The Bruins will host a slumping Washington Capitals team tonight at TD Garden in a match-up between two teams desperate for a win. This is the fourth and final meeting of the season between the B's and Caps with the Bruins leading the season series 2-1.
The Capitals enter tonight's game looking to snap a 7-game skid (0-5-2) that includes an embarrassing 7-0 loss to the New York Rangers on Sunday night. The Caps have not recorded a victory since a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Blues on December 1st. The reeling Caps have had to deal with the added distraction of having their every move documented and broadcast to the world on HBO's "24/7 Penguins/Capitals: Road to the Winter Classic".
The Bruins are also looking to snap a losing streak of their own after dropping their last three contests (0-2-1). The B's are coming off of a tough 4-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.
To makes matters worse for the Capitals, the flu has made it's way through their room. Michal Neuvirth (probable), Scott Hannan (questionable), Marcus Johansson (questionable), and Alexander Semin (doubtful) are all fighting the flu. Tyler Sloan (hip; questionable), Boyd Gordon (lower body; out), Jeff Schultz (thumb; out), and D.J. King (undisclosed) are all banged up for the Caps. The only injury for the Bruins is broken finger of defenseman Mark Stuart.
Notes:
- Tim Thomas was the first goalie off the ice for Bruins at the morning skate and will likely be the starter tonight.
- Michal Neuvirth will be between the pipes for the Caps.
- Look for the Caps to employ more of a defense-first philosophy tonight.
- Alexander Semin did not travel with the Capitals to Boston.
- The game starts at 7:00 PM ET and can be seen on NESN and heard on 98.5 FM The Sports Hub. The game will also air on RDS for those of you north of the border.
- Stanley Cup of Chowder open thread gets started at 6:30 PM ET.
- For more on tonight's game, check out Japers' Rink