Capitals coach Peter Laviolette has been around the NHL long enough to understand that matinee games come with a challenge. They’re not your average day, he says. That’s especially true on the second day of a back-to-back, like Sunday against the Boston Bruins.
“It’s like you’re eating scrambled eggs and then you’ve got to be willing to punch somebody in the nose,” Laviolette said.
Despite the 1:30 p.m. start time, the Capitals came ready to fight, withstood a few blows and ultimately pulled out a 4-2 victory over the Bruins. The win marked Washington’s third straight as the Capitals look to round into playoff form with only 10 games left in the season.
Lars Eller delivered the go-ahead — and ultimately game-winning — goal for the Capitals 7:18 into the third period when he shot a puck that bounced off Erik Haula’s skate and into Boston’s net. Eller, too, was playing a line higher Sunday because Nicklas Backstrom was held out with body maintenance.
Eller’s goal was part of an aggressive stretch for Washington, which drew two penalties in the third and kept up the pressure to stave off a Boston comeback. Alex Ovechkin added an empty-netter with 1.7 seconds left for good measure — putting him at 45 goals for the season.
In the big picture, the Capitals (40-22-10, 90 points) have rattled off consecutive victories against three contenders in Tampa Bay (94 points), Pittsburgh (90) and Boston (95). In doing so, they’ve delivered the response players and coaches were looking for — particularly after letdowns against Minnesota and Carolina prior to their three-game stretch.
“We knew we weren’t happy with how we were playing,” said defenseman John Carlson, who scored in Sunday’s game. “We wanted to make a stand and I think against good three teams, it’s a pretty good run for us. It’s something to build on going forward now.
With the playoffs inching closer, the Capitals still have questions to answer ahead of the postseason. For example, does this streak really indicate the Capitals have turned a corner? Or is it another dramatic swing for a team that has struggled to be consistent all season?
Goaltending arguably is the team’s biggest mystery. Laviolette has been open about his desire for someone to seize the job, but he re-opened the competition this month after Vanecek began struggling after the trade deadline. Prior to facing the Bruins, Vanecek had just a 1-3 record with an .862 save percentage since March 21 — when the Capitals elected against adding another netminder at the deadline.
That opened the door for Ilya Samsonov, who started Saturday’s 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. In that performance, the Russian was a mess early — all three Pittsburgh goals came in the first — but Laviolette praised the way Samsonov responded for the rest of the contest.
Against the Bruins, Vanecek did what Samsonov failed to do the day prior: Vanecek started strong. And overall, Vanecek resembled more of the player who seemed well on his way to being the Capitals’ No. 1 goalie. On Sunday, he stopped 30 of 32 shots and came up big in several moments. His lone drawbacks occurred in the second period when winger Curtis Lazar tapped one in and Haula rocketed it past Vanecek to give Boston a 2-1 lead.
But hockey is still a team sport and lately, the Capitals have done a lot to help their goaltending situation. That, for instance, came in the form of 29 blocked shots against the Bruins. Washington’s penalty kill, a sudden strength, was again solid — holding Boston scoreless on four power plays.
The Capitals were able to rally because of contributions on the offensive end, too. Tom Wilson continued his recent surge when he tied the game in the second period after being in the perfect position to knock in the rebound of Eller’s shot that bounced off Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark. Wilson snuck it through Ullmark’s legs for the score.
Not only was it Wilson’s 23rd goal of the season — a career-high — but the score was the winger’s fourth in the last six games. He now has 50 points on the year, also a career-best.
“We know how good we’re capable of playing, but then doing it on a consistent basis has been the challenge for us since after Christmas,” Eller said. “Today, this week, we put together three really strong games with various challenges, some guys coming in and out and I just think, really good team effort. … We got like a good feeling in the room right now after this week.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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