Bruins storm back to stun Capitals, 5-3

This time, a three-goal deficit could not keep the Bruins from getting two points.

For the second time in as many games, the B’s overcame a 3-0 lead by the Washington Capitals. But after losing in overtime on Saturday after tying the game, on Monday after they stormed back to tie it, they won it in regulation, 5-3.

“Tonight was a resilient effort by the team,” said Brandon Carlo. “It was a great comeback.”

It was Carlo who gave the Bruins a 4-3 lead with 2:37 left in the game with a one-timer slapper that stood up as the game-winner, then Brad Marchand salted it away with an empty-netter to cap the win of the year in this young season.

This comeback was not as easy to see coming. The B’s were not very good in the first half of the game. But they got great plays in the offensive zone by young defensemen Jakub Zboril and Jeremy Lauzon and Trent Frederic’s well-timed bout with Tom Wilson had everyone talking after the game.

“Freddie is just fearless,” said Carlo, marveling at the rookie’s willingness to tangle with one of the toughest fighters in the league.

The B’s once again handed the Caps a big lead — this one more deserved than the one they gave them on Saturday — but again they kept with it. David Pastrnak had put the B’s on the board with his first of the season in the second period and then pulled the B’s to within one at 6:08 of the third period.

Wilson tried to stem the B’s momentum by dropping the gloves with rookie Frederic, who hung in there pretty well with the rugged Cap and lifted the B’s bench even more.

Frederic had tried to get Wilson to go on Saturday when the B’s fell down 3-0, but with the B’s gaining a head of steam, the veteran decided to give the kid a shot.

“Both games we were down. It’s tough with no fans and trying to get a spark. Both games the opportunity presented itself. But it takes two,” said Frederic.

After the two traded punches, with Wilson’s helmet popping off, the Cap scored the takedown. But the B’s clearly got more juice out of it.

With 6:53 left in regulation, the B’s tied it up. Lauzon made a terrific rush up his off side and made a nice backhand pass to Craig Smith, who pumped it into the half-empty net to even it. They had the Caps on the hook then, and this time they did not let them wriggle off.

The Bruins again started out well in the first period, getting the first handful of shots on net; Brandon Carlo nearly gave the B’s an early lead when he clanged the short-side post.

But soon, the Caps turned the tide in a big way, scoring two goals in 11 seconds to take a 2-0 lead after one period.

It looked like the B’s might be able to stem the Caps’ momentum when coach Bruce Cassidy challenged what would have been Washington’s first goal at 11:41. Carl Hagelin had redirected a John Carlson shot/pass past Jaroslav Halak. Cassidy challenged the zone entry by Garnet Hathaway, who was ruled to be inside the zone before an aerial puck crossed the blue line.

But that only seemed to just make the Caps mad, and it was old friend Zdeno Chara who put a more permanent goal on the board at 13:26 as he proved he still has some giddyup in his slapshot. Directly off a Nic Dowd faceoff win, Chara teed up a slapper from the blue line that simply beat Halak to the blocker side.

Then off the ensuing faceoff, the B’s stopped resembling the team that they’ve been this season. Daniel Sprong avoided a Charlie Coyle stick check and Connor Clifton allowed Sprong to get to a sweet shooting spot about 15 feet from Halak. Sprong ripped a shot that Halak probably should have had but did not. Then again, Sprong should have seen more resistance before the shot than he did.

From that point, the B’s simply had to hang on to get out of the first down just two. The Caps held a 15-8 shot advantage.

The Bruins had a golden chance to get right back in the game early in the second when, first, T.J. Oshie held Jakub Zboril from behind and then, 1:02 later, Garnet Hathaway backhanded the puck into the empty seats, giving the B’s a 5-on-3 for 58 seconds.

But the B’s let the opportunity slip through their fingers. Again, it was Chara who played a big role in killing the two-man Bruin advantage, getting to a loose puck and sending it down the end of the ice, killing off a good chunk of the time of the 5-on-3, then easily killed off the rest of the 5-on-4.

And the Caps’ cashed in on their next PP. After the B’s fumbled with the puck, forcing Lauzon to take a stick penalty, Carlson cruised down the middle of the ice and beat Halak at 8:35 for a 3-0 lead.

But as they did on Saturday night when they handed the Caps a 3-0 lead, the B’s got one back before the second period was out.

Off an offensive zone draw that appeared to be a botched call (the B’s had been offside when goalie Vitek Vanecek froze the puck), the B’s top line — held well in check up until that point — went to work. Eventually, Marchand fed Pastrnak, who ripped a one-timer past Vanecek at 12:07 for his first goal of the season.

The B’s had a chance to climb within a goal when Dowd was whistled for tripping Pastrnak at 13:51, but once again the man advantage did not come through and they went into the third down 3-1.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3cxWSbq