Very few teams have gone down to Washington and left with any points. Only 16 times this season have the Caps allowed a visitor to get any points. Their visiting opponents have tallied a grand total of 26 points in 39 games (10-23-6 record). What I'm trying to demonstrate is that an OT loss in Washington is a good result.
Holding Washington to 2 regulation goals and 3 total is also a noteworthy achievement. The Caps average 3.85 goals per game. And remember the Bruins did this without Seidenberg and Stuart.
Apart from a few miscues, the B's played an excellent game, especially in their defensive zone. Dennis Wideman had his best outing of the season, scoring a goal and kick-starting the play that resulted in another.
But the Bruins' deficiencies were also made apparent in this game. Michael Ryder had a golden opportunity to score against Spaz Theodore, who'd gone horizontal. But Ryder utterly failed to elevate the puck into the 12 foot square hole in front of him.
Brooks Laich's game-winning goal in OT made me think about the Bruins' forwards. The puck hit Laich's chest, fell at his feet, and he reacted to it in half a heartbeat. Apart from Recchi, none of the Bruins are capable of this kind of quickness and awareness.
The Bruins have a few days of scoreboard watching before they host Buffalo on Thursday. Here's what the standings look like today:
Team - Games Remaining - Points
6. Montreal - 3 - 86 points
7. BOSTON - 3 - 85 points
8. Philadelphia - 3 - 84 points
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9. NY Rangers - 4 - 82 points
10. Atlanta - 3 - 81 points
Source:
ESPN
Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Nick Wass
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