BOSTON –– The Boston Bruins are back at TD Garden to take on the Washington Capitals in a matinee matchup.
Saturday’s 12:30 p.m. puck drop marks the second of three regular-season meetings between the teams. The Bruins beat the Capitals 3-1 in their season-opener at Capital One Arena.
“It is playoff hockey right now. Usually, it starts, a lot of times, after the deadline. And guys feel it. We feel it. The standings, if you look at that,” head coach Marco Sturm said. “Every game is important, every point is important. Especially the teams behind us, they are going to try everything to catch teams. We are in the same boat, basically.”
The Bruins want to bounce back after falling 6-3 to the Nashville Predators on Thursday at Bridgestone Arena.
“We already addressed it this morning, and hopefully we can get back at it the way we want to play. That’s, for me, moving forward, it’s about us. We’re not going to get help from any other teams in this league,” Sturm said. “I think it always comes down to how you are going to perform every night and the way you play.”
Alex Steeves will be in the lineup for the first time since Feb. 4. The 26-year-old forward is projected to skate on the third line with Fraser Minten and Morgan Geekie, in place of Mikey Eyssimont, who is a healthy scratch, Sturm said.
Steeves signed a two-year extension with the Bruins in January. He has 16 points (nine goals, seven assists) through 38 games.
“This kid has been out because everyone is healthy – he didn’t do anything wrong. Even Mikey Eyssimont, he didn’t do anything wrong, either. I just need everyone involved. I really do. [Steeves], we’re going to use him today on the power play, too. We think we need a little bit more juice there,” Sturm said. “I’m trying to get everyone involved as much as I can. Now everyone is healthy, it makes it hard on me. But we have so many games coming up, so everyone should be ready to go. Even if they’re not in the lineup tonight, that could change tomorrow. That’s how we’re going to move forward here.”
The Bruins have won 11 consecutive games on home ice and are looking to continue that success after struggling on the road earlier this week.
Wait, There’s More
- Jeremy Swayman will start in net for Boston. The goaltender last played on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, making 34 saves in the win at TD Garden. Swayman has a 2.85 goals against average and a .905 save percentage through 40 games this year.
- Morgan Geekie hit a new career-high 34 goals on Thursday with a tally against the Predators. He leads the Bruins in goals and is second in points behind David Pastrnak. The 27-year-old forward is on the first power-play unit; he has the most PPG on the team with 12.
- Jonathan Aspirot is back in the lineup after missing Thursday’s game in Nashville due to illness. The 26-year-old defenseman returns to the first pair with Charlie McAvoy; Jordan Harris will draw out. Aspirot has eight points (two goals, six assists) through 40 games, while averaging 16:41 of ice time per night.
Opposing View
- The Capitals most recently fell 3-2 to the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday at Capital One Arena. Pierre-Luc Dubois and Ryan Leonard scored in the loss; goaltender Logan Thompson made 20 saves on 23 shots. Washington trails the Bruins by four points, fighting for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
- Alex Ovechkin leads the Capitals with 50 points (24 goals, 26 assists) through 63 games this season. The 40-year-old captain has been on the first line with Dylan Strome and Anthony Beauvillier. Ovechkin is also on the first power-play unit; Tom Wilson has the most goals on the man advantage this season with seven. The Capitals’ power play is ranked 28th in the league at 16.4 %.
- Washington is without veteran John Carlson, who was traded to the Anaheim Ducks on Friday for a conditional first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. The defenseman – from Natick, Massachusetts – has spent his entire 17-year career with the Capitals. Carlson has 46 points (10 goals, 36 assists) through 55 games this season, which was second-most of all Washington blueliners before he was dealt.
