folks. Heading down to the dressing rooms to get quotes and reaction. I should have a feature on the game up later tonight.
Thanks for reading our live blog here at NESN.com and see you next game!
Third period, 1:31, 4-1 Capitals: Once again, Ovechkin is causing the Bruins to get frustrated, but this time, he gets called for interference. Bruins go on their fifth power play.
Third period, 4:20, 4-1 Capitals: Not much time left here for a rally, and unfortunately, the Bruins weren’t able to keep that momentum from the Bergeron goal and Thornton fight. They’re being outshot 12-3 in the period.
Third period, 10:17, 4-1 Capitals: Shawn Thornton just got the crowd going even more, as he and John Erskine just did the tango. Decision: Thornton. Can the Bruins feed off this small dose of momentum?
Third period, 12:04, 4-1 Capitals: The Bruins are finally on the board! Patrice Bergeron, who I am predicting will score 33 goals this season, breaks in alone after the Bruins killed the power play and beats Theodore for Boston’s first goal of 2009-10.
Steve Begin and Mark Stuart got the assists. That is Begin’s first point as a Bruin.
There’s some life in the building.
Third period, 13:58, 4-0 Capitals: Marco Sturm just got called for holding, and the Caps have another power play. Washington is 2-for-3 on the man advantage. It’s getting ugly here as the boo birds are out.
Third period, 18:03, 4-0 Capitals: Ovechkin scores on the power play. Poti and Laich assisted on the goal. Laich now has three points (two goals, assist). Ovechkin has two goals and an assist.
There is a reason Ovechkin is a two-time Hart Trophy winner, eh?
Third period, 19:44, 3-0 Capitals: Capitals strike quick here in third. Laich scores a power-play goal. That’s Laich’s second of the night. Backstrom and Semin assisted.
Second intermission, 2-0 Capitals: Before the game, Julien said they would be monitoring Krejci’s ice time since this is his first full game since last May in Game 7 against Carolina. So far, he’s playing his normal time and has 11:19 of ice time after two periods. Amazing that he has come back this quickly and strong.
End of second period, 2-0 Capitals: Zdeno Chara just cross-checked Ovechkin after Ovechkin laid a cheap shot on Recchi. Chara will now start the third period in the sin bin, and the Bruins will be shorthanded again.
One can totally agree with Chara going after Ovechkin, but this is what I mentioned before. Ovechkin is not only burning the Bruins on the scoreboard — he is getting under their skin. Chara should stick up for his teammates but pick his spots, and now wasn’t one of those spots.
Second period, 1:59, 2-0 Capitals: One scout suggested here that the Bruins are focused too much on Ovechkin, and I’d have to agree. Sometimes with superstars, you need to accept they will get their chances and just stick to your system. Right now, the Bruins are failing to do that.
Second period, 4:34, 2-0 Capitals: The Bruins failed to convert again on the power play and are now 0-4. That’s really been the difference here, folks. The Bruins can count on plenty of power-play drills Friday in practice.
Second period, 6:35, 2-0 Capitals: Former Bruin Mike Knuble has just been called for high-sticking and the Bruins are on their fourth power play. They need to convert and get the power play going.
Second period, 10:29, 2-0 Capitals: The Capitals just took a 2-0 lead on Ovechkin’s first goal of the game and season. Nicklas Backstrom got his second assist on the play, and Alexander Semin had the other helper.
Ovechkin also has two points with a goal and an assist.
The Capitals’ Milan Jurcina took a penalty right after the goal, and the Bruins are on their third power play.
Second period, 13:32, 1-0 Capitals: Derek Morris just made a great play racing back to catch Ovechkin and break up a possible scoring chance. Morris looks very comfortable and hungry out there.
Second period, 19:00, 1-0 Capitals: We’re under way here in the second period. The Bruins failed to score on that last power play, and they are now 0-2.
First intermission, 1-0 Capitals: So the Bruins end the first period of the season trailing 1-0, but they will enter this period with 29 seconds of power-play time left.
Talk in the press box right now is about what happened in Toronto, where the Habs and Leafs are knotted at one after one. Georges Laraque and Colton Orr apparently had a great bout 1:51 into the game. Should be great when the Bruins play both those teams.
End of first period, 1-0 Capitals: The Bruins trail the Capitals 1-0 after one. They will have to stay out of the penalty box with the Capitals’ power play being so lethal. Luckily for them, the Bruins will start the second period with the man advantage.
First period, 1:31, 1-0 Capitals: The Bruins took a bench minor for too many men on the ice, and the Caps’ power play came through this time. Brooks Laich scored with Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Ovechkin assisting on the goal.
The Capitals also just took a penalty. John Erskine goes to the box for holding the stick.
First period, 3:00: Both the Caps and the Bruins failed to score on their first power plays of the season.
One thing to watch carefully this game will be how Derek Morris works the point on the first power-play unit with Zdeno Chara. If he doesn’t find success there, look for Dennis Wideman and maybe Matt Hunwick to get chances in that spot.
First period, 6:00: Bruins just had goal waved off, but rightfully so, since whistle clearly blew before the puck crossed the goal line.
Steve Begin is also out for hooking. First power play of the night for either team.
And now the Caps take a penalty to nullify it. Mike Green goes to the sin bin for two minutes on a tripping penalty.
Despite lack of chances, the TD Garden crowd is into it.
First period, 13:30: Not many scoring chances yet as it appears both teams are getting their legs going again. The Bruins lead in shots 4-2 but no real chances yet.
7:10 p.m.: Time for face-off, folks. Lines are as follows:
Bruins
Forwards
Milan Lucic-Marc Savard-Marco Sturm
Blake Wheeler-David Krejci-Michael Ryder
Mark Recchi-Patrice Bergeron-Chuck Kobasew
Shawn Thornton-Steve Begin/Vladimir Sobotka-Byron Bitz
Defensemen
Zdeno Chara-Derek Morris
Andrew Ference-Dennis Wideman
Mark Stuart-Matt Hunwick
Goaltender
Tim Thomas
Tuukka Rask
Healthy scratches
Johnny Boychuk
Capitals
Forwards
Alexander Ovechkin-Nicklas Backstrom-Alexander Semin
Brooks Laich-Brendan Morrison-Mike Knuble
Quintin Laing-David Steckel-Chris Clark
Boyd Kane-Boyd Gordon-Matt Bradley
Defensemen
Shaone Morrisonn-Mike Green,
Tom Poti-Milan Jurcina,
John Erskine-Brian Pothier
Goaltenders
Jose Theodore
Seymon Varlamov
Healthy scratches
Tyler Sloan, Jeff Schultz, Michael Nylander, Eric Fehr
And we’re off. Wonder who gets the first Bruins goal of the season. I’m going with Milan Lucic.
7:05 p.m.: Bruins being introduced to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.” And defenseman Mark Stuart wasn’t forgotten like last season when the P.A. announcer forgot to call him out to the ice!
Lucic, Thomas and Chara got the biggest ovations. Crowd just broke out into a “Let’s Go Bruins!”
National anthem up next, and then it’s game time.
6:50 p.m.: Greetings from Level 9 in the TD Garden press box. We’re almost ready for game time and the 2009-10 season opener. There has been an increased buzz around here today, unlike any I’ve experienced in my nine years covering the Bruins.
The media scrum around Bruins head coach Claude Julien this morning was reminiscent of a playoff scrum, and today has had that playoff feel. But this is the new norm with the Bruins as they have climbed back to relevance in the Boston sports scene and are picked by many national media to at least make the Stanley Cup Finals.
But as Julien stated earlier to me, the key will be for the Bruins to meet these lofty expectations and keep this media and fan buzz going.
“We are back on the map,” Julien said. “The thing is now to stay on the map.”
All right, let’s see if they can do that Thursday evening. Pregame ceremonies are starting. Be back in a bit.
9:00 a.m.: Happy hockey! The day is finally here.
The 2009-10 NHL season kicks off Thursday, and here in Boston, the Bruins begin their quest to finish what they started last season, when they won their first playoff round since 1999, came within one game of the conference finals and won back the hearts and minds of Boston sports fans.
There’s some new faces in Derek Morris, Steve Begin, Johnny Boychuk and Tuukka Rask, and of course one key player is gone in Phil Kessel, but the same system is in place and the team still brings back plenty of depth on offense and defense. This is a huge season for the Bruins and it all starts Thursday night at the TD Garden, when the Bruins face off against Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals.
