NHL: Bruins get bruised by an onslaught of goals from the Washington Capitals
Boston, Massachusetts - The Capitals definitely showed who the East's best team is in Sunday's big matchup, as they destroyed the Boston Bruins 8-1.
The Capitals showed no mercy to their division rivals, lighting the lamp eight times and giving Boston fans little to cheer about outside of Zdeno Chara's (44) return to his former NHL home.
The towering defenseman played 14 years in Boston, helping his former team win the Stanley Cup in 2011. The tributes to a longtime favorite took a quick backseat after the Caps ended the first period up 3-0. They doubled the score by the end of the second to 6-0.
The Bruins finally got on the board with a Power Play Goal Scored by RW Craig Smith, but then Washington added two more goals to keep it way out of reach.
T.J. Oshie, Conor Sheary, and Lars Eller each scored two goals for the Capitals, while Tom Wilson and Nic Dowd filled in the rest for their blowout stomping of the Bruins.
The Caps get a well-deserved night off before they host the Flyers on Tuesday and the Bruins welcome the Sabres into town, hoping to bounce back from Sunday's debacle.
Around The NHL
The Sabres made it interesting against the Flyers and became the last team in the league to get ten wins by beating Philly 5-3.
The Golden Knights needed only one goal to shut out the Coyotes 1-0. Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury stopped just 14 shots in a dominant performance.
In Anaheim, the Avs were just too much for the Ducks in their 4-1 win. And the Penguins defeated the Devils 5-2.
At the Nassau Coliseum, the Islanders outlasted the Rangers 3-2 in overtime. The Predators needed a shootout to beat the Stars 3-2.
On Monday night, The Maple Leafs are hoping for a repeat of their last meeting against the Canadiens, and the Avalanche are at home against the Coyotes.
Cover photo: IMAGO / Icon SMI