Joel Ward put in a rebound at 2:57 of overtime to give Washington a 2-1 victory over the Bruins Wednesday night, sending the Capitals to the second round of the playoffs and sending the defending Stanley Cup champions to an early start of summer.
Rookie Braden Holtby, who was outstanding in the series, stopped 31 shots for Washington in Game 7 -- the seventh one-goal game of the series. Matt Hendricks scored the Capitals' other goal. Tyler Seguin scored the B’s only goal, and Tim Thomas made 26 saves for Boston. It was the first time in NHL history that a playoff series had seven games determined by one goal. Four of the games went to overtime.
Hendricks scored midway through the first period, and Seguin tied it in the second. It stayed that way through a scoreless third, with Washington killing off a penalty in the final 3 minutes to send the game into overtime.
Patrice Bergeron had a chance to win it in the first minute of OT, but he couldn't get off a solid shot from Holtby's right as the puck was bouncing. Two minutes later, the Capitals broke into the Boston zone when former Bruin Mike Knuble blocked a shot by Benoit Pouliot and raced down on a 2-on-1 break with Ward. Tim Thomas stopped Knuble's backhander, but Ward got position on defenseman Greg Zanon, picked up the rebound and whipped home a backhander for the win.
The building fell silent as the Capitals celebrated just their third post-season series win since a run to the Stanley Cup finals in 1998. Some morons littered the ice with debris, but the Bruins waited for the postgame handshake, then gave a salute to their stunned fans.
LOWLIGHTS COURTESY NBC/NHL
UNFLAPPABLE. HOLTBY DOESN'T EVEN FLINCH AS PEVERLY WINDS UP TO WHACK HIM
Q: WHO IS THIS GUY, AND WHY DID THE BRUINS HAVE SO MUCH TROUBLE PUTTING THE PUCK BY HIM?
A: BRADEN HOLTBY
Age: 22
Date of birth: September 16, 1989
Place of birth: Lloydminster, Sask, Canada
Ht: 6-2 Wt: 203
Catches: L
Salary: $550,000
NHL Seasons: 1-R
Drafted by Washington in 2008 (4/93).
ASSETS: Has the size every National Hockey League club covets from the goaltending position. Handles the puck very well. Is very athletic in the crease area.
FLAWS: Needs more work on his lateral mobility and general quickness in the crease area. Also must learn better rebound control in order to maximize potential.
CAREER POTENTIAL: Athletic goaltender with good upside.
SERIES B |
TIME (ET) | #2  vs.  #7 |
Score |
| Thursday, April 12, 2012 | 7:30 p.m. | Washington at Boston | BOS 1, WAS 0 (OT) |
| Saturday, April 14, 2012 | 3 p.m. | Washington at Boston | WAS 2, BOS 1 |
| Monday, April 16, 2012 | 7:30 p.m. | Boston at Washington | BOS 4, WAS 3 |
| Thursday, April 19, 2012 | 7:30 p.m. | Boston at Washington | WAS 2, BOS 1 |
| *Saturday, April 21, 2012 | 3 p.m. | Washington at Boston | WAS 4, BOS 3 |
| *Sunday, April 22, 2012 | 3 p.m. | Boston at Washington | BOS 4, WAS 3 (OT) |
| *Wednesday, April 25, 2012 | 7:30p.m. | Washington at Boston | WAS 2, BOS 1 (OT) |
The flower is a nice look on Ovie
Time to swing with hot American chicks
Alexander the Great doing some lifting
Perhaps this beauty would have provided a better workout for AO
LUCIC and MILLER collide. Check out the biased commentary of the Buffalo announcers. They speak of 'intent to injure' about Lucic...somehow they missed Miller's stick swing
Video courtesy MSG/NHL
Ryan Miller uses foul language in describing the collision.
THE POLICE BLOTTER FROM OUR LAST SHOW. ONCE AGAIN, EVERYBODY BUT HOCKEY PLAYERS ARE GETTING INTO TROUBLE.
HAVING A BAD DAY? FEEL DOWN? DON'T HAVE ANY ANTI-DEPRESSANTS NEARBY? WELL, WATCH THIS AND YOU'LL FEEL BETTER!!
THE CITY OF BOSTON GETS
BEHIND THE BRUINS!
George Washington wants the Bs to win!
The Ducklings don't look ugly in a spoked B!
WHAT TIME IS IT?
TIME FOR EAGLESON TO GO BACK TO JAIL.
This is the site of The Hockey Show, a wildly popular cable TV show airing in Massachusetts hosted by Paul Altmeyer and Horace Greeley that has aired for ten years, entertaining a handful of people in that span.
Both men spend the majority of their free time counting down the minutes until their beloved Boston Bruins drop the puck again, and until the Frozen Four begins, which will be in Florida next year.
Paul and Horace can also tell you, almost to the hour, how long it was since the Stanley Cup has been in Boston, and nobody was happier than them on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 when Lord Stanley made his return to Boston.
Both men also idolize Bobby Orr, and why wouldn't they?
