Final, Capitals 4-3: That does it, as the Capitals are able to hold on despite a late charge from the Bruins.
Third Period, 18:33, Capitals 4-3: And the Capitals cash in on the questionable penalty call to take the late lead.
Troy Brouwer snipes one by Tim Thomas who had come out to take away the angle, but Brouwer still found the corner to give the Caps a 4-3 lead.
Third Period, 17:10, 3-3: The Bruins will have their work cut out for them, as the Caps are set to go on the power play with just under three minutes to play.
Benoit Pouliot is sent off for a seemingly harmless slash, and the B's will be a man down for two minutes.
Third Period, 15:16, 3-3: Braden Holtby has made some big saves in this game, but perhaps none bigger than the one he just made.
The young goalie made a glove save after Andrew Ference took a shot from the top of the left face-off circle on a shot that may have been redirected in front by Dennis Seidenberg. If there were any sort of rebound, the B's probably would have scored, as they had some terrific net-front pressure.
Third Period, 15:00, 3-3: The Bruins have started to tilt the ice some in the third after Johnny Boychuk's goal. They haven't had any real scoring opportunities since, but the puck is spending a lot of time in the Washington zone.
Third Period, 8:47, 3-3: Just like that, the Bruins tie it up as they finally break through on the power play.
Brad Marchand continued his strong afternoon by carrying the puck deep into the Washington zone before reversing it back to the point. From there, Dennis Seidenberg sent it across the point to Johnny Boychuk who blasted a shot from the left point by Braden Holtby to tie the game.
Third Period, 7:59, Capitals 3-2: The Bruins are heading on the power play after Dennis Wideman catches Brad Marchand with a high cross-check at the Washington blue line.
Third Period, 6:14, Capitals 3-2: Nobody expects the Bruins to go away without a fight, and they prove that just moments after the Knuble goal. Unfortunately for the B's, Braden Holtby just delivered his best save of the series.
Milan Lucic was able to get into the slot and slide a backhanded pass to Tyler Seguin who was camped to the left of the net, and Holtby came across the cage to absolutely rob Seguin of a would-be goal.
Third Period, 4:50, Capitals 3-2: Just like that, the Caps get the lead back.
Joel Ward throws a puck on net from the right side, and it's kicked away by Tim Thomas, but former Bruin Mike Knuble is there to slam home the rebound to give Washington a 3-2 lead.
The Caps are a tight team by nature under Dale Hunter, and that's only going to intensify with a one-goal lead in the third.
Third Period, 2:20, 2-2: We're under way in the third with some good pressure from the Bruins to start the period.
Also of note, the TD Garden crowd is really into it finally, as a capacity crowd chants "Holllt-by" at the young goalie.
Second Intermission Notes: The Bruins appeared in serious trouble after Washington struck for two goals late in the second period. But Boston needed just 28 seconds to pull even, with Dennis Seidenberg and Brad Marchand each scoring with less than three minutes left in the frame to make this a 2-2 game going into the third.
With the way this series has gone, it should be no surprise the Bruins answered right back like that. A two-goal lead just didn't feel right for these two teams.
Those goals were important for more than just erasing the deficit. They were also the first two goals in the series from the Bruins' top two lines, as David Krejci and Milan Lucic set up Seidenberg's strike and Marchand was out with Patrice Bergeron and Rich Peverley when he tied the game. The Bruins need those lines to get going, and a goal while each was on the ice is a big step in the right direction.
There was plenty of bad luck on the two goals the Bruins allowed. the first came with Joe Corvo hobbled after blocking a shot. He gutted on the rest of the shift on one leg with no stick, but the Caps took advantage and Alexander Semin scored on a rebound in front. Jay Beagle added the other on a shot that deflected in off Johnny Boychuk's stick.
Things remained plenty physical in the second. The Bruins continue to dominate the hit stat 27-15, but both teams will need some ice packs after this one. Zdeno Chara is setting the tone with six hits and he's been involved in plenty of scrums. Shawn Thornton has four hits and has done his best to spark the club. He dropped one glove trying to get John Erskine to go when the Bruins fell behind 2-0, but Erskine wouldn't bite. Troy Brouwer also went for the hug when Boychuk came up looking to go after Brouwer had held him down in the corner.
So no fights yet in the series, but plenty of chippy play and good old-fashioned playoff nastiness. Expect more of the same in the third as both teams look to win a huge game for the series lead.
End of Second Period, 2-2: You just saw why the Bruins are the defending champs.
Down 2-0 against a tight defensive team, the B's rally late in the period to tie things up heading into the third.
They got a couple of late chances as well, and the final minute was capped by a big body check from Dennis Seidenberg on Matt Hendricks.
Second Period, 17:49, 2-2: This place is going bananas.
First, it was Dennis Seidenberg beating Braden Holtby to the glove side, and then 27 seconds later, Brad Marchand continues his impressive afternoon putting home a rebound through Holtby's legs.
Marchand does exactly what B's have been looking for, going to the net and cashing in on a rebound.
The Garden is absolutely rocking right now.
Second Period, 14:03, Capitals 1-0: The Bruins don't necessarily look like a team that's down in a pivotal playoff matchup right now.
They're struggling again to get shots to the net right now, and it's going to get even more difficult against a tight, front-running team like Washington playing with the lead.
Second Period, 11:16, Capitals 1-0: There's only so much Tim Thomas can do, as the Capitals strike first.
With Joe Corvo skating one leg after taking a shot off the other, the Caps are able to get traffic in front where Alexender Semin is able to put home a rebound for the game's first tally.
Second Period, 7:24, 0-0: The Bruins get a couple of really good looks during the four-on-four, the best coming when Milan Lucic found David Krejci barrelling down the slot.
Krejci, however, wasn't able to get good wood on it or just plain missed the net by a good foot.
Second Period, 5:14, 0-0: Johnny Boychuk and Troy Brouwer get tied up behind the play and come close to dropping the gloves.
Instead, they just get tangled up, exchange a few shoves and get sent off for roughing minors.
We're back to four-on-four.
Second Period, 3:47, 0-0: The first decent chance of the second period comes from Brad Marchand who streaks up the left side, gets around the defenseman and then puts a backhanded bid on Braden Holtby who turns it aside.
It was a pretty good look for Marchand who has looked pretty good after getting bumped down to start this one.
First Intermission Notes: There was no scoring in the opening frame, but no shortage of action.
The Bruins turned in a much better effort in that period, though they have not been rewarded yet. They came within inches of scoring twice, with Zdeno Chara and Daniel Paille each clanging shots of the post. Chara's came on the power play, while Paille's was on a shorthanded breakaway.
The Bruins remain 0-fer on the man advantage, failing to convert two chances in this one to fall to 0 for 14 in the series. They looked much better on their opportunities in this one though. In addition to Chara's near miss, they kept Washington hemmed in its zone and had multiple good looks on both power-play chances.
The Bruins have come out much more physical in this one. They had the first eight hits of the game and finished the period with a 14-5 edge in that category. Chara leads the way with three, but was shaken up in the closing seconds when Jason Chimera hit him with a sneaky elbow in the back of the head in the corner. No penalty was called on the play, but John Carlson was sent to the box for crashing into Tim Thomas earlier, Paille and Troy Brouwer drew matching minors for jostling before a faceoff and Chara got a roughing call after an extended battle with Alex Ovechkin. THis one has a much nastier feel than the last game, which is how it should be in the playoffs.
The shots were nearly even with Washington up 11-10, but Thomas has had to make the tougher saves. he robbed Marcus Johansson from the top of the crease early and came up with a huge stop late as Ovechkin drove hard to the net for a bid.
Claude Julien didn't stick with all of his line changes for long, putting Brad Marchand back on the second line with Patrice Bergeron and Rich Peverley right away, while Paille remained on the fourth line with Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton. Brian Rolston did stay up on the top line with Milan Lucic and David Krejci throughout the period, with Tyler Seguin staying with Chris Kelly and Benoit Pouliot.
Once again this looks like it will be a low-scoring defensive struggle, so getting that first goal and playing with a lead could be vital for the Bruins in the middle frame.
First period, 20:00, 0-0: That's it from the first, as the B's and Caps play another scoreless first.
We were close to having goals on both end of the ice in the final minutes, but Tim Thomas made a gorgeous save on Alex Ovechkin before Braden Holtby stoned Brad Marchand with a nice kick save after transition.
First period, 15:42, 0-0: The Bruins, 0-for-13 now on the power play in this series will now get another chance.
Roman Hamrlik was sent off for hooking.
First period, 14:40, 0-0: Braden Holtby has been good in this series, but so far in this one, the red piping behind him has been the reason it's still scoreless.
Daniel Paille gets a terrific shorthanded opportunity on the breakaway, but he rings the left post to keep things scoreless.
The Bruins do, however, kill off the Chara roughing penalty.
First period, 11:40, 0-0: Zdeno Chara levels Alex Ovechkin with a check along the boards which leaves the Capitals star unhappy.
He and Chara exchange a couple of shoves, and get into it after a whistle a couple of seconds later.
However, it's Chara who's sent off for a roughing call after the whistle and Washington gets its first power play of the afternoon.
First period, 10:20, 0-0: Daniel Paille and Troy Brouwer get into it before a faceoff following a media timeout, and they're both sent off for unsportsmanlike conduct, so we'll play four-on-four for a couple of minutes.
First period, 10:20, 0-0: The Bruins and Claude Julien have talked about the need to get to the net and create traffic, and they're doing a so-so job of that thus far.
The fourth line showed how it was done crashing the net on a Johnny Boychuk bomb, but the B's were unable to gather the Braden Holtby rebound.
A couple of shifts later, Patrice Berergon flipped the puck on net from the right faceoff circle which Holtby struggled to gain control of, but was eventually able to smother in the midst of a lot going on around him.
First period, 7:36, 0-0: So far, some good pressure from the Bruins despite being outshot 4-1 in the early going.
Much was made about Brad Marchand's move back to the Merlot Line, but the agitator is now skating with Rich Peverley and Patrice Bergeron, with Daniel Paille assuming his spot alongside Shawn Thornton and Gregory Campbell.
First period, 4:50, 0-0: The Bruins power play looked a little better, but still nothing to show for it.
They came close, though, when Zdeno Chara wrung the crossbar from the right side.
Shortly after the power play ended, Alex Ovechkin gives the Caps their best chance when he finds Marcus Johansson in the slot, but Tim Thomas turns it away before freezing the puck.
First period, 2:30, 0-0: Things get testy early, as John Carlson crashes into Tim Thomas at the end of a play.
Thomas was bowled over but came up swinging and a scrum ensued.
The B's got the best of it, as Carlson heads to the box for a goalie interference penalty.
First period, 0:01, 0-0: And we're under way from the Garden for a pivotal Game 5 matchup.
3:05 p.m.: The Bruins will open with the new combo of Milan Lucic, David Krejci and Brian Rolston up front, with Andrew Ference and Johnny Boychuk on defense and Tim Thomas in goal.
The Capitals counter with Jason Chimera, Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin up front, Karl Alzner and John Carlson on the blue line and Braden Holtby in net.
3 p.m.: In a bit of a surprise, Mathieu Perreault is listed among the scratches for Washington. he goes from centering second line in Nicklas Backstrom's absence in Game 4 to the press box in Game 5.
The Caps also scratch Jeff Halpern, Jeff Schultz, Dmitry Orlov and Mattias Sjogren, plus injured Tomas Vokoun. Mike Knuble remains in for second straight game.
The Bruins again scratch Jordan Caron, Mike Mottau, Adam McQuaid (upper body) and Tuukka Rask (groin).
2:50 p.m.: The Bruins did stick with their new line combinations during the line rushes in warm-up. Jordan Caron and Mike Mottau were on the ice as usual but did not take part in the line drills.
Here's the new line combinations in full:
Lucic-Krejci-Rolston
Paille-Bergeron-Peverley
Pouliot-Kelly-Seguin
Marchand-Campbell-Thornton
Defense pairs:
Chara-Seidenberg
Ference-Boychuk
Zanon-Corvo
2:40 p.m.: The teams have taken the ice for warm-ups here at the Garden. Tim Thomas and Braden Holtby led the clubs out and will get the starts in their respective goals as expected.
2:30 p.m.: The Bruins and Capitals will take the ice shortly here at the Garden for a pivotal Game 5.
Just moments ago Claude Julien spoke with the media and indicated taht he will at least begin the game with the revamped line combinations he unveiled in practice on Friday.
Julien also indicated that while the combinations have been changed, the personnel will remain the same in the lineup with Jordan Caron remaining a scratch, though he will likely take warm-ups again as he has throughout the series.
8 a.m. ET: The Bruins will look to bounce back from Thursday's 2-1 loss in Washington and retake the lead in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.
Boston has never trailed in the series, but the Bruins also haven't been able to get any separation from the Capitals either, with Washington answering each time the Bruins have gone up by a game.
Things couldn't get much more even than the first four games of this matchup. Not only are the teams tied 2-2 in games, they've each scored exactly seven goals with each game decided by a single goal.
That's a good sign for Boston's defense and goaltending, but the offense has been struggling mightily to get anything past young Washington netminder Braden Holtby. The Bruins beat him just once despite 45 shots on Thursday, but those numbers are deceiving. Boston didn't create enough quality chances despite the plethora of shots and will needs to create more traffic in front for screens, tips and rebounds to start getting some consistent production.
To try to generate more of that net-front presence and create any kind of an offensive spark, Claude Julien shuffled all four of his forward lines in practice on Friday. Brian Rolston moved up alongside David Krejci and Milan Lucic, while Patrice Bergeron was flanked by Daniel Paille and Rich Peverley, Chris Kelly was with Benoit Pouliot and Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand dropped down with Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton.
The Capitals will have some revamped lines as well as top playmaker Nicklas Backstrom will return from a one-game suspension for cross-checking Peverley in the face at the end of Game 3. Backstrom had been centering the second line in the first three games, but was up with Alex Ovechkin and Brooks Laich on the top unit in practice on Friday.
The puck drops at 3 p.m. Stay with the NESN.com live blog, as we'll keep you up to speed on everything happening at the Garden.
