Bruins oust Capitals in 5 as Boston stars light way
David Pastrnak couldn’t control his excitement with the opportunity to help the Boston Bruins advance in the playoffs, and captain Patrice Bergeron approached the clinching game as if it was the reason he played hockey.
It showed.
With Pastrnak, Bergeron and goaltender Tuukka Rask leading the way, the Bruins eliminated the Capitals in five games with a 3-1 victory Sunday night in Washington.
Pastrnak dazzled with a highlight-reel goal, Bergeron scored twice at timely moments and Rask made 40 saves to set up a second-round showdown against either the Pittsburgh Penguins or New York Islanders.
“These games are fun,” Pastrnak said. “The feeling you get with the guys after the game in the locker room and the happiness like little kids, it’s something that you play the game for.”
Chants of “TUUKK!” emanated from a large group of Boston fans who were part of the limited-capacity sellout crowd of 5,333. Those were occasionally interrupted by “We want the Cup!” — the trophy the Bruins last won a decade ago.
They’re 12 wins away, thanks to their best players dominating in Game 5.
“Let’s face it: Our top guys came through,” coach Bruce Cassidy said.
Pastrnak made it look easy putting the puck behind his back and through his legs, assisted on Bergeron’s first goal and was part of an effort in front of Rask that kept most of the Capitals’ shots to the outside. Bergeron, who got the “C” when Zdeno Chara left to sign with Washington, beat Ilya Samsonov with a stoppable shot in the second and stunted a comeback bid with an unassisted goal in the third.
“That’s why you play the game: it’s the adrenaline and the feeling that you get,” said Bergeron, who has 24 points in potential clinching games throughout his career. “It’s always special. It’s always fun to be a part of it.”
The only shot that beat Rask was Conor Sheary hammering home his own rebound 11 seconds into the third period. That ended an even-strength goal drought of 147:44, but wasn’t enough to rally the Capitals, who outshot the Bruins 41-19 and had a would-be goal by Lars Eller with 5:37 remaining waved off for goaltender interference.
“I felt good the whole series,” Rask said. “This game today was probably the most chances and shots they had the whole series. That’s one of the reasons that it looked like I was in the zone.”
The Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron, center, celebrates his thirdperiod goal with David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand.
Boston won four in a row against Washington after losing the series opener in overtime.
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