National Hockey League
Boston 1, Washington 0
When: 12:30 PM ET, Sunday, February 3, 2019
Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, District of Columbia
Referees: Steve Kozari, Kendrick Nicholson
Linesmen: Derek Amell, David Brisebois
Attendance: 18506

David Krejci gave Boston the lead in the second period, and goalie Tuukka Rask made 24 saves as the visiting Bruins ended a long string of frustration against Washington with a 1-0 victory over the Capitals in a Sunday matinee.

For Boston, this victory snapped a 14-game losing streak against Washington. The Bruins also had dropped three in a row and five of their last six games, and Rask became the franchise's all-time leader in wins (253).

This was Rask's second game back after being out since Jan. 19 due to a concussion.

Boston played from the start like it was determined to end its skid against the Capitals. The Bruins out-shot Washington 39-24, getting 15 shots in each of the first two periods.

Alex Ovechkin rejoined the Washington lineup for this game. He sat out the last one after being suspended for skipping the All-Star Game, but the Capitals could not do much on offense.

Washington was trying to win a second consecutive game after beating Western Conference-leading Calgary 4-3 on Friday night, thanks to a late goal from Evgeny Kuznetsov. But the Capitals, who had lost seven in a row before that, struggled again on offense.

Much of that came from the pressure Boston put on them. The Bruins would not let up and got 10 of the game's first 12 shots and repeatedly found scoring chances.

If not for a strong effort from Washington goalie Braden Holtby (38 saves), the final could have been worse. Holtby looked sharp in turning away several Bruin scoring chances, but the Capitals could not help him at the other end.

The Capitals had problems again on the power play. They nearly gave up a shorthanded goal when the game was scoreless midway through the second period before Boston finally broke through and took the lead a few minutes later.

That's when Torey Krug made a quick cross-ice pass to Krejci, who blasted a one-timer past Holtby from the left side with 9:17 left in the second period for the one-goal lead.

Washington put the pressure on in the final minutes of the third period, just missing on several scoring chances as Boston held on.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Boston   Washington
David Krejci 1 Points N/A
David Krejci 1 Goals N/A
Torey Krug 1 Assists N/A
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Tuukka Rask 1.000 Save Percentage Braden Holtby .974
Tuukka Rask 24 Saves Braden Holtby 38
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Boston 39 1 0-3 3-3 6 33
Washington 24 0 0-3 3-3 6 19
Upcoming Games
  • Washington will play their next game at home against Vancouver. The Capitals have a W/L % of .586 after a win and .478 after a loss.
  • Boston will play their next game at home against NY Islanders. The Bruins have a W/L % of .519 after a win and .560 after a loss.