The series is all tied up 2-2, and the Bruins will bring the Capitals back to Boston for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs at 3:00 p.m. EST on Saturday afternoon at TD Garden in Boston, MA. Below is a live blog with score updates and analysis for Monday night's game.
THIRD PERIOD
20:00: Capitals take Game 5, 4-3. Game 6 tomorrow in Washington.
18:33: Benoit Pouliot's penalty proved to be a big one, after Brouwer walked right in and sniped one past Thomas to put the Capitals up with just over a minute to go in the third.
15:16: Bruins continue to put pressure on Holtby. Patrice Bergeron sat out a couple of shifts after taking a big hit from Alex Ovechkin, but did manage to take on short shift since then.
8:47: Well, until now. Johnny Boychuk decided he wanted to fix the power play and put in his first goal of the playoffs with a one-timer from the blueline. He's accustomed to doing that, but normally it's from the right side. He took it from the left this time
7:29: Former Bruins defenseman Dennis Wideman heads to the sin bin after cross-checking Marchand in the face. Bruins are back on the power play, but have not converted once in this series.
5:28: Holtby coming up big for the Caps once again, make two big stops on Lucic and Tyler Seguin. It was perhaps his best save of the series, doing a split to stop the Bruins young sniper. Still 3-2.
3:21: After the huge surge in the last part of the second period, the Caps are the ones to come out and convert. Tim Thomas gave up a big rebound, and Mike Knuble was there to put it in. Capital's up 3-2.
SECOND PERIOD
20:00: Sorry I didn't get to update until now. The internet was broken due to two Boston goals in 28 seconds. Dennis Seidenberg and Brad Marchand each found a way past the previously unblemished Holtby with under three minutes to play in the period. They tied the game at two going into intermission and are currently outshooting them 24-23.
14:27: Jay Beagle adds to the Capitals lead, putting a soft one past Thomas to give Washington a 2-0 lead. That was Beagle's first goal of the playoffs.
14:03: Bruins are still being outshot 21-15, though they have put a bit of pressure on Holtby.
11:16: Capitals forward Alexander Semin found a rebound and put it in back of the net on their 19th shot of the game. Just seconds before the goal, Bruins defenseman Joe Corvo took a shot to his right ankle and could not skate on it. Play was not stopped and Semin took the opportunity to put his team up.
9:17: Thomas shows his skill off and makes two huge saves almost back-to-back. His save on Joel Ward had him throw all his pads to work and he covered it up to force a faceoff. Score still 0-0
7:24: Johnny Boychuk and Troy Brouwer got things heated up in the second as both of them were called for matching roughing penalties 5:14 into the second period. The Bruins also have had a couple of very good scoring chances, Chara with one from the blueline that nearly made it's way past Holtby. Caps still outshooting the B's 14-13.
FIRST PERIOD
20:00: Tim Thomas ended the last minutes of the period with a gigantic save on superstar Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin came through the slot and tried deeking past Thomas who stuck his right leg pad out to make the save. And, as it's been so far this series, neither team was able to put the puck in the back of the net. Just before the horn, Chara collided with a Jason Chimera and was knocked in the back of the head. He remained down on the ice for a couple of seconds, before standing up and looking a bit dazed.
15:42: Capitals defenseman Roman Hamrlik heads to the box now. Washington is outshooting the Bruins 10-6 at this point.
13:56: Things have started to get very chippy here now. Daniel Paille and Troy Brouwer got into a little tiff before a faceoff and were sent off for matching unsportsmanlike conduct minors, and not so far after that, Zdeno Chara went for roughing. The B's were able to successfully kill the penalty, down 4-on-3, and they have the crowd on its feet.
10:20: There's been a little more life at least, and the Bruins have tied the Caps in shots at 5-5. Holtby continues to look strong in net, as has Thomas.
7:37: The B's have only registered one official shot on net, though there were a couple that hit the post already. Captain Zdeno Chara knocked the piping after firing a one-timer from the right faceoff circle on the power play. The Caps have dominated the neutral zone play thus far, and have tested Thomas early, putting up four shots.
2:30: John Carlson fired a shot on net and promptly continued to skate through the slot and barreled into Tim Thomas. Bruins are on their first power play of the night.
PREGAME: Tim Thomas and Braden Holtby currently look eerily similar through four games. Holtby owns a 1.60 GAA with two wins, and Vezina Winner Thomas also has two wins and a 1.60 GAA, both giving up seven goals so far this series. Needless to say, Holtby has made a name for himself, and what better situation than the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
For everything Bruins related, check out Stanley Cup Of Chowder. For more news, analysis, and discussion on Capitals hockey, head to Japers' Rink. You can also head over to the SB Nation NHL hub page for more on hockey news as the playoffs begin.