Sunday afternoon at TD Garden, the Bruins and Capitals squared off for the seventh time this season, in a preview of what may well be a first-round playoff series.
Seeking retribution for last week's blowout loss to Washington, Boston was far more competitive this time around as the two teams battled in an incredibly physical affair.
Fortunately, the Bruins were able to earn the two points and have now earned all six available points in their last three games against the Islanders and Capitals to keep six points between them and the trailing Rangers.
Tuukka Rask was solid in goal, and Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Krejci, David Pastrnak and Craig Smith all had multi-point games en route to a 6-3 win over the Capitals.
Here are three key takeaways from the game.
1. Seesaw affair
Bruins-Capitals games have had a tendency to be a bit on the wild side so far this season and Sunday was no different. There was physicality and a whole lot of offense, specifically in the first 40 minutes.
With the game scoreless midway through the first period, Connor Clifton was called for the first of two double-minor high-sticking penalties he would be guilty of in the game. Fortunately for Clifton, his team has the best penalty-kill percentage in the league and would soon score their league-leading eighth shorthanded goal of the season.
After forechecking John Carlson behind the Washington net, Brad Marchand was able to deflect a pass attempt that ended up in front of the net on the stick of Patrice Bergeron. Bergeron finished the play off with a slick forehand-to-backhand move for his third shorthanded goal of the season and a 1-0 lead.
Just under two minutes later, the Bruins would add to their lead finishing off a 200-foot transition play. All five players on the ice touched the puck leading to the goal. From the Bruins' goal line, Mike Reilly found Taylor Hall along the left-wing boards and Hall displayed patience before breaking the puck out of his zone finding Connor Clifton entering the neutral zone. From there Clifton moved the puck to David Krejci, who sent it to Craig Smith, back to Clifton, and then back-door to Krejci for the tic-tac-toe tally.
Down a pair of goals, Washington stormed back to score the next three.
TJ Oshie cut the Bruins' lead in half in the dying seconds of the first period before tying the game on the power play when Clifton was serving his second double-minor of the game for high-sticking. Anthony Mantha also scored on the double minor to give Washington a 3-2 lead.
However, the Bruins stormed back with a surge of their own and would score the final four goals of the game.
Marchand tied the game off a pass from Bergeron behind the net, and Krejci's second of the game gave Boston the lead, as he went shelf after a beautiful toe-drag around a sliding Washington defender in the slot. Craig Smith recorded his second assist of the game on the go-ahead goal and now has 18 points in his last 16 games.
Bergeron added an insurance goal late in the second on an odd-man rush and Marchand scored a third-period empty-netter to ice the game for Boston.
The big guns showed up for the Bruins as Marchand, Bergeron and Krejci each had two goals, and Pastrnak earned three assists.
2. Rask stands tall in the third
The back and forth nature of the first two periods meant that no lead was safe heading into the final frame — and with the Bruins ahead 5-3 in the third, Tuukka Rask made sure to keep it that way despite defensive breakdowns in front of him.
In the opening minutes of the period, Rask robbed Alex Ovechkin on a breakaway, and then immediately recovered to stop Lars Eller who was all alone on the rebound. If Washington scores then and there, the momentum would likely have been on their side the rest of the game.
Later in the period, Rask once again made a clutch breakaway save, this time on Tom Wilson. Rask had four breakaway saves in the game all together.
The cherry on top was in the closing minutes after Washington survived a five-minute major penalty, when Rask made a beautiful right shoulder save on a Nicklas Backstrom one-timer in the slot.
Yes, the Bruins were ultimately victorious, but they may not have been had it not been for their netminder and his 30-save performance.
3. Bruins need more bite back against Washington's physicality
The Bruins were wise to keep their composure during Sunday's physical contest with the Capitals -- Boston is in the middle of a playoff chase and was in desperate need of two points in the standings.
However, in the long-term, the Bruins will need to do a better job of standing up for themselves in future games against Washington.
Too many players on the Capitals were taking liberties against Boston and no one really fought back. Aside from the questionable hits on Sean Kuraly and Jarred Tinordi, Charlie McAvoy and Patrice Bergeron in particular were on the receiving end of some heavy checks from the likes of Alex Ovechkin and company and no one in a Bruins uniform really returned the favor on Washington's best players.
If these two teams are to meet in a playoff series, Washington seems more equipped to win the battle of attrition.
Kevan Miller's presence during a Bruins-Capitals playoff series would go a long way to keeping Capitals' players honest and creating more space out there for Boston.
Beyond Miller, players such as Curtis Lazar, Nick Ritchie, Trent Frederic, Jeremy Lauzon and Chris Wagner really need to rise to the occasion and fight fire with fire.
