Bruins Notes: Boston Happy With ‘Very Good’ Game Against Top Team In East

The Bruins limited the Capitals to just 11 shots on goal in Boston’s impressive 4-1 victory over Washington to enter the holiday break.

It was only the seventh time in franchise history that the Bruins allowed 11 or fewer shots on goal and the first since Dec. 18, 1993, against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“We just played a really smart game,” Brad Marchand told reporters after the game. “We didn’t force anything; we were really detailed defensively, and then obviously we capitalized on a couple of turnovers and really good defensive plays.”

The Bruins and Capitals were knotted at 1-1 when Boston exploded for three unanswered goals in the final six minutes of regulation to secure their fifth straight win on home ice dating back to the 6-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in the Centennial Game on Dec. 1.

“It’s the way that we’ve been preaching to play in this room for a while now,” Marchand said. “It’s how we’ve always had success, so I love the way that we just stuck with it. It’s a very good team, and we didn’t give them a whole lot, so we’re definitely happy with that.

“… I can’t say it’s been our best game, but it was a very good game all the way through. There’s obviously moments that you’d like to have back, or we weren’t playing clean enough, we didn’t play very clean in the first period. … But, I like the way that we stuck with it. We haven’t been great in the third period this year and to play like that against a team like Washington, that’s how we have to do it every night, so I like our game. We’re doing well.”

The Bruins are 11-4-1 under interim head coach Joe Sacco, who said the team is “trending in the right direction.”

“There’s a good feeling obviously right now,” Sacco said. “It’s good to go into the break the way we did tonight getting on the right side of that feeling. … It’s trending in the right direction. I think that’s the biggest thing and there’s been commitment from our players. There’s been buy-in.

“We have a process that we go through every game, and they’re checking most of the boxes. It’s not perfect every night, and we know that there’s going to be games where you’re not at your best, but we’ve shown lately that when we’re not at our best, we can find ways to win. I like the mindset of our group. I like the way we’re defending.”

Here are more notes from Monday’s Bruins-Capitals game:

— With a goal and two assists, Marchand extended his point streak to 10 games. During that span, Marchand has lit the lamp seven times and added five assists for 12 points.

— The Bruins played the third period short two forwards. David Pastrnak exited the game at 8:38 of the second period with an upper-body injury and did not return for the third.

Boston also played the final 19:50 of the game without newly acquired forward Oliver Wahlstrom. The Maine native received a five-minute major and game misconduct for boarding Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary. The Bruins held Washington to just one shot on goal while shorthanded for five minutes.

“Obviously, the penalty kill gave us a ton of momentum,” Marchand said. “We felt really good after that.”

— Elias Lindholm broke the 1-1 tie with his sixth goal of the season. He has three goals in his last four games.

— The Bruins are 4-0-1 in their last five games, earning at least a point in each of the contests.

— The Black and Gold return to action on Friday night when they take on the Columbus Blue Jackets. Puck drop from Nationwide Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. You can watch the game on NESN, following an hour of pregame coverage.