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Despite a scramble of offense in the final minutes of the third period, the Caps fell to the Bruins 1-0 in a Super Bowl Sunday matinee game in Washington.
The loss broke Washington’s 14-game win streak over Boston.
The first two periods were fairly slow, save for some excellent work by goalies Braden Holtby and Tukka Rask. Bruins center David Krejci scored at 10:43 of the second period for the game’s only goal.
Despite the loss, the improvement the Caps carried over from Friday’s win was apparent.
Washington generated sustained offensive zone time throughout the game. In addition, the Caps did a great job of grabbing rebounds when they had the puck, and clearing it on defense to keep Boston from getting secondary scoring chances.
The Capitals’ issue as of late? Penalties. Washington currently has the most of any NHL team. Coach Todd Reirden took matters into his own hands on Sunday, benching Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dmitrij Jaskin for several shifts during the first period after they returned from the box.
Reirden’s discipline seemed to make a difference. After the Caps’ pair of first period penalties, they didn’t find their way into the box again until well into the third, when TJ Oshie was handed two minutes for slashing.
With four minutes left in the third, the Capitals were feeling the pressure to score. But passes weren’t connecting; lanes weren’t clear, and despite the Caps’ best last-ditch efforts, the Bruins walked away with the game.
We’ll see whether the Patriots can pull out another win for New England sports later Sunday.
One thing to take away: Fear not, Caps fans — the team’s pace of play and response time over the past two games feel snappy, and they look more put together than before the break. They’re on the right track as far as working towards consistent winning – they just have to continue their progress.
The highlight you should see:
aghhhhhhhhh 😤
Stream #CapsBruins here: https://t.co/awH8D5FKG5 pic.twitter.com/nnQdqANxQC
— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) February 3, 2019
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