BOSTON — The Bruins won their 64th game of the season in their regular season Garden finale on Tuesday, but they did not escape their 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals without a major concern.
Linus Ullmark had to leave the game with 9:39 left in the third period. Just a little bit earlier in the game, he had gotten up slowly after he slid into the post in attempt to make the save. There was no immediate word on his condition.
Ullmark, the clear Vezina Trophy favorite, is arguably the team MVP. And as good as Jeremy Swayman has been this year, especially lately, any potential loss of Ullmark would be devastating.
Otherwise, the B’s checked a few boxes in the home finale:
*Get Brad Marchand off the schneid? Check. He snapped a 16-game goal-less streak.
*Continue rebuilding the power play? Check. They went 2-for-2 and looked good doing it.
*Set the record for most points in a season? Check. They earned their 132nd and 133rd point, surpassing the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens. That Habs team, which lost only eight games in regulation, would be quick to point out that they played in the pre-overtime era and in an 80-game schedule. But the record still belongs to the B’s.
After Saturday night’s terrific, playoff-flavored win over the Devils and after the B’s set the single-season wins record with No. 63 on Sunday in Philadelphia, Tuesday’s proceedings understandably did not have a whole lot of juice early on as the teams skated to a scoreless first period. The B’s had a 12-7 shot advantage but Charlie Lindgren was sharp in net for the Caps.
The B’s finally broke the ice at 8:32 of the second period, and it came from a very welcome – and needed – source. Brad Marchand had been mired in one of the worst scoring slumps of his career. He hadn’t even notched a point in his previous seven games. But after Matt Irwin cross-checked Taylor Hall to give the B’s their first power play, Marchand cashed in.
David Pastrnak, fresh off his hat trick that gave him 60 goals for the season on Sunday in Philadelphia, was set up for a one-timer at his usual spot on the left elbow when he took a slick pass from Patrice Bergeron. He didn’t take the slapper , but took it into the middle of the ice and fed Marchand on the right side for the wide open net. It was Marchand’s 21st of the season.
The B’s took a 2-0 lead on their second PP at 14:20. With the Tom Wilson in the box for roughing, Tyler Bertuzzi put back a rebound of a Pastrnak shot for his eighth of the season.
But the Caps got one back quickly on a bad break at 15:27. Nick Jensen took a harmless looking shot from out in the high slot, but it deflected off Charlie McAvoy and it bounced past Linus Ullmark.
In the third period, he B’s poured on the pressure and, for a while, Lindgren was up for the challenge, making save after spectacular save.
But Tomas Nosek eventually gave the B’s a little bit of breathing space. After he had just changed on, Nosek pounced on a Washington turnover out high and he snapped it past Lindgren at 4:13. It was Nosek’s 100th career point.
Lindgren made one more terrific save Hall at 5:21 on which he appeared to suffered a right shoulder injury, forcing him to leave the game in favor of Darcy Kuemper.
But Wilson got the Caps back to within a goal when on a Washington power play, he chipped home a rebound at 7:13.
Not to worry. Just 36 seconds later, former Cap Garnet Hathaway chipped home a Nosek pass to give the B’s their two-goal pad again.’
Finally Marchand set up Jake DeBrusk for an empty netter to finally end it.
