Bruins Battle for Playoff Seed Against League-Best Capitals

The Boston Bruins shoot for their fifth straight road win Monday night. It won't be easy to get against the NHL-best Washington Capitals.

The Bruins currently hold the seventh spot in the playoff race and are in "must-win" mode, while the Capitals are preparing for the playoffs.

This is the first of two upcoming games with Washington. The two teams end the regular season playing against each other Sunday, April 11.

Alex Ovechkin has 46 goals on the season, one behind rival Sidney Crosby for the league lead. Ovechkin has not scored in three straight, but has four goals against the Black and Gold in the last three contests.

Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask has not faced the Capitals yet this season, riding the pine behind Tim Thomas for the previous two matchups.

WHEN AND WHERE

HEAD TO HEAD

The Bruins kicked the season off with a 4-1 loss to the Capitals, and lost by the same score in the rematch on Feb. 2.

Only one Bruin has a positive plus/minus against Washington, and that's Mark Stuart at plus-1. He will not be playing Monday after having surgery on an infected finger that will knock him out for two weeks.

Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci have the team's two goals against Washington. Ovechkin and Brooks Laich enjoy playing Boston, with each scoring three goals. Mike Knuble and Boyd Gordon round out the players with goals against Boston on the season.

GOALTENDING MATCHUP

Bruins
Tuukka Rask is 20-12-4 and has the starting job firmly in hand. It will be his first time facing the Ovechkin-led Capitals. He leads the NHL in goals-against average (1.97) and save percentage (.931).

Tim Thomas was pulled midway through last Monday night's game after giving up three goals to the Buffalo Sabres. He is 16-18-8 with a 2.55 GAA and .915 save percentage.

Capitals
Jose Theodore has a sterling 28-7-7 record, but his save percentage is lower than Thomas' at .909. His GAA is 2.85. He is 18-0-3 since his last loss Jan. 12.

Semyon Varlamov backs up Theodore with a 14-4-5 record. His GAA is 2.52 with a save percentage of .909. With Theodore's hot play after the Olympic break, Varlamov is assured of spending the rest of the season on the pine.

PROJECTED LINEUPS

Bruins
Forwards
Milan Lucic–Patrice Bergeron–Mark Recchi
Marco Sturm–David Krejci–Miroslav Satan
Brad Marchand–Vladimir Sobotka–Blake Wheeler
Daniel Paille–Steve Begin–Michael Ryder

Defensemen
Zdeno Chara–Dennis Seidenberg*
Andrew Bodnarchuk**-Dennis Wideman
Matt Hunwick–Johnny Boychuk

Goaltenders
Tuukka Rask
Tim Thomas

*Dennis Seidenberg may not play after being sliced on the inside left wrist during Saturday's Maple Leafs game. The decision will be made following the morning skate.

**Mark Stuart is expected to miss two weeks after surgery for an infected finger.

Capitals
Forwards
Alex Ovechkin–Niklas Backstrom–Mike Knuble
Brooks Laich–Tomas Fleischmann–Alexander Semin
Jason Chimera–Eric Belanger–Eric Fehr
Quintin Liang–Dave Steckel–Scott Walker

Defenseman
Tyler Sloan–Shaone Morrisonn
Mike Green–Jeff Schultz
Tom Poti–Joe Corvo

Goaltenders
Jose Theodore
Semyon Varlamov

STAT SHEET

Bruins

• In just 18 games following the Olympic break, David Krejci has 12 goals. In the 57 games prior, he had 20.
• Tuukka Rask has a scant 0.98 GAA in April over two games. Great numbers, but that places him just sixth on the April leaderboard. Montreal's Jaroslav Halak hasn't given up a goal in two games.
• Boston's 86.2 percent penalty kill rate is third in the league, while Washington is a distant 25th at 78.6.

Capitals

• Should Mike Green be considered for a Norris Trophy? Green leads all NHL defenseman in goals (19), assists (55), power-play goals (10), and plus/minus (35) — and several other statistics as well.
• Marco Sturm leads the Bruins with 21 goals while Washington has three 30-goal players — Ovechkin (46), Alexander Semin (38) and Niklas Backstrom (30).
• Jason Chimera has played in 35 games for the Capitals since being traded from the Columbus Blue Jackets. He has 16 points in that time span, compared to 17 over 39 games for his former team.

BLACK AND BLUE

Bruins

• Andrew Ference has a hernia injury that has shut him down for a week and counting. He is slated to return this week at the earliest.
• Marc Savard is out indefinitely with a Grade 2 concussion.
• Dennis Seidenberg needed 15 stitches to close a three-inch gash on the inside of his left wrist. He is day-to-day.
  
• Mark Stuart is out for two weeks following surgery on an infected finger.
• Shawn Thornton missed Saturday's game with an undisclosed back problem and is day-to-day.

Capitals

• John Carlson is day-to-day with an upper back injury.
• Also a day-to-day decision is Boyd Gordon with a back injury. He hopes to return against the Bruins or in the following game.
• Milan Jurcina underwent double-hernia surgery in February. The team hopes he can start skating with the team before the end of the first round of the playoffs.
• Quintin Liang has a lower back injury that makes him a game-time decision.
• Brendan Morrison has a groin injury and is angling to make it back for the final two games of the season.
• Scott Walker did not play Saturday due to a knee problem but figures to return against Boston.

OUTLOOK

The Bruins have their hands full with the Capitals. The club is currently in the seventh spot and have 84 points, tied with the Philadelphia Flyers. Lurking right behind them are the New York Rangers (82 points) and Atlanta Thrashers (81).

Boston has a tough remaining schedule. After the Monday tilt, the team will battle Buffalo and Carolina before seeing Washington one more time. Getting off to a fast start is important — the Bruins always do better playing from ahead as pressure gets taken off the offense to create opportunities.

The Caps don't have much to play for, having already clinched the Eastern Conference's best record. However, the Presidents' Trophy is still up for grabs. Behind hot goalie Jose Theodore, they will be a stiff test for a banged-up Bruins squad.