• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
Boston Bruins

Preview: Bruins Head to Washington

By Cam Hasbrouck December 7th, 2016

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

The Bruins head to our nation’s capital on Wednesday night to take on Alexander Ovechkin and the Caps for the first time this season. Things have been tipping Boston’s way lately, as the Bruins have won three straight games after defeating the Florida Panthers in dramatic fashion on Monday.

David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins, Fantasy Hockey, Fantasy

David Pastrnak has had the hot hand for the Bruins of late. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

The Bruins have seen some solid goaltending from Tuukka Rask this season, and all signs point toward him getting the nod against another one of the league’s top goaltenders, Braden Holtby. Holtby made his presence known to the Bruins back in 2012 with a brilliant quarterfinals playoff performance. Holtby gave up just one goal in five of the seven games en route to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.

The Bruins will look for the hot hands of David Pastrnak and David Backes to break through Holtby, who has had tremendous success against Boston in his career.

The Capitals and the Bruins each have 31 points headed into Wednesday’s clash, although the playoff format has favored the Bruins. Boston’s 31 points are enough to qualify for the third spot in the Atlantic Division, while the Caps sit at fifth in the Metropolitan despite having just as many points.

A win for Boston could propel them into second place in the Atlantic, while a Caps victory could place them ahead of the Flyers for the top wildcard spot.


Boston Bruins at Washington Capitals

Verizon Center – 8 p.m. EST

Broadcast channels – NBSCN

2016-17 Season Series: first game

Washington Capitals – 14-7-3 – 31 Points

Home Record: 9-4-0

Hot Players: Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Ovechkin, Marcus Johansson

Key Injuries: 

Projected lines:

Forwards

Marcus Johansson – Nicklas Backstrom – T.J. Oshie

Alex Ovechkin – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Justin Williams

Andre Burakovsky – Lars Eller – Jakub Vrana

Daniel Winnik – Jay Beagle – Tom Wilson

Defense

Dmitry Orlov – Matt Niskanen

Karl Alzner – John Carlson

Brooks Orpik – Nate Schmidt

Goaltender

Braden Holtby

Boston Bruins– 15-10-1 – 31 Points

Road Record: 8-5-1

Hot Players: David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, David Backes

Key Injuries: Matt Beleskey, John-Michael Liles

Projected lines:

Forwards

Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – David Pastrnak

Tim Schaller – David Krejci – David Backes

Ryan Spooner – Riley Nash – Austin Czarnik

Anton Blidh – Dominic Moore – Jimmy Hayes

Defense

Zdeno Chara – Branson Carlo

Torey Krug – Adam McQuaid

Kevan Miller – Colin Miller

Goaltender

Tuukka Rask


Game Notes

1) Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie is expected to return tonight after missing seven games with a shoulder injury. Oshie has notched 12 points in 17 games this season. In games without Oshie, the Caps went 3-3-1.“He’s been missed a lot in the atmosphere in the locker room.” said Washington captain Alex Ovechkin,

“He’s been missed a lot in the atmosphere in the locker room,” said Washington captain Alex Ovechkin, per the Washington Post. “You know, when we was on the road, he’s texting us. He’s a big part of our group, one of the leaders and a great teammate. It’s nice to have him back. He’s a big part of our success.”

2) Boston is currently touting a season-high five-game point streak heading into Wednesday’s clash, having earned nine out of their last ten possible points.

3) David Pastrnak continued his hot streak on Monday, scoring two goals including the overtime winner against Florida. Pastrnak now has tallied five points in his last five games and is averaging a point per game for the B’s this season.

4) Rask is expected to get the start tonight and will look to carry his momentum into the game against a team that has had his number throughout his career. In thirteen games against the Caps, Rask is 1-8-4, with a .899 save percentage and a 2.92 save percentage.

5) Braden Holtby has dominated the Bruins throughout his career. In 11 regular-season games against the B’s, Holtby is 9-2-0 with a .952 save percentage and a 1.57 goals against average.

  • Tags
  • David Pastrňák
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 20th 6:10 PM
Column

Red Wings News & Rumors: Protocol, Rasmussen, Howard & More

Jan 20th 6:00 PM
Nashville Predators

Predators’ Forward Depth Leading to Wins

Jan 20th 5:35 PM
Column

Islanders Weekly: Shutouts, Injury Scares & Scoring Concerns

Jan 20th 4:33 PM
Archives

2010 NHL Entry Draft: 5 Forgotten Picks

Jan 20th 4:15 PM
Vegas Golden Knights

3 Pros and 3 Cons to Golden Knights’ Goalie Split

Jan 20th 4:05 PM
Florida Panthers

Panthers Offense Flourishes but Goaltending & Special Teams Need Work

Jan 20th 3:15 PM
Column

Red Wings Wednesday Weekly: Hockey is Back Everyone!

Jan 20th 2:35 PM
Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks Seeing Hot Starts From Some but Serious Concerns Linger

Jan 20th 2:20 PM
NHL Entry Draft

2021 NHL Draft Rankings: Baracchini’s Top 75 Rankings

Jan 20th 1:50 PM
Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers’ Goaltending & Defense Among Standouts Through Week 1

Editor’s Picks
World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information