Gameday: at Boston, Apr. 25 - Round One, Game Seven

And so, it will come to a close...

The Washington Capitals are in Boston, Massachusetts, this evening to take on the Stanley Cup champion Bruins and play a seventh and decisive game in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.   The Caps missed a chance to close out the series on home ice Sunday afternoon, falling victim to a Tyler Seguin overtime goal despite tying the game three separate times to force the extra session.  That loss snapped a two game winning streak for Washington, as they had won games four and five after falling behind in the series 2-1 over the first three games.  And this, right here, is why you play the games. It's game seven, for all the marbles, and the right to keep playing for the Stanley Cup for the winner.  For the loser, it's a long summer.

Tim Thomas will get the start in goal from Claude Julien, just as he has for every postseason game for the Bruins over the last two years.  Thomas, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy last year as playoff MVP, carries a 2.18 GAA, .922 save percentage, and one shutout this postseason in to the game.  Outside the crease, the Bruins will be without forwards Nathan Horton and Marc Savard, both of whom are ruled out for the entire postseason with concussions.  Center Patrice Bergeron (upper body), defenseman Joe Corvo (knee) and defenseman Adam McQuaid (face/head) are all questionable, but Bergeron will probably play, albeit in a limited capacity.

Dale Hunter will continue to roll with rookie Braden Holtby in goal.  Holtby has been a star in these playoffs so far, compiling a 2.17 GAA and .935 save percentage in the six games and winning at least one game for his team.  Outside the crease, the Capitals do not have any injuries.  Based on the lines during practice on Tuesday, it looks as though the forward corps will remain the same, with Mathieu Perreault, Mattias Sjogren, and Jeff Halpern sitting out.  Jeff Schultz also seems likely to return to the lineup in favor of John Erskine, but Dmitry Orlov could also play for Dennis Wideman, who has struggled recently, with Erskine.

Puck drops 7:45-ish.  As always, follow me on Twitter here for news and updates.
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