Holtby has registered 72 saves on 74 shots for a .974 save percentage and a 0.83 goals-against average, which ranks him first out of all playoff goalies.
View full sizeBoston Bruins center Chris Kelly has a goal and assist through two games against the Washington Capitals.
BOSTON – It’s been a strange playoff series so far between the Boston Bruins and the Washington Capitals.
In the first two games only four goals have been scored, and neither game was decided in regulation.
Center Chris Kelly sent Bruins fans home happy Thursday night with his goal 1:18 into overtime, but the story was different on Saturday.
Forward Marcus Johansson fed forward Nicklas Backstrom from behind the net, and the Caps center fired the puck past Bruins netminder Tim Thomas at 2:56 of the second overtime for a 2-1 Washington and Eastern Conference quarterfinal series tie in front of a sellout crowd of 17,565 at TD Garden.
Scoring only two goals in two games is unusual for the Bruins, who ranked second with 269 goals and led the league with a plus-67 goal differential. But so far only the third line has contributed; Kelly and linemate Benoit Pouliot each have a goal and an assist while Brian Rolston has two assists.
Pouliot scored his first career playoff goal at 7:47 in the third period to tie the game 1-1.
With the series tied 1-1 and the teams heading for Washington, D.C., for Monday’s Game 3, the Bruins are looking to get their offense going.
Bruins coach Claude Julien has continued to roll all four lines even in overtime sessions, showing confidence that even the Merlot line – Daniel Paille, Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton – could be the one to get a gritty goal.
“I’m sure we’ll talk about a lot of stuff, but we’ve just got to get back to what we’re good at,” Pouliot said. “I think score a little more but at the same time just use our size, use our strength. Like I said earlier, we’re a big team, and if we can do that and play in our zone we’ll be fine.”
The teams have totaled 146 hits, with the Capitals edging the Bruins 41-36 in Game 2. But the Bruins weren’t as physical as they were in the first game and weren’t able to establish a consistent forecheck.
“Most of the hitting happens on the forecheck and going after those guys, so we didn’t do a good enough job there, but at the same time it’s about winning battles physically,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “We got outmuscled in front of their net and got beat along the walls, so we’ve got to be better physically in those areas as well. It’s not just about hitting, but winning those battles and those neutral areas.”
Rookie Washington goalie Braden Holtby has registered 72 saves on 74 shots for a .974 save percentage and a 0.83 goals-against average, which ranks him first out of all playoff goalies.
Holtby’s solid play between the pipes combined with myriad blocked shots have been frustrating factors for Boston, as not many second-chance opportunities to score have occurred. Washington had 27 blocked shots to Boston’s eight.
“He’s done a good job,” Bruins center Patrice Bergeron said of Holtby. “But that being said, it’s about us making his job harder and tougher and screening him more and finding the puck for the rebounds and the ugly goals.”
One positive factor for the Bruins is their solid penalty kill, which is a perfect 5 for 5 in the series. Washington has also been effective at 6 for 6. It might come down to who can score the big power-play goal when needed most.