Boston Bruins - TeamReport

NHL Team Report - Boston Bruins - INSIDE SHOTS

You don't have to go back very far to find the last time the Bruins were down 3-2 in a playoff series. In fact, it was the last series they played before this one.

The B's trailed the Canucks 3-2 in last year's Stanley Cup finals before storming to two straight wins, by a combined 9-2 count, and the franchise's first Cup in 39 years.

But there are differences between that 3-2 deficit and the one the Bruins found themselves facing after Saturday's 4-3 home loss to the Capitals.

For one thing, Game 6 of that Vancouver series was at home, where the B's beat the Canucks 5-2 to set up Game 7.

For another thing, goalie Tim Thomas was carrying his team to the Stanley Cup and himself to a Conn Smythe Trophy. This time, not only is he not carrying his team, but Saturday wasn't one of his better games, the kind of game you can't afford when there's a guy at the other end who is playing so well.

In short, Washington rookie Braden Holtby has become the story of this season. And as the Bruins' big guns continue to be missing an action, and with the Caps on home ice for Sunday's quick-turnaround Game 6 ... well, let's just say the defending champs, the No. 2 seeds in the Eastern Conference, are up against it vs. the seventh-seeded Capitals, a team that has come to life at just the right time.

And now, the teams get right back at it, a made-for-TV situation.

"It is what it is," said defenseman Johnny Boychuk. "We've got to be prepared for (Sunday) no matter what time the game's at. If it's at 7, 3, at 12 -- it doesn't matter. Even though it's at 3, we just played right now, but we got to put it behind us, and focus in on this next game because it's do-or-die right now."

Said coach Claude Julien: "We may be in trouble but we're not dead. We're certainly going to make tomorrow a game that's going to create a Game 7 for us."

What could make things tougher Sunday is what the lineup could look like. Center Patrice Bergeron played only 1:30 in the third period Saturday after taking what looked like an inadvertent elbow to the head and defenseman Joe Corvo took a shot to the inside of his right knee and no word on their status for Game 6.

Defensemen Dennis Seidenberg and Boychuk and left wing Brad Marchand scored for the Bruins, who erased a 2-0 deficit (on two goals in 28 seconds), fell behind again and tied it again before succumbing on a power-play goal with 1:27 left in regulation.


NHL Team Report - Boston Bruins - NOTES, QUOTES

--Just as they didn't like the hooking call on C Patrice Bergeron that led to the winning goal in Game 4, the Bruins were upset at a slashing call against LW Benoit Pouliot that produced the winner in Saturday's Game 5. Troy Brouwer scored with 1:27 left in regulation to give the Caps a 4-3 Game 5 win and a 3-2 lead in the series heading back to Washington for Sunday's Game 6.

"Tough call," Pouliot said. "I'll leave it to you guys, but it's a tough call to make with 2:50 left in the game when everything ... it's a grind out there. Sometimes you get the calls, sometimes you don't. And it happened, they got it."

His coach called the call "weak." reported replays showed Pouliot actually slashed Backstrom twice.

--Looking for production from his top players, coach Claude Julien talked about juggling his lines for Game 5, but really didn't do much. Meanwhile, it was Washington's Dale Hunter who made more changes.

Meanwhile, LW Brad Marchand had a goal and an assist but big guns David Krejci, Milan Lucic, Tyler Seguin and Patrice Bergeron still haven't scored in the playoffs.

--Julien was upset the whistle didn't blow after the injuries to both Bergeron and D Joe Corvo, one non-whistle leading to a goal.

"We were in Washington last game and twice their players go down in their own end and we had full control of the puck and the whistle was blown right away with no hesitation and tonight we're deciding we're not. So, I guess I was a little perturbed. Is there two sets of rules or one? And I know they're different referees but it's still the same series so that was frustrating because they ended up scoring a goal on that.

"Again, that was my frustration on that goal and it's unfortunate that's how it ended up. Those other two guys are being looked at as we speak right now so there's no update on them."

--The Bruins are 3-17 in series where they trailed 3-2 after five games. But they are 9-11 in Game 6 of those series and were down 3-2 in last year's finals against the Canucks before winning the last two.

--Troy Brouwer's winning goal with 1:27 left in regulation Saturday marked the fourth time in five games in the series that the outcome has been decided in the final two minutes of play. Two games have gone into overtime and Bruins D Zdeno Chara won Game 3 with a goal at 18:07 of the third.

--The Bruins finally scored a power-play goal Saturday and are 1-for-15 with the advantage in the series. The Caps went 1-for-2 and are 3-for-14.

--The B's scored twice in 28 seconds in the second period Saturday. During the regular season, they scored twice in under 30 seconds seven times and twice in less than a minute on 16 occasions.

--Boston's loss at Washington in Game 4 snapped the Bruins' six-game road winning streak.

--Boston has led for just 14:51 of the 324:14 of the series.

--Washington's 2-0 lead Saturday was the first two-goal advantage of the series.

--This is only the third time the Bruins and Caps have played in the playoffs. In each of the other meetings, one of them went to the finals, the Bruins in 1990 and the Capitals in 1998. Both lost in those finals.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We're down 3-2 in the series and most people will tell you, until they win four games, that's when the series is over. So we've got an opportunity tomorrow to get back into this series and create a Game 7 and that's what we're going to try to do." -- Coach Claude Julien, after Saturday's Game 5 loss put the Capitals ahead 3-2 in the series.


NHL Team Report - Boston Bruins - ROSTER REPORT


--G Tim Thomas, last year's Conn Smythe Trophy winner, hasn't played like a Smythe winner in this series and had an off game in the Capitals' 4-3 win in Game 5 Saturday. Questioned over perhaps stopping the third and fourth goals, Thomas said, "I don't look at things like that exactly. The third goal I wish I could have controlled the rebound better, and then the last goal (by Troy Brouwer) he fooled me and beat me clean. He's coming down with a lot of speed and he shot and I read that the shot was going lower. And by the time I even realized that the shot was going that high, I didn't even have time to raise my hand."

--C David Krejci and LW Milan Lucic both got their first points of these playoffs, an assist for both. It was Krejci's first point in six games and he has gone nine games without a goal, while Luci hasn't scored in the last six games.

--RW Tyler Seguin, the club's top scorer in the regular series, has yet to register a point, while C Patrice Bergeron has one assist.

--LW Brad Marchand had a goal and an assist Saturday, his first points of the series and the fifth multi-point game of his playoff career.

--D Johnny Boychuk had a goal and an assist. It was his first multi-point game of the season.

--D Dennis Seidenberg had a goal and an assist, his fifth career multi-point playoff game.


--C Patrice Bergeron, hit in the head by what appeared to be an inadvertent Alexander Semin elbow, has a concussion history. He played just 1:30 in the third period and was being examined after the game. His bag was packed for the trip to Washington.

--D Joe Corvo took a shot inside his right knee and was also being examined. No word on whether either, both or neither will play Sunday.

--RW Nathan Horton was officially shut down and ruled out of the entire playoffs as he recovers from his second serious concussion in less than a year.

--D Adam McQuaid, who suffered a head injury (on a hit by Washington's Jason Chimera late in the regular season) that was first called just a serious cut over his left eye, has struggled to stay on the ice and remains out.

--G Tuukka Rask (abdominal/groin) is progressing but apparently needs his team to get to the next round so he can back up Tim Thomas.

--C Marc Savard missed the entire season and isn't likely to play again because of continued concussion problems.


--Tim Thomas

--Anton Khudobin


--Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg

--Andrew Ference, Johnny Boychuk

--Greg Zanon, Joe Corvo


--LW Milan Lucic, C David Krejci, RW Brian Rolston


--LW Brad Marchand, C Patrice Bergeron, RW Rich Peverley


--LW Benoit Pouliot, C Chris Kelly, RW Tyler Seguin


--LW Daniel Paille, C Gregory Campbell, RW Shawn Thornton

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