Capitals blank Bruins, 2-0

With just one game to go in the regular season, there’s one thing that’s becoming clear for the Bruins. The Washington Capitals would not be a fun playoff opponent for them.

The B’s had a chance to clinch the Atlantic Division title on Monday at Capital One Arena, but for the second time this season the Caps blanked the B’s, this time 2-0 on another strong defensive effort.

Goalie Charlie Lindgren came up with some good saves and John Carlson’s first period goal stood up as the game-winner, but the Caps limited the B’s to just 16 shots on net, a season-low. When they beat the B’s 3-0 on Feb. 10 at the Garden, the Caps allowed just 18 shots, the previous season-low.

When the Caps play their game, they can be stifling. And on Monday, the B’s did not seem to be in much of a mood to fight through it.

“They looked like a team that was fighting for a playoff spot. We looked like a team that was already in the playoffs. That wasn’t good. We didn’t have our sense of urgency that we usually have, winning loose pucks, winning our battles. We didn’t do nearly enough of that,” Charlie Coyle told reporters in Washington. “I just think they were more prepared and wanted it a little more than we did. That’s what it looked like out there. You never want to admit that. It’s a tough thing to say, but that’s what it looked like it. They were fighting for their lives and it looked like it.”

In the morning skate, coach Jim Montgomery made changes to his struggling power-play units, flipping Charlie McAvoy and Kevin Shattenkirk and separating Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. But the B’s didn’t have the puck enough to earn a single power play. With offense hard to come by, Montgomery jumbled all his forward lines starting in the second period and they did have some chances but it didn’t produce the equalizer.

“I thought (the Caps) played with a lot of desperation,” said Montgomery. “I thought their checking skills were good. They managed the puck well. I didn’t think we were at their level.”

The B’s will have one last chance to capture the division in the season finale against Ottawa at the Garden on Tuesday while the Florida Panthers, one point behind the B’s with the tiebreaker in their favor, take on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The B’s could be shorthanded. Brandon Carlo left the game in the third period and there was no update on the cause of his departure.

The Capitals came into the game with their playoff lives hanging on a string. They held the second wild card spot due to the regulation win tiebreaker, though they were in a points tie with the Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers to start the night.

As one might expect, the Caps’ intensity level to start the game was a couple of notches above the Bruins’ and they took a 1-0 lead in the first 20 minutes. They were quicker to pucks while the B’s were making unforced errors trying to break out of their zone. Though the stat crew in Capital One Arena may have missed a shot or two, the B’s were not credited with their first shot on net until 11:40.

Not long after that shot, the Caps took a 1-0 lead at 12:00. Tom Wilson won a loose puck out high in the Boston and headed to the net. From there he provided a screen so Carlson’s slap shot from the high slot could get past Jeremy Swayman. It was the only time Swayman (23 saves) would be beaten, but that’s all the Caps would need.

The B’s were fortunate not to be down two going into the first intermission. In the waning seconds of the period, Wilson bore down on Kevin Shattenkirk and managed to flip the puck into Swayman’s pads. The puck came out to Beck Malenstyn, who would have had a half-empty net if he’d gone to his backhander. Instead, he took a quick shot that went between Andrew Peeke’s legs but Swayman was able to get a pad on it to keep the B’s within a goal.

There was no scoring in the second, but not for a lack of chances – and Swayman made a couple of excellent stops. The first one came on an Aliaksei Protas spin-o-rama from the slot but the best stop came on a 2-on-1 with Aliaksei Protas feeding Wilson for what looked like a sure goal, but Swayman went post-to-post to make the stop.

While the Caps were clearly the better team through two periods, the B’s got a couple of great chances of their own that were thwarted by Washington goalie Charlie Lindgren. First the B’s made a terrific rush play that resulted in a clean look for Jakub Lauko in the slot that gobbled up. Shortly after that, Morgan Geekie made a great play, stealing the puck at the Washington blue line and sending a backhand pass to an open David Pastrnak in the right wing. Pastrnak tried to go shortside, but Lindgren blockered it aside.

But those kind of chances were few and far between for the B’s, who were being outshot, 22-8, through 40 minutes.

The B’s pulled Swayman with 2:42 left in the game and the Caps had numerous chances to end but they could not until Nic Dowd picked Marchand’s pocket and scored into the empty net with 11 seconds left.

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