The Bruins couldn’t take advantage of the Capitals being forced to turn to their third-string goalie and wound up losing Game 1, 3-2, in overtime.
The winning goal came 4:41 into the extra session when Tom Wilson set up T.J. Oshie for a one-timer that deflected off Nic Dowd in front and trickled through Tuukka Rask’s legs and over the line.
The Capitals opened the scoring 6:22 into the game on a bad break -- literally -- for the Bruins. Charlie McAvoy’s stick snapped at the offensive blue line, giving the Capitals an odd-man rush (and an odd-man rush in which one of the Bruins’ defenders didn’t have a stick) that ended with Wilson rifling a shot over Rask’s glove.
The Bruins answered with 6:50 left in the first when Jake DeBrusk collected the puck off a Curtiz Lazar offensive-zone faceoff win and snapped a quick shot past Vitek Vanecek. Adding injury to insult, Vanecek suffered an injury trying to make the save and did not return to the game.
The Capitals retook the lead 8:44 into the second on another play that was a bit fortunate, as Brenden Dillon’s shot from the point deflected off Jeremy Lauzon’s and over Rask’s arm. The Bruins answered on the power play later in the second when David Pastrnak’s shot deflected off Nick Ritchie in front and just trickled over the line.
That’s the way it stayed until overtime. Here are three key takeaways:
1. Depth scoring shows up; top players not so much
The Bruins have been a team with two dominant lines and then a bottom six that can occasionally chip in offensively. In Game 1, it was the opposite. They got two goals from bottom-six forwards while the Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci lines struggled to create chances.
Their first goal came from the fourth line on an offensive-zone draw, with Curtis Lazar winning it and Jake DeBrusk snapping a good shot past Vanecek. That’s the kind of shot DeBrusk can bury when he’s playing well, and the playoffs have brought out his best at times in the past. It’s a reminder that despite his struggles in the regular season, having a player with DeBrusk’s talent on the fourth line is an appetizing prospect in the playoffs. He was playing well to close out the regular season, and if he starts to find more offense, that’s obviously good news for Boston.
The Bruins’ second goal came on the power play, but from another depth forward in Nick Ritchie. It was Ritchie’s first power-play goal since Feb. 21, and a reminder of what he can and should be bringing to that top unit, which is a powerful net-front presence. While the goal itself was a bit fortunate, deflecting off Ritchie’s side and trickling over the line, he created that fortune by parking himself in front of the net and being in position to make something happen.
Meanwhile, the Bruins’ top six forwards didn’t find the scoresheet with the exception of David Pastrnak assisting on Ritchie’s goal. Pastrnak had a game-high six shots on goal and looked lively, but the other five forwards on the top two lines combined for six total.
Especially with Craig Anderson coming in cold off the bench after Vanecek went down, the Bruins really needed their top offensive players to test him. Anderson gave up some juicy rebounds and looked unsure of himself at times, and you got the feeling that he was beatable if the Bruins tested him enough, but that really didn't happen.
"Our top guys didn't seem to have it. Couldn't find ice," coach Bruce Cassidy said after the game.
2. B’s give up too many odd-man rushes
The Capitals’ first goal aside -- which again was mostly just bad look with McAvoy’s stick breaking -- the Bruins gave up too many odd-man rushes and transition chances.
In the first minute of the game, McAvoy had to make a nice defensive play to break up a 2-on-1 pass from Conor Sheary. In the second period, John Carlson had a golden chance on a 3-on-1 but fired wide, with a backchecking Jake DeBrusk maybe harassing him just enough to alter the shot.
Tom Wilson, already with one goal in the game, had a shorthanded 2-on-1 chance and another good transition chance, but Rask turned both opportunities aside. In the closing seconds of the second period, the Bruins gave up another 3-on-1 that ended with Lars Eller ripping a shot that Rask just got a piece of before it rang the crossbar.
The common theme on these chances was the Bruins getting caught with too many guys up ice, playing the offensive side of the puck, and not being in position to defend in transition in the event of a change of possession.
That just can’t happen in the playoffs, especially not against a team that has the kind of offensive talent the Capitals do. The Bruins are generally a team that’s responsible defensively and doesn’t put themselves in those positions, and they’ll need to make sure they get back to that for Game 2.
3. Capitals’ goalie situation takes another hit
Goaltending has been a question mark all season for the Capitals. Ilya Samsonov still being stuck in COVID-19 protocol as this series began didn’t help. Vitek Vanececk getting injured in the first period of Game 1 REALLY didn’t help.
But that’s exactly what happened when Vanecek went into a split trying to stop DeBrusk’s shot that tied the game at one. The rookie netminder had to leave the game and was quickly ruled out for the remainder of it.
Veteran Craig Anderson took over. While the soon-to-be-40-year-old has plenty of experience, including in the playoffs, he has made just four appearances and two starts this season. While Anderson made some good saves after taking over, he also looked a bit shaky at times, and it certainly felt like the Bruins missed a big opportunity to test him more.
The Capitals’ emergency third goalie -- and potentially their backup if Vanecek misses more time -- was Pheonix Copley, a 29-year-old who has 29 games of NHL experience and last played in one in April 2019.