Capitals bullied by Bruins in 4-1 setback

BOSTON | The Washington Capitals shipped up to Boston and got handed a beating.

They were bruised and battered after the whistles and between them got blown out of the building 4-1 by the Bruins. Goaded into fights and involved in a lot of pushing and shoving, the Caps fell into the trap of playing Boston’s physical style.

“It’s their game, it’s not ours. We have to understand that,” coach Adam Oates said. “That’s part of what they bring, that team over there. You’ve got to beat them on the scoreboard and keep the game close.”

The Caps lost in many ways Saturday afternoon at TD Garden. Defensive miscues cost them on goals against, and a failure to pick up a point for the fourth time in five games put another big dent in their playoff hopes. They’re seven points back of the final playoff spot with 21 games to go.

“It’s really tough. We need the wins,” said center Marcus Johansson, who was credited with the Caps’ only goal when the Bruins scored on themselves. “We’re a little behind here, and we need the wins to be able to make the playoffs, and we’ve got to find a way to win these tight games. That’s the way it is.”

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Boston Bruins’ Adam McQuaid, top, fights with Washington Capitals’ Matt Hendricks (26) ... more >

But this wasn’t tight, and the Caps lost their composure several times. Center Mike Ribeiro jawed at a fan in the stands who was making a crybaby face at him in the penalty box, and forward Matt Hendricks gestured and exchanged words with another fan as he went down the tunnel after his second fight of the day.

The Bruins engaged the Caps in a lot of post-whistle extracurricular activities and pushing and shoving, but players insisted that didn’t affect them.

“It was just intensity,” defenseman Karl Alzner said. “We haven’t seen a whole lot of that in our games, so it was just a little bit more intense than we’re used to.”

Boston thrives on that kind of intensity, eager to bully opponents while beating them. Oates said his players got caught up in some of the post-whistle stuff late in the loss.

All along it was an ongoing sideshow to the Bruins’ domination in the offensive zone. Nathan Horton, Milan Lucic and David Krejci put on quite the display while taking advantage of a banged-up Washington blue line. Troy Brouwer’s turnover and Jack Hillen’s blunder in the corner cost the Caps dearly.

“We made a couple mistakes,” said defenseman Steve Oleksy, who was on the ice for three of four goals against. “I think we made a couple mistakes, and they capitalized early. Obviously when they pop a couple early it’s a different game.”

Forced to skate uphill against a relentless opponent, the Caps couldn’t dictate the tempo and had to exist within the framework of what the Bruins wanted.

That included three fights. Ribeiro appeared to be dragged into the first of his NHL career by Brad Marchand late in the second period, and Hendricks dropped the gloves with Horton eight seconds later. Hendricks had tried to fight either Horton or Shawn Thornton earlier in the period.

“I was yelling at him. Like, three times I yelled at him and he didn’t look at me,” Horton said. “And then, kind of, he just sprinted at me. He kind of caught me with my gloves there.”

Horton has a history of concussions, and the Bruins also took issue with Hendricks fighting him. Thornton and defenseman Adam McQuaid both challenged Hendricks midway through the third.

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