BOSTON — With just over six minutes remaining in the final period, Elias Lindholm found the back of the net, giving the Boston Bruins a crucial lead as they overcame the Washington Capitals 4-1 on Monday evening. The Bruins displayed impressive defensive play, successfully killing off a five-minute penalty without allowing a single shot on goal.

The game was tied at 1-1 when Charlie Coyle delivered a long pass to Lindholm, who skillfully set up Brad Marchand at the blue line to launch a two-on-one break. Marchand returned the favor, and Lindholm executed a clever fake that sent goaltender Charlie Lindgren to the ice before deftly closing the play with a backhander into the net, putting the Bruins ahead 2-1.

Coyle increased the lead to 3-1 just two minutes later, and Marchand sealed the victory with an empty-net goal. Justin Brazeau also contributed a goal for the Bruins, while Jeremy Swayman made 10 saves in net. This victory marked the Bruins’ fourth win in their last five matches, bringing their record to 11-4-1 since Joe Sacco took over as head coach following Jim Montgomery’s departure.

For the Capitals, Jakub Vrana was able to score, and Lindgren managed to stop 18 shots. However, the team, which had been leading the Eastern Conference, saw their performance slip as they lost three of their last six contests leading up to this matchup.

In summary, the Capitals have recorded a 10-6 record since Alexander Ovechkin’s leg injury on November 18. Meanwhile, the Bruins faced some concern as forward David Pastrnak appeared to have tweaked a muscle during the second period. He briefly returned to the game but soon left for the locker room with an undisclosed upper-body issue.

A pivotal moment of the game came just ten seconds into the third period when Bruins forward Oliver Wahlstrom was penalized with a game misconduct for pushing Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary into the boards. Remarkably, Washington failed to generate any shots during their five-minute power play opportunity.

In terms of statistics, the Capitals registered their lowest shot output for the season with only 11 shots directed at the Bruins goal.

Looking ahead, the Capitals are scheduled to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings over the weekend, before heading home to face the Bruins again on New Year’s Eve. The Bruins will travel to Columbus on Friday for the first match of a home-and-home series before heading to Washington for their next game.