BOSTON -- Chris Kelly was the hero on Thursday night at the TD Garden, as he blasted a slap shot from the left circle over the left shoulder of Washington goaltender Braden Holtby to give the Bruins a 1-0 win, just 1:18 into overtime of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
It was a scoreless game after three periods, and Boston had tested Holtby in regulation, out-shooting the Capitals 29-16 after 60 minutes.
The Bruins out-shot the Capitals 26-7 through the first two periods, but had nothing to show for it, even after taking a 17-2 shot advantage in the second period alone.
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Neither team could get it going on the power play either, in regulation. The B's went 0-for-4, including a six-minute stretch of 5-on-4 play that extended from the end of the first to the beginning of the second period.
The Capitals, meanwhile, went 0-for-2 on the man advantage in regulation.
But all that mattered was Kelly's even-strength goal in the early minutes of overtime to give the B's a 1-0 series lead.