Bruins suffer power outage in 3-2 loss to Caps

The Bruins’ mounting issues with their power play short-circuited their chances of finishing off their four-game road trip on happy note on Sunday in Washington D.C.

The B’s went 0-for-4 on the man-advantage and they dropped a 4-2 decision to Capitals in the matinee. They finished the trip 0-for-16 on the power-play. Linus Ullmark (27 saves) was again very good but he suffered his first loss in seven starts.

Lars Eller snapped a 2-2 tie off a fortunate bounce at 7:18 of the third period. Eller simply fired a puck toward the net from the left boards that deflected off Erik Haula and past Ullmark, which stood up as the winner.

The B’s pulled Ullmark for the extra skater late, but the 6-on-5 was no more effective than any of their power plays, and Alex Ovechkin added an empty netter in the final seconds.

The team’s overall health took another hit. With Hampus Lindholm and David Pastrnak already out, the B’s were down to five defensemen from the first period on after Matt Grzelcyk was lost to an upper-body injury after just four shifts. Grzelcyk, who has been battling shoulder problems much of the season, appeared to be favoring his right shoulder after pinching down in the offensive zone on his last shift.

Both Ullmark and Vitek Vanecek flashed some leather in the first period, turning away a couple of excellent chances each. It appeared very briefly that the B’s had taken a first period when a rebound went off Trent Frederic and in but it was immediately waved for a distinct kicking motion, which was upheld by video review.

The shooters started to find the back of the net in a see-saw second period. When the dust settled, the teams were tied 2-2.

John Carlson gave the Caps the first lead of the game at 4:11 when he blasted a slap shot past Ullmark, who had lost his stick on incidental contact with Evgeny Kuznetsov.

But the B’s took the lead on pair of goals a minute apart.

The B’s evened it up on a fourth-line goal at 7:55. Nick Foligno circled through the slot, drawing Vanecek out of the his net. From behind the net, Foligno pushed the puck through the empty crease and Curtis Lazar was there to score his eighth goal of the season.

The B’s then took the lead on Haula’s 14th of the season. Charlie McAvoy thwarted a Washington break-out play in the neutral zone and put Haula back on the attack. From the top of the left circle, Haula sizzled a perfectly-placed slapper off the post and in.

But the B’s couldn’t hold the lead. Ullmark made a stop on an Eller shot from the slot, but he could not locate the rebound. Tom Wilson beat Derek Forbort in the puck battle at the top of the crease and banged it home between Ullmark’s pads.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/70hLaOT