Event: Boston Bruins vs. Washington Capitals
Date/Time: Sunday, February 5, 2012 - 12:30 p.m. EDT.
Location: Verizon Center (Capacity: 18,506), Washington, D.C.
Broadcast Info: Sunday's game between the Bruins and the Penguins will be broadcast live on NBC Sports. The game can also be heard on 100.7 FM WZLX, with Dave Goucher providing play-by-play, and Bob Beers providing analysis.
Last Time Out: For only the third time this season, the Bruins went out and lost two games in row after falling to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday afternoon, 2-1.
Evgeni Malkin and Matt Cooke took center stage for the Penguins, each netting a goal, while Bruins defenseman Joe Corvo was the only one in Black and Gold that could find the back of the net.
Of the 29 Bruins shots on net, the defense made up 20 of those, including seven from Johnny Boychuk. Meanwhile the first line consisting of Milan Lucic, David Krejci and Rich Peverley did not record a single shot on net during the afternoon.
The Capitals don’t have it any easier, as they also played Saturday afternoon up in Montreal. Though they took a 3-0 win, they still had to travel back down to Washington D.C. the same day and prepare for the Bruins this afternoon.
Former Bruins Dennis Wideman scored for the Capitals, as well as Matt Hendricks and Alexander Semin. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ice, Tomas Vokoun stood on his head and made 30 saves for his team.
Storyline: The last time these two teams met was back on January 24, when the Bruins took a 5-3 loss just a day after they traveled to the White House to meet President Obama, but the last game before the All Star Break.
Tyler Seguin, Brad Marchand and Rich Peverley each found a goal, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Capitals at bay, even without Alex Ovechkin in the lineup.
Mathieu Perreault recorded a hat trick in that game, including the game-winning goal in the third period.
Both teams have two losses since that game, and both teams could use a little bit of a pickup going into the month of February. The Bruins have only lost two games in a row three times this season, and only three games in a row once--back in October.
Players To Watch:
At this point, one member from the Bruins team is going to have to step up. It’s clear that the team is missing forward Nathan Horton, but they look a little lost out front. Someone needs to start making plays to get the ball rolling.
For Capitals and Bruins fans alike, Dennis Wideman surprisingly is one to watch this game. In the last game against the Bruins, he scored (albeit an empty netter), but this All Star has been making a name for himself in Washington D.C. He scored a goal against Montreal yesterday, and has 10 goals so far this season--two more than any Bruins defenseman at this point.
Prediction: The Bruins showed that they need something to spark the team and get them back on track. With Tuukka Rask most likely in net, it will take a strong outing from him, and some much needed excitement from the locker room for the B’s to come out with a win. Final Score: Bruins 3, Capitals 2.
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