Caps Face Bruins in Round Robin Finale

August 9 vs. Boston Bruins at Scotiabank Arena

Time:Noon

TV:NBCSW-plus

Radio: Capitals Radio 24/7, 94.7 FM The Drive

Boston Bruins 0-2-0

Washington Capitals 0-1-1

As the Caps get set to take on the Boston Bruins on Sunday in the last of the NHL's round-robin games in the play-in round, we have a much clearer picture of how things might unfold next week when the Stanley Cup Playoffs get underway in earnest.

If the Caps defeat Boston, they'll open the playoffs against the New York Islanders. If it loses Sunday's game to the B's, Washington will oppose the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the Cup tourney.

Both the Caps and the Bruins go into Sunday's round-robin finale seeking their first win of the week. Both teams are looking to go into the playoffs on a winning note to be sure, but finding a more consistent overall level is paramount for both of these perennial Eastern Conference heavyweights with the playoffs looming just ahead on the horizon.

The Caps come into Sunday's game on the heels of a listless performance in a 3-1 loss to Philadelphia on Thursday while Boston's most recent outing was a 3-2 loss to the Lightning on Wednesday. Neither the Caps nor the Bruins has owned a lead on the scoreboard at any point during this week's round-robin play.

"[Thursday] was definitely our worst game for our part," says Caps left wing Carl Hagelin. "We didn't really get to our game at all. There wasn't as much attention to detail or attention to just working hard, so I think as a team we took a step backwards. But we've got a couple of days here to regroup and get ready to play Boston.

"We all know we need to step up and play at a higher pace and a higher compete level."

With no real upward mobility in terms of playoff seeding, the Caps and Bruins are both more likely to be focused on getting their overall games in order and getting to a higher level than they've exhibited thus far.

"The approach going into this whole thing was to get ready for the playoffs," says Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. "We had hoped that we would have a great start and use this game as a maintenance game if need be, or see where we were in the seeding and all that stuff, but it's a little bit unpredictable, not only for our position but who we're going to play. Everyone is getting reseeded; it's not bracketed, so there are a lot of different things going on in that regard in terms of preparation.

"Yes, there is something at stake. I think that will make our players a little more focused. But as I've said all along, I think the major part of their focus is on Game 1 of our first postseason game. I'd like them to be able to park that and focus on the opponent we're playing 100 percent. But with a lot of different teams - if you watched the Washington-Philly game [Thursday] - they're going through some of the same issues. So at the end of the day, let's play well, play better than we did against Tampa, hope to be injury free - sometimes that's out of your control - and be building in a positive way towards Game 1."

Washington has managed only three goals in its two round-robin games, and both of its even-strength goals have come from its bottom six forward group. The Caps need to clean up some defensive issues as well, and they are still unsure as to the status of Norris Trophy finalist John Carlson, who has yet to play in the round robin after suffering an undisclosed injury late in the Caps' exhibition game against Carolina on July 29.

"We're taking the approach we always take," says Caps defenseman Nick Jensen. "Our goal as a defensive corps is to get the puck in our forwards' hands. We've got a lot of highly skilled forwards that can make plays, and we're kind of the quarterbacks back there, and we've got to make sure we deliver puck up to them quick to get the other team out of structure.

"It's tough having one of our top defensemen out with Carlson, but we have plenty of guys who are willing to step up and hopefully fill some spots. That's always our mindset as a [defensive] corps, it's shutting teams down, don't let them get into our zone, and deliver the puck to our forwards as quick as possible."

Boston's blueliners have had some difficult dealing with the forechecks of the Flyers and the the Lightning, so improved breakouts will be one of several things on the Bruins' radar for Sunday's final game before the playoffs.

"I think from the Philly to the Tampa game it was much, much better," says Boston blueliner Torey Krug. "It all starts with our gaps. If we control our gaps at the offensive blueline, we're able to force dumped pucks, and then we have the speed and the ability to go back and make our quick plays."

The Caps won the Cup in 2018 and the Bruins came within a game of doing so last year, and both are still seen as contenders for the crown in 2020. Both teams will be hungry to get a win heading into this week's 16-team Stanley Cup playoffs.

"Ultimately," says Krug, "I think no matter where you end up, you're playing four pretty good teams and in order to win the Stanley Cup, you've got to beat them all. The seeding isn't too much of an issue for us; we're just trying to focus on our game. Now that we're either in the three or the four slot, we want to come out of Sunday's game feeling good about ourselves and just happy with our game so that we can compete against whoever we're lined up against come Tuesday or Wednesday, or whenever that first round is.

"Obviously there is something on the line, and we want to win the game for sure. But as long as we're heading in the right direction, I think those are a few of our goals for Sunday."

"I think it's a huge game for us," says Hagelin. "We need to find that playoff compete, we need to get used to playing games that are super meaningful. We're going to play a Boston [team] that's going to be desperate; we need to be desperate. It should be a good game, but like I said, every guy on our team needs to find another level in his game."

Washington played well in its exhibition against Carolina last month, but it has slipped some in each of its round-robin games since. The Caps know they're capable of much more, and they know the time has come to show it.

"There needs to be improvement, and it's how we respond to that," says Caps coach Todd Reirden. "We'll be back at practice working at it and trying to solve these issues. But there is another gear, there is another level to our game that we haven't gotten to yet since we've been here, and breakdowns ended up in the back of our net today. When you're in a situation where you're relying on different people in different situations because of not having access to players, then you need everybody's top game, and we didn't have that tonight. That's really - to me - the story of this game, is that we need more from everybody."

"We took a step back with our performance [Thursday], and we need to get our game headed in the right direction. Whoever that involves in our lineup, we'll see who is ready come game time and then we'll go from there. But we've got to get more from our players, and this is our last chance to do it before round one, game one."