Three Takeaways From Bruins-Capitals

Less than 24 hours after their preseason opener in Montreal, the Bruins were back at the TD Garden for the second game of their preseason schedule, taking on the Washington Capitals. Tied 0-0 going into the third period, Zdeno Chara scored a power play goal with 5:43 remaining, while Simon Gagne added an empty netter in the final 10 seconds to give the B’s a 2-0 win over the Capitals.

With Thursday expected to be the day that the Bruins begin making cuts to the training camp roster, here’s a look at three things that jumped out for the B’s in preseason game No. 2:

1. Adam McQuaid Made Up for Lost Time

Adam McQuaid played just 30 games in 2013-14 due to multiple lower body injuries, but he sure looked healthy on Wednesday, as the defenseman was all over the ice early and often, throwing his body at opponents and in front of pucks to show the Bruins that he is healed and ready to go.

McQuaid already had three hits midway through the first and finished the period with four hits and two blocked shots in 6:33 of ice time.

Halfway through the second period, Washington’s Kris Newbury hit Brad Marchand nowhere near the puck and was called for interference. McQuaid came over to Newbury after the whistle to express his displeasure with the hit before the two had to be separated by the linesmen.

He finished the game with 19:04 of ice time with one shot on net while playing 1:52 on the penalty kill. If McQuaid can remain healthy and get back to being the bruising, physical defenseman he has been in the past, it would be a big boost for the B’s moving forward – and perhaps increase his trade value if the team decides to go that route.

2. In a Slow Game, Bruins Power Play Looked Alright:

The game took a long time for either team to establish any rhythm, and overall it was pretty sloppy contest, but one area that the Bruins impressed in was their power play. They got their first power play chance at 9:50 in the second period as Kris Newbury was called for interference on Brad Marchand, and were able to generate three shots on net.

It took their third PP of the night to find the back of the net, as Zdeno Chara backhanded one past Pheonix Copley to give the B’s a 1-0 lead, as the unit of Chara, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, Dougie Hamilton, and Simon Gagne contributed the eventual game-winner.

All in all, in four power play tries, the B’s totaled nine shots on goal and were moving the puck well. One of the reasons the Bruins were able to lead the Eastern Conference in scoring in 2013-14 was their vastly improved power play that went from finishing 26th in league-wide power play percentage two years ago to jumping all the way up to third last season, so in order to succeed in 2014-15, they’ll need to keep those numbers up.

3. Jeremy Smith Makes the Save of the Night

In a game that saw two starting goaltenders – Boston’s Tuukka Rask and Washington’s Bradon Holtby – play the entire first two periods, it was a backup who made the best save of the evening. Jeremy Smith, a longtime AHL player who signed with the Bruins this offseason, came on in relief of Rask for the third period and saved all 12 Capital shots he saw over the final 20 minutes.

With the game still tied 0-0 and approaching the midway point of the third, and the Bruins unable to get out of their own end, Mike Green skated up the left side and fed Andre Burakovsky across the ice. Burakovsky looked primed to snap it in on a one-timer, but Smith adjusted and made a huge glove save to rob Burakovsky and keep the game scoreless.

The Bruins signed Niklas Sveberg to a one-way contract in the offseason, so the presumption is that he would be Tuukka Rask’s backup. But Peter Chiarelli said during the summer that there would be goalie competition in camp, with the team later going on to sign Smith, as well as bring up Malcolm Subban to train with the big club. If Smith continues to play well, even if he doesn’t make the Bruins, he could earn himself a job elsewhere for a team needing a solid netminder.