After exchanging a pair of overtime wins down in Washington, the series between the Bruins and Capitals shipped up to Boston for Game 3, where the Bruins were playing in their first playoff game at TD Garden in two years.
In another back and forth affair, the Bruins and Capitals played their 12th consecutive one-goal playoff game. And for the second game in a row, the Bruins came from behind in the third period and eventually won in double overtime, 3-2.
Taylor Hall and Brad Marchand scored in regulation for the Bruins while Craig Smith tallied the double overtime winner when he stole a puck behind the Capitals net and tucked it in.
Tuukka Rask was also very strong between the pipes, making 35 saves en route to the win. Here are three key takeaways:
1. Hall scores another beauty
Taylor Hall continues to be one the Bruins’ biggest bright spots and proved in Game 2 that he is willing to score goals at any cost when he went hard to the net and banged home a greasy goal late in regulation to force overtime.
Well, on Wednesday, he went back to scoring in highlight-reel fashion when he took a neat pass from Craig Smith and exemplified his dynamic edgework, soft hands and patience before roofing a nifty shot under the crossbar to even the score 1-1.
Hall’s second goal of the postseason was a thing of beauty and he continues to take advantage of his time in Boston.
2. Smith plays hero
For the third consecutive game it took overtime for the Bruins and Capitals to decide a winner, and for the second straight game it was the Bruins who came out victorious, giving them their first lead of the series.
Craig Smith continues to prove himself as a wonderful free-agent acquisition this past offseason, as he scored his first playoff goal as a Bruin and a pretty important one at that.
After Brad Marchand’s third-period power-play goal forced overtime, Smith took advantage of a loose puck behind the Capitals net and banked a wrap-around off the skate of Ilya Samsonov and in for the win.
Of course it was a tough play by Samsonov to just leave the puck behind the net, but in typical Smith fashion, his effort and determination on the forecheck led to the scoring opportunity.
Smith -- who netted 13 goals in the regular season -- continues to add much needed scoring depth that the Bruins will need if they want to go on a deep playoff run.
3. Bruins losing battle of fourth lines
All season long the Bruins' fourth line has had trouble finding a consistent identity -- a problem that the Capitals clearly don’t have.
Carl Hagelin, Nic Dowd and Garnett Hathaway have not only managed to get under the skin of their opponents, but they have also contributed on the score sheet and are proving to be Washington’s most effective advantage over Boston.
Washington’s energy line has now combined for four goals and two assists for six total points through the first three games of the series, one of which was an overtime winner and two others would have been game-winners had it not been for late game comebacks by Boston.
And while all eyes were on Tom Wilson heading into the series as public enemy number one, that role is now being played by Hathaway, who once again continues to bother the Bruins between and after whistles. His latest, non-penalized antics were when he rammed into Tuukka Rask while knocking his goalie mask off his head.
Meanwhile, Sean Kuraly, Curtis Lazar and Chris Wagner aren’t making nearly as much of an impact against the Capitals. Boston will have to find a way to at least even out the battle of the fourth lines going forward.