Boston Bruins (27-17-7 61pts) v. Washington Capitals (28-17-6 62pts)
Time: 1230p EST
Station: NBC
Preview:
The big game is upon us as the Washington Capitals host the Boston Bruins on this Super Sunday tradition. The Capitals look to keep their good vibes going as they come into the second game of their six game home stand having ended their 7 game losing streak the other night against the Calgary Flames, which they did without the services of captain Alex Ovechkin who was serving a one game suspension for missing the All Star Game.
Speaking of Ovechkin, he will be looking to become the NHL’s all time leading Russian point scorer as he will need one point to surpass Hockey Hall of Famer Sergei Fedorov (1179 points).
The Bruins will be looking to end their current 3 game losing streak, and 14 game losing streak to the Capitals.
Boston Bruins:
Projected Lineup:
Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — David Pastrnak
Peter Cehlarik — David Krejci — Jake DeBrusk
Joakim Nordstrom — Trent Frederic — David Backes
Sean Kuraly — Noel Acciari — Chris Wagner
Zdeno Chara — Charlie McAvoy
Torey Krug — Kevan Miller
Matt Grzelcyk — Brandon Carlo
Tuukka Rask
Jaroslav Halak
Scratched: John Moore, Danton Heinen, Zane McIntyre
Injured: none
Keys to the Game:
1. Force the play
The Bruins have struggled against the Capitals recently, and one major takeaway is that the Capitals force the play and make the Bruins play their game. The Bruins need to flip the script and force the Capitals to play their game instead and take advantage of a team whose won their first game in the past eight.
Washington Capitals:
Projected Lineup:
Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie
Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson
Dmitrij Jaskin — Travis Boyd — Brett Connolly
Andre Burakovsky — Nic Dowd — Devante Smith-Pelly
Dmitry Orlov — John Carlson
Michal Kempny — Matt Niskanen
Brooks Orpik — Jonas Siegenthaler
Braden Holtby
Pheonix Copley
Scratched: Chandler Stephenson, Madison Bowey
Injured: Christian Djoos (thigh), Lars Eller (lower body)
Keys to the Game:
1. Clear out the traffic
The Capitals need to keep the slot area in front of the net clear so Braden Holtby can see the shots coming, and most importantly prevent the Bruins from being able to tip shots and passes going towards the net. The Calgary Flames scored 2 of their 3 goals with tips/deflections and the Capitals need to play more solid to prevent that.
