The Boston Bruins won 4-1 Sunday afternoon at Verizon Center over the Capitals, keeping the Caps in 9th place in the Eastern Conference race.
Boston opened the scoring in the first period with a goal from Milan Lucic, his 19th of the season at 10:45, giving the Bruins a 1-0 lead. Brad Marchand then gave the Bruins a 2-0 lead at 18:38, with Marchand potting his 19th of the campaign in close against Tomas Vokoun. Tim Thomas was outstanding in the first for Boston, stopping all 11 Washington shots.
The teams battled through a scoreless second period, with Brooks Laich leaving the game with a lower body injury on a hit from Dennis Seidenberg. Laich did not return, leaving a potential void in Washington’s lineup for Tuesday night. Tyler Seguin with his 20th goal of the season made the score 3-0 at 6:38 of the third period. Marcus Johansson broke up a Tim Thomas shutout bid with his 11th goal of the season at 12:04, but Washington could not pull any closer. Rich Peverley added an empty net goal at the end to round out the scoring.
The Capitals will host the Florida Panthers Tuesday night at Verizon Center, in the second game of a current three-game homestand. Jeff Schultz played in his third consecutive game Sunday, while John Erskine and Jay Beagle were healthy scratches. Keith Aucoin played in his second straight game since being recalled from AHL Hershey on Thursday. Boston entered play Sunday holding a 24-0-0 record when leading in a game by two goals at any point.