Craig Smith lifts Bruins in double OT to win Game 3
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The ever-hustling Craig Smith took advantage of a brain belch by the Washington Capitals behind their own net to lift the Bruins to a 3-2 victory in the second overtime of Game 3 at the Garden on Wednesday night.
Rookie goalie Ilya Samsonov left the puck behind the net for defenseman Justin Schultz, seemingly surprising Schultz and the D-man was slow to react. Smith swooped in, grabbed the puck and wrapped it in behind Samsonov at 5:48 of the fifth period.
“I circled back into the zone. I don’t know if there was a miscommunication between them. It kind of looked like that. I just jumped on it to see if I could create a little bit of a turnover there. And they gave me just enough time to do that,” said Smith. “It was a great feeling any time you can end one like that.”
Said coach Bruce Cassidy: “Good for him to get in on a puck.”
The B’s, who dominated both the first and second OTs, now hold a 2-1 series lead after the third overtime game of the series. David Pastrnak had a breakway in the second OT, hectored from behind by T.J. Oshie on a play that Cassidy thought “absolutely” should have been a penalty. Brad Marchand also had great chances in both overtime periods.
This series has been a grind, and there appears to be no let-up in sight.
“That’s playoff hockey,” said Cassidy. “And I don’t think it’s going to change. I think it’s going to be close games and you’ve got to be comfortable playing in them. Players have to know that little things matter, the details, and we have to make sure we stick with them”
The Bruins trailed 2-1 going into the third period but tied it up at 11:37, finally cashing in on their fifth power play of the game. Nic Dowd took a bad high-sticking penalty behind the play on Charlie McAvoy to put the B’s on the advantage before Marchand, who cost his team with a bad penalty of his own in the second period, evened it.
Patrice Bergeron tried to snap a shot from the bumper but it was partially blocked, the fluttering puck was in the air before Marchand batted it home.
Toward the end of regulation, the Caps surged, hemming the B’s in their own end. Tom Wilson hit the crossbar late, but could not get the winner. But it felt like they were coming. Slow to get started, the Caps outshot the B’s 25-14 in the second and third.
In the first OT, the B’s turned the tide, dominating for much of the period, outshooting the Caps 17-5 with numerous chances to end. The best chance came when Marchand was trying to get a hold of a rolling puck in the crease for a tap-in but Garnet Hathaway knocked it away.
While the Bruins went with the same lineup as Game 2, the Capitals made some significant changes. Lars Eller (lower body) and Daniel Sprong came out while forwards Evgeny Kuznetsov and Daniel Carr came in.
But the most impactful change was Samsonov coming in for veteran Craig Anderson in net. Like the gifted Kuznetsov, Samsonov had spent nearly two weeks on the COVID list and had not played since May 1.
Samsonov looked more rested than rusty, coming up with several key saves in the first while also getting some help from his friends.
The B’s were given a tremendous opportunity to get on the board when Zdeno Chara was first called for slashing and then fellow blueliner John Carlson got nabbed for delay, giving the B’s a 55-second 5-on-3. Samsonov made a point blank save on a Bergeron shot from the low slot and then defenseman Brenden Dillon flailed to blocked a Brad Marchand shot that was headed for an empty net.
The Capitals had their chances on the man-advantage in the first, too, three in fact. But Tuukka Rask did not have to be nearly as sharp as Samsonov as the B’s penalty killers did a tremendous job, allowing just four shots on net in the whole period. The B’s hit Samsonov with 10, but the teams went into the second stanza knotted at 0-0.
The Caps started to get their game going and they took the first lead of the game on the power play at 8:21. Marchand continued his impish ways. But this time, Marchand was the only one to go to the box for unsportsmanlike conduct and the Caps made him pay.
The B’s looked like they were going to kill it off when Charlie McAvoy wheeled behind the net ready for another clear. But he fell down on his pivot, the puck went to Anthony Mantha behind the net. He fed Alex Ovechkin coming down the left side and Ovechkin buried it high to the farside over Rask’s glove.
But the B’s answered right back at 9:17. Smith made a backhand pass from the left circle that just got under a Washington defender and made it to Taylor Hall, who made a spin move and then roofed it over Samsonov.
The temperature went up after that. Hathaway came out from the side of the net and tried to stuff the puck by Rask and crashed straight into the goalie, knocking his mask off. The B’s pounced on Hathaway in the crease and Rask took three straight punches at Hathaway under the pile.
“Just protecting myself,” said Rask.
That charged the crowd up, but it was the Caps who took a 2-1 lead into the third, thanks to an unforced error. The B’s looked like they were going to break the puck out easily but Pastrnak could not handle Charlie Coyle’s pass at the blue line. Brandon Carlo was moving forward supporting the play and Hathaway got in behind him to get the puck. He fired it at the net and Dowd tipped it past Rask for a 2-1 lead at 18:15.