Boston Bruins

Bruins vs. Capitals Preview: Lines, Notes, & How To Watch

Published

3 weeks ago

April 1, 2025

The Boston Bruins (30-35-9) aren’t receiving a warm welcome home as they return from a miserable road trip to meet the Washington Capitals (47-17-9) tonight at TD Garden. Here’s what you need to know before puck drop.

Nothing Left To Play For:

Mathematically, the Bruins are still in the playoff race. Realistically, they’re toast and have a zero percent chance of making the postseason, according to the latest odds from Moneypuck.

However, with the Bruins’ chances of making playoffs non-existent, their odds of landing the top pick in the upcoming NHL draft lottery keep improving.

Bruins Playoff Odds Hit ZERO; New Odds for First Pick

Ryan Leonard Ready For NHL Debut:

Ryan Leonard grew up just a little over an hour away from TD Garden and went to school just a few minutes down the road. Tonight, he’ll make his NHL debut on Causeway Street.

Local Product Ryan Leonard Ready For NHL Debut Against Bruins

Projected Bruins Lines:

Geekie – Zacha – Pastrnak

Khusnutdinov – E. Lindholm – Lysell

Koepke – Mittlestadt – Lettieri

Lauko – Beecher – Brown

Zadorov – Jokiharju

Lohrei – Peeke

Wotherspoon – Mitchell

Swayman

Korpisalo

Last Time Out:

The Bruins wrapped up a miserable road trip by dropping their eighth straight game on Saturday night in Detroit, falling 2-1 to the Red Wings.

Not even a pair of fights to start the game were enough to energize a lifeless Bruins team that was dead on arrival in the Motor City as they found themselves in a 2-0 early in the second period.

Morgan Geekie cut into the lead with his 27th goal of the season, but that’s all the offense the Bruins mustered.

Boston was outscored 23-7 over the course of the five-game road trip that they finished 0-5-0 without picking up a single point in the standings.

The Opponent:

The Washington Capitals represent everything the Bruins are not and everything they hope to become.

A year after barely making it into the playoffs, the Capitals now sit comfortably atop the Eastern Conference standings and have already punched their ticket to this year’s dance.

Washington is among the best in the league at both ends of the ice. They carry the NHL’s top offense, scoring 3.63 goals per game and aren’t far from that spot when it comes to defense, ranking sixth while giving up just 2.64 goals per game.

As always is the case with the Caps, Alexander Ovechkin is the player to watch, but he is even more so right now as he continues to chase down Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring record. With 890 career goals entering action tonight, the “Great 8” is just five goals away from breaking the record that was once believed to be unbreakable.

Ovechkin is far from the only player having a stellar season in Washington, as he’s just one of five Capitals skaters who has 60 points or more this year. Dylan Strome leads the team with 70 points.

Charlie Lindgren is the expected starter in goal tonight for Washington. He carries a record of 16-12-3 with a 2.65 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage.

The Bruins are 1-1-0 so far this year against Washington. The Capitals are in the midst of a three-game losing streak, which is their longest of the season.

How To Watch:

Puck drop between the Bruins and Capitals from TD Garden is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST. The game can be seen on NESN and streamed on NESN 360 or ESPN Plus for out-of-market viewers. 98.5 The Sports Hub will carry the radio broadcast of the game.