Bruins gladly accept gift goal from Capitals rookie Ilya Samsonov

Samsonov prematurely left the rear wall after leaving the puck there for Justin Schultz. The alert Smith swooped in, made the filch, and handed the Bruins the series momentum headed into Game 4 Friday night.

Samsonov, who made 40 saves in his NHL postseason debut, was victimized by his own boo-boo. Such is the risk of playing rookie goaltenders in the pressure cooker that is the playoffs.

Locked in a 1-1 series tie, the Bruins and Capitals went to overtime for the third time in the series, the Bruins forcing OT on Brad Marchand’s strike with 8:28 remaining in regulation at TD Garden.

The 2-2 equalizer, only 32 seconds after Nic Dowd was sent to the penalty box for high-sticking Charlie McAvoy, had the Bruins flashing some puck control-passing wizardry before Marchand cashed in at the right post.

David Pastrnak moved the puck from the left wall up to David Krejci near the left point. Krejci sent it across the high slot for point pal Charlie McAvoy, who dished into the middle for Patrice “Bumper” Bergeron, who then relayed to Marchand for the doorstep pop on Samsonov.

A five-touch piece of art, straight out of the Stastny Brothers Handbook, and the first overtime playoff game on Causeway Street since 2019.

Observations from the game:

▪ Garnet Hathaway is turning into the Esa Tikkanen of this series. The ex-Brown standout (yes, they play hockey at Brown) is greatly overshadowed by his club’s more high-profile forwards (as Tikkanen was in the Oilers’ lineup), but he keeps popping up in significant moments.

One of those moments led to the Capitals’ 2-1 lead late in the second period. The Bruins had control of the puck in their end until a pass intended for Pastrnak at the blue line got picked off by … wait for it … Hathaway.

Brandon Carlo also had a crack at collecting the pass at the blue line, but Hathaway came away with the puck. He’s a pest, but one with enough skill to contribute offensively.

Moments later, after Hathaway made a stride or two toward the left circle, his wrist shot ended up in the net off a tip from Dowd (who tipped in the overtime winner Game 1).

Earlier in the period, Hathaway cannonballed into Tuukka Rask, knocking off Rask’s mask as he attempted to muscle into scoring position near the right post. Rask, his mask off, used his blocker (right) hand to give the fallen Hathaway a couple of pops in the head.

Originally signed by Calgary out of Brown (Class of 2014), Hathaway signed with the Capitals as a free agent in July 2019, a four-year deal for a total of $6 million. He is 6 feet 2 inches and 212 pounds, a fourth-liner with moxie, and at a bargain price.

▪ A significantly better start for the Bruins, limiting the Capitals to four shots in the first period. In both games in D.C., the Capitals came out with gas pedal nailed to the floor. Monday, in Game 2, they held an 8-1 shot lead in the opening three minutes.

▪ Zdeno Chara’s night got off to a rough start when he was felled in the pregame warm-up, knocked to the ice, helmet flying, in a collision with Justin Schultz. Friendly fire. Big Z then heard jeers from the Garden crowd when he was whistled off for a slash on Charlie Coyle at 13:18. The ex-Bruins captain left town at the end of December and signed with the Capitals because he didn’t like the playing role the Bruins offered. The locals, it seems, felt slighted.

▪ The Bruins squandered a prime chance to move ahead when they failed to convert when handed a 55-second window with a five-on-three power play. With Chara in the box, John Carlson followed him in there at 14:24 when flipping the puck into the crowd (delay of game). The Bruins landed three shots, including a Bergeron stuff attempt, but could not push one past Samsonov.

▪ The Capitals looked more like themselves, at least on paper, with the return of talented center/wing Evgeny Kuznetsov for his first game in the series. Kuznetsov recently ended a second tour on the COVID-19 “unavailable” list. He started the night as the pivot on the No. 1 line with Alex Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie.

▪ Taylor Hall had the lone Bruins strike in the first two periods, set up with a nifty backhanded feed by linemate Craig Smith. Hall has an underdeveloped game along the wall and rear boards, but he compensates with his speed and touch. He went forehand-backhand-forehand with the Smith feed and finished off at the left post with a quick lift over Samsonov.

▪ The Bruins again went with McAvoy as their choice for point man on the No. 1 power-play unit. That has been Matt Grzelcyk’s job much of the season, but coach Bruce Cassidy opted for McAvoy in that role in Game 2. Krejci also worked the back on the No. 1 unit, with Marchand, Bergeron, and Pastrnak up front. McAvoy is a tantalizing, obvious choice back there, and all the better if he surrenders his penchant for passing instead of shooting. He has a good shot. But he has to use it.

▪ Connor Clifton suited up for a second time, filling in again for injured Jeremy Lauzon (hand). Clifton can be a bit of a wild card back there (similar to Greg Hawgood of old), but he brings some thump, with the occasional old-fashioned hip check. A righthanded shot, he lined up on the left side with Kevan Miller. “Cliffy” is a gamer. He’s also a likely target for the Kraken when the Seattle franchise stocks its inaugural roster with the July expansion draft.

▪ The Bruins again weren’t getting balanced offense from their lineup the first two periods. After 40, Bergeron and Pastrnak had 11 of the club’s 21 shots. The Bruins need more shooters contributing, and they need to create more action off initial attempts. Too much one-and-done.

▪ For the first time in decades, the Bruins were in the playoffs and The Fours, the popular watering hole across on Canal Street, was not open to welcome thirsty Black and Gold fans. The world’s greatest sports bar closed its doors for good last summer, amid the pandemic, and weeks later auctioned off all its goods.

▪ It looks as if this will be a series with little breathing room for the Bruins. For the second time in three games, they did not squeeze out a lead in regulation.

Through three games, the Capitals have totaled 39:02 in lead time, compared with only 7:47 for the Bruins.

Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at kevin.dupont@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeKPD.