T.J. Oshie and Tom Wilson each scored a goal to lift the Washington Capitals to a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Sunday afternoon in the Eastern Conference round-robin finale in Toronto.
Braden Holtby recorded 30 saves as the Capitals (1-1-1, three points) clinched the third seed in the East. Washington next will face the New York Islanders as the league returns to traditional postseason formatting for the remainder of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Jake DeBrusk scored midway into the third period for the Bruins (0-3-0, zero points), who will be the fourth seed in the East despite entering the round-robin with the best record in the NHL. Boston will next face the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Capitals came out slow in the first period and were held to one shot on net over the first 19 minutes. With 16 seconds remaining, Oshie made the most of shot No. 2, wedging the puck off the stick of Bruins captain Zdeno Chara and past Tuukka Rask for a 1-0 lead.
Oshie's goal was his 20th career in the playoffs with Washington, becoming the seventh player in franchise history to reach the mark.
The Bruins, who have yet to lead in any of their games since the season restarted, had a chance to knot the score early in the second on a partial breakaway shot by defenseman Charlie McAvoy that Holtby snagged out of midair. Boston held a 16-15 edge in shots through two periods.
Wilson beat Rask top shelf to double the Washington lead with his first goal of the playoffs at 2:49 of the third period, but DeBrusk got the Bruins on the board when he put beat Holtby between the pads with 9:30 left. Boston pulled Rask with one minute remaining but failed to convert.
The Capitals remained without Norris Trophy finalist John Carlson, who missed the entirety of the round-robin tournament with an undisclosed injury. Game-time decision Nicklas Backstrom played after missing practice Friday for undisclosed reasons.
-Field Level Media
