The Boston Bruins scored three second period goals Friday night, and cruised past the Washington Capitals 5-1 at TD Garden in Boston.
Brad Marchand had two goals and an assist, Patrice Bergeron had a goal and an assist, and both Trent Frederic and Nick Ritchie added a goal each as Boston (13-5-3) pulled within one point of the top spot in the East Divison. Washington defenseman Tom Wilson hit Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo up high near the boards in the first period in a chippy game, and Carlo didn’t return to action. Jakub Vrana ruined a shutout bid by Jaroslav Halak with a goal 13:36 into the third period. Halak made 31 saves in the win. Charlie McAvoy also added two assists on the night. Vitek Vanecek stopped 14 of 18 before being pulled in the second period for Washington. Ilya Samsonov made six stops on seven shots in relief. The Caps are now 13-5-4 on the season, tied with the New York Islanders for that top spot in the East Divison. Boston will host the New Jersey Devils on Sunday at 5 p.m.
