Washington Capitals beat Boston Bruins 1:0 in their NHL opener on Thursday night. The visitors came in carrying the weight of a mixed run, while the hosts were riding a wave of confidence after some solid results. And here's the thing — it was a game decided by fine margins rather than anything spectacular.
The Capitals had been on a good run before this one, winning three of their last five outings. They'd seen off Philadelphia and Columbus, and even managed a clean sheet against Pittsburgh. To be fair, their form had been building steadily, and they found a way back into it after a couple of setbacks.
Boston arrived with more questions than answers. They'd beaten Philadelphia in one game but lost to them in another, and that recent 3:2 win over Washington had given people hope. By then though, the heat took the sting out of it — this was a different fixture, a different story.
We'd given Capitals victory at 48 per cent confidence and, to be honest, it wasn't a surprise when they held on. The old head settled them down when things got tight, and they weathered the storm in the final stages.
Both sides started the season from scratch — zero games, zero points, zero expectations. But the result means Washington can spring a surprise if they keep this up, while Boston will need to find their rhythm quickly.
