BOSTON — The Bruins’ losing streak has reached nine.
Boston fell to the Washington Capitals, 4-3, on Tuesday night at TD Garden.
The Bruins, with two shots through 13:21 of the first period, went on the power play after Cole Koepke was cross-checked. But it Washington that capitalized 10 seconds later when Nic Dowd put the Capitals ahead 1-0 with a shorthanded goal.
While on the power play, David Pastrnak took an offensive zone penalty that negated the Bruins’ man advantage.
Alex Ovechkin capitalized and scored his 891st career goal to make it 2-0 two minutes later on the power play. The goal moved Ovechkin within four goals from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record.
Boston amassed just four shots in the first 20 minutes, but the second period was a different story as the Bruins put together their first strong stanza of hockey in a while.
Vinni Lettieri cut the Bruins’ deficit in half and made it a 2-1 game after Boston’s strong effort on the forecheck.
The Bruins went on the power play with 11:02 left in the second. But for the second time in the game Pastrnak was called for a penalty while Boston was on the man-advantage.
Jeffrey Viel, who was summoned from Providence on Tuesday in hopes to bring some physicality to the lineup, dropped the gloves with Dylan McIlrath in an old-time hockey bout that saw both players exchange some hard-hitting blows.
The fight might have sparked some life into the Bruins on their next power play. Pastrnak tied the game 2-2 with a tap-in off a Morgan Geekie slap-pass for his 36th goal of the season.
The third period remained tied until there was 9:23 left when Dylan Strome gave the Capitals a lead after the puck took a hard bounce off the end boards and right to him.
Tom Wilson made it a two-goal game with 5:14 to go, but Pastrnak kept the Bruins in it with his second goal of the night and made it 4-3 just 27 seconds later.
Jeremy Swayman, who has not earned a win since March 11 against the Florida Panthers, made 27 saves.
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