Schedule
All times are Eastern.
* – if necessary
Thursday April 12 in Boston @ 7:30 p.m. (NBC Sports Network, CBC)
Saturday April 14 in Boston @ 3 p.m. (NBC, CBC)
Monday April 16 in Washington @ 7:30 p.m. (NBC Sports Network, CBC)
Thursday April 19 in Washington @ 7:30 p.m. (NBC Sports Network, CBC)
*Saturday April 21 in Boston @ 3 p.m. (NBC, CBC)
*Sunday April 22 in Washington @ TBD (TBD)
*Wednesday April 25 in Boston @ TBD (TBD)
Three storylines to follow
1. Help for Ovechkin. For all the talk about Alex Ovechkin’s struggling in the clutch, he’s been red-hot lately. In fact, he almost surged to 40 goals (finished with 38) and came through when Washington needed him most. With Zdeno Chara in tow, the Bruins likely have at least a chance of slowing Ovi down, so can the rest of the Capitals -- including possibly-not-100 percent-guys like Mike Green and Nicklas Backstrom -- step up when needed?
2. Goaltending disparity. Tim Thomas, the reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner, has shown he can win a series almost single-handedly. Meanwhile, the Capitals are rolling with an inexperienced (and banged-up) No. 2 in Michal Neuvirth and/or a well-loved but green No. 3 in Braden Holtby. On paper, that’s a pretty big advantage for Boston.
3. Road woes. When you look at Washington’s numbers, its woeful road record of 16-21-4 jumps out more than anything else. Can they fight through some trying times in front of Boston’s fans or fold when things get tough?
Records
Boston: 49-29-4, 102 points (1st in Atlantic; 2nd in Eastern Conference) | Washington: 42-32-8, 92 points (2nd in Southeast; 7th in Eastern Conference)
Leading scorers
Boston: Tyler Seguin (29G-38A-67PTS) | Washington: Alex Ovechkin (38G-27A-65PTS)
Starting goalies
Boston: Tim Thomas (35-19-1, 2.36 GAA) | Washington: Michal Neuvirth (13-13-15, 2.82 GAA) or Braden Holtby (4-2-1, 2.50 GAA)
Head-to-head
Washington won series 3-1
Jan. 24: At Washington 5, Boston 3
Feb. 5: Boston 4, at Washington 1
March 10: Washington 4, at Boston 3
March 29: Washington 3, at Boston 2, SO
Last 10 games
Boston: 7-2-1 | Washington: 6-2-2
Playoff history
Series tied 1-1
1990: Boston 4-0 (Wales Conference finals)
1998: Washington 4-2 (Eastern Conference quarterfinals)
2011 playoffs
Boston: Def. Montreal 4-3 (Eastern Conference quarterfinals); def. Philadelphia 4-0 (Eastern Conference semifinals), def. Tampa Bay 4-3 (Eastern Conference finals); def. Vancouver 4-3 (Stanley Cup finals) | Washington: Def. NY Rangers 4-1 (Eastern Conference quarterfinals); lost to Tampa Bay 4-0 (Eastern Conference semifinals)
Stanley Cups
Boston: 6 (1929, 1939, 1941, 1970, 1972, 2011) | Washington: None
Injuries
Boston: Adam McQuaid (eye), Johnny Boychuk (knee), Tuukka Rask (groin) and Nathan Horton (concussion). (You may count Marc Savard’s concussion, too.)
Washington: Michal Neuvirth (leg), Tomas Vokoun (lower body), John Erskine (lower body) and Tom Poti (groin).
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