It was not the dress rehearsal Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau had in mind.
With four of his regulars out of the lineup Sunday evening against the Boston Bruins at Verizon Center, the Caps played a shaky preseason finale.
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Washington rallied from a goal down three different times over the final 21 minutes, 4 seconds. But it wasn’t enough as Boston escaped with a 5-4 shootout victory.
Forwards Alex Ovechkin, Chris Clark and Chris Bourque and defenseman Mike Green each scored for the Caps (5-1-1). Bourque’s tally was especially important as the 22-year-old is trying to crack the final 23-man roster by Wednesday’s 3 p.m. deadline, made one last impression on the front office.
“I’m kind of nervous. I really don’t know what to expect. But I feel like I had a pretty solid camp,” said Bourque, who finished with three goals and three assists in six preseason games, the third-most points on the team. “I came in here and did what I had to do. I think I made it hard for them to send me down [to AHL Hershey].”
Forwards Viktor Kozlov (groin) and Nicklas Backstrom (cold) sat out. Defensemen Tom Poti and forwards Donald Brashear and Quintin Laing were healthy scratches.
Washington opens the season Friday night in Atlanta.
