After a perfect four-game homestand in which they obtained eight out of eight possible points, the Boston Bruins now head to Washington, D.C. to match up with the Washington Capitals in the first of eight games against them this season.
This game will surely be interesting and it will be the first time the B’s will be facing off against their former captain Zdeno Chara. Along with this, David Pastrnak will be making his season debut after having offseason hip surgery.
While the Black and Gold will be looking for their fifth straight victory, the Caps will also be looking for their fifth win in a row. What’s even more interesting is that the Caps have yet to lose a game in regulation. If Boston can pull out a win in regulation tonight, it’ll be Washington’s first loss in that hasn’t gone to at least overtime.
The Capitals have played their last four games without some key players due to COVID-19 protocol. However, Alex Ovechkin will be returning to their lineup tonight after being activated off the COVID list.
Boston Bruins at Washington Capitals projected lineups.
Boston Bruins
Record: 5-1-1 (11 points)
As I mentioned earlier, Pasta will be making his season debut. Along with Pastrnak, Karson Kuhlman will also be making his season debut as he’ll be filling in for an injured Jack Studnicka.
After suffering a different lower-body injury than he previously had in the B’s last game, defenseman Matt Grzelcyk will miss another game and Connor Clifton will be in.
Along with these injuries, Jake DeBrusk will miss another game with a lower-body injury and Ondrej Kase is still on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.
Expect the Bruins to lineup like this tonight:
Marchand – Bergeron – Pastrnak
Ritchie – Krejci – Kuhlman
Frederic – Coyle – Smith
Bjork – Kuraly – Wagner
Lauzon – McAvoy
Clifton – Carlo
Zboril – Miller
Rask (Halak)
After getting last game completely off, meaning his didn’t even back up Jaroslav Halak, Tuukka Rask is 100% healthy and will be between the pipes for tonight.
Washington Capitals
Record: 5-0-3 (13 points)
As I said earlier, Ovechkin was activated off of the COVID list and will play tonight after missing the last four games for the Caps. Defenseman Dmitry Orlov was also activated but he isn’t ready to be put back into he lineup. Therefore, Washington is also still without center Evgeny Kuznetsov and goalie Ilya Samsonov.
Expect the Capitals to lineup like this tonight:
Vrana – Backstrom – Wilson
Ovechkin – Oshie – Panik
Hagelin – Dowd – Hathaway
Sheary – Sgarbossa – Sprong
Chara – Carlson
Dillon – van Riemsdyk
Siengenthaler – Jensen
Vanecek (Anderson)
Where and when to watch Boston Bruins at Washington Capitals.
Time: 7 PM EST
Location: Capital One Arena
TV Broadcast: NESN, ESPN+
Radio Broadcast: 98.5 The Sports Hub
This game is a must watch. There are so many story lines tonight like Chara vs Bruins, Capitals not having a regulation loss yet, and David Pastrnak’s season debut. This game will surely be entertaining.