The Boston Bruins will play the Washington Capitals on Saturday afternoon as they near the halfway mark of their seven-game homestand.
The Boston Bruins are coming off a commanding performance against the top team in the Western Conference, a 4-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.
Prior to the game, Bruins coach Jim Montgomery announced that Anthony Richard will start on the fourth line for the first time. Oskar Steen will not play, and Parker Wotherspoon, who was scratched, will start in the third defensive pairing.
Montgomery’s instruction to Richard was, “Drive the net, finish at the net, use your speed to create anxiety on the other team’s defensemen.”
Although Washington is on a six-game losing run coming into Saturday, Montgomery is not taking Alex Ovechkin and company lightly.
They are a large, powerful team. “You can see how big their forwards are,” Montgomery remarked. “They can create mismatches down low with their puck protection, and they hang on to pucks well.”