Capitals at Bruins
After knocking off the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Boston Bruins look to upend this season's odds-on favorite when the NHL-leading Washington Capitals pay a visit to TD Garden on Saturday. Brad Marchand continued his torrid stretch on Thursday by scoring his 18th goal in 22 games as Boston posted its fourth win in five outings with a 4-2 triumph over Chicago.
"We all felt we had a strong performance and a really good 60-minute effort (against Chicago), but we're going to need that again against Washington, which is playing extremely well the whole season," captain Zdeno Chara told the team's website. "They have a lot of depth, speed and skill. We've got to be ready for the same performance and approach." The Bruins reside within two points of first place in the Atlantic Division, but the Capitals have had their number with three shutout victories last season and a pair of triumphs in 2015-16. Speaking of numbers, Washington saw a familiar score on Friday as it played to a 3-2 result for the fifth straight time in a setback to the New York Rangers.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSMA (Washington) NESN (Boston)
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (47-13-4): T.J. Oshie recorded his second goal and fifth point in three outings on Friday, but has been held off the scoresheet in each meeting with Boston this season. Braden Holtby has handcuffed Boston throughout his career (9-2-0, 1.57 goals-against average, three shutouts), but he is expected to take a seat in favor of Philipp Grubauer with Washington in the midst of back-to-back tilts. The 24-year-old German, who has yet to face the Bruins in his career, turned aside 27 shots in a 3-2 win over Toronto on Wednesday in just his fifth appearance since Feb. 2.
ABOUT THE BRUINS (36-23-6): Patrice Bergeron scored and set up a goal versus the Blackhawks and did the same in the last meeting with Washington - a 3-2 setback on Jan. 5. Another strong performance could be just what Claude Julien needs to move past Art Ross for first place on the franchise's all-time coaching wins list. "The thing that comes to mind is humbling," Julien told the team's website after claiming his 387th victory with the club. “It really is humbling because he's an icon, he's a legend."
OVERTIME
1. Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, who scored in a 4-1 win over Boston on Nov. 5, has recorded 37 points (17 goals, 20 assists) in 38 meetings with the Bruins.
2. Boston has scored on the power play in each of the last two games after going 4-for-44 in the previous 15 contests.
3. Washington will attempt to score with the man advantage in its sixth straight game, with the last time it accomplished the feat coming during the 2013 season (Feb. 3-14).