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3 Game 1 Takeaways From Bruins OT Loss to Washington

By Scott Roche

May 15, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Boston Bruins players await the result of an official review of an overtime goal by Washington Capitals center Nic Dowd (not pictured) in game one of the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
May 15, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Boston Bruins players await the result of an official review of an overtime goal by Washington Capitals center Nic Dowd (not pictured) in game one of the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 15, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Capitals goaltender Vitek Vanecek (41) talks with Capitals trainer Jason Serbus (M) and Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) after being injured against the Boston Bruins) in the first period in game one of the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
May 15, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Capitals goaltender Vitek Vanecek (41) talks with Capitals trainer Jason Serbus (M) and Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) after being injured against the Boston Bruins) in the first period in game one of the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Bruins did not take advantage of Anderson.

Going into the series there were questions surrounding Washington’s goaltending situation. Vitek Vanecek started Game 1, his first career postseason start, while Ilya Samsonov had been on the league COVID-19 protocols list, but was taken off earlier Saturday.

With Samsonov unavailable, veteran Craig Anderson was Vanecek’s back up and he was forced to enter the game with 6:50 left in the first period when Vanecek was injured trying to make a save on Jake DeBrusk’s goal that tied the game. Vanecek left with a lower-body injury.

Unfortunately for the Bruins’ they did not take advantage of a goalie that had played in just four games all season for the Caps and was playing in the first playoff game since Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final in 2017 for the Ottawa Senators against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Anderson made 22 saves on 23 shots and allowed just a second-period power play goal to Nick Ritchie when the puck bounced off of Ritchie’s body and barely found its way over the goal line. Of his 22 saves, there were plenty of juice rebounds that Boston failed to capitalize on, and in the end, they failed to get enough shots on a goalie that had not seen a lot of rubber this season.

Chalk that up as a big missed opportunity.

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