BOSTON – TJ Oshie scored one of his two goals in the first period of three goals in the Washington Capitals, and former Bruins defender Zdeno Chara played his first game for Boston fans in the Capitals’ 8-1 win Sunday night.
Conor Sheary and Lars Eller each also scored twice, and Tom Wilson and Nic Dowd each had one of the season-high goals scored by the Capitals in their first ever regulatory win against Boston this season. In any case, the Bruins had scored one point in the five previous meetings of the clubs (3-0-2).
Rookie Vitek Vanecek stopped 34 shots, but lost a chance on his second shutout when Craig Smith scored a power play goal in the third three minutes.
“I absolutely think it’s important to get that playoff feeling forward,” said Sheary. “We want to play these important games this time of year. You don’t want to be, it might sound bad, but you don’t want to get too far ahead of where you get into the playoffs a little bit.”
Washington is tied with the New York Islanders for first place in the East Division of the NHL. The Islanders survived the New York Rangers in overtime on Sunday night.
The Bruins played a video tribute for Chara on the video board halfway through the opening period, with Washington already leading 2-0. He received a standing ovation from the TD Garden crowd, which was limited by the state to 12% capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chara skated next to his couch, seemed touched, raised his stick and clapped back to the crowd before patting and swinging his left glove on his chest.
Chara, 44, was the captain of the Bruins during his 14 seasons with the club. He helped them win the 2011 Stanley Cup and was a key part of the runner-up teams in 2013 and 2019.
After all the players left the ice when the game was over, he skated, swung and went to a corner, pointing to the seats.
Chara, who signed a one-year contract with Washington during the off-season, said in a Zoom interview after the morning skate that his wife and three children, who still live in Boston, were expected to attend the game.
“It was great for him to have that in front of the fans,” said Boston captain Patrice Bergeron. “I know it’s only 12% capacity, but he deserves that. I know he’s done so much for the organization.”
Washington led 3-0 in the first half of the first period, starting when Oshie made a one-time pass from Nicklas Backstrom into the net from the slot for a power play goal at 7:33.
Just 16 seconds later, Eller took a pass from Carl Hagelin, cut around Boston defender Jarred Tinordi and threw a shot over Dan Vladar’s glove.
“We wanted to make sure we had a good 60 minutes,” said Wilson. “I know it’s a cliche, but it was pretty good tonight, and we got the job done.”
Sheary scored on a 3v2 break to make it 3-0 at 9:42 am. He also scored a rebound early in the second for a power play goal.
“I don’t think these games are of any use to anyone unless your team was arrogant and was winning all the time and had to go the extra mile,” said Boston coach Bruce Cassidy. “It was tough for Dan, but a lot of guys before him could have fought through it better.”
The Bruins missed four of their best defenders. Charlie McAvoy (third consecutive game), Matt Grzelcyk (injured on Saturday) and Brandon Carlo (fifth consecutive game) are each eliminated with an undisclosed upper body injury. Kevan Miller, who came back from off-season knee surgery, didn’t play because it was a consecutive game day.
The Bruins announced after the game that they had added some depth to their bloated blue line by exchanging a 2022 third round for the Ottawa Senators for Mike Reilly.
The 27-year-old left-shooting defender has 19 assists in 40 games with the senators this season.
The NHL’s trade deadline is Monday. Despite losses on both days this weekend, the Bruins are still in fourth place in the East Division playoffs and could try to further bolster their depth.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.