Schedule and 2020-21 Results
Regular Season Records: Washington 36-15-5=77pts, Boston 33-16-7=73pts
Game 1 on Saturday, 15 May: Boston loses at Washington, 3-goals-2(OT)
Game 2 on Monday, 17 May: Boston wins at Washington, 4-goals-3(OT)
Game 3 on Wednesday, 19 May: Washington loses at Boston, 3-goals-2(2OT)
Game 4 on Friday, 21 May: Washington loses at Boston, 4-goals-1
Game 5 on Sunday, 23 May: Boston wins at Washington, 3-goals-1

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 5: The Boston Bruins visited and topped the Washington Capitals 3-goals-1 to complete a 4-games-1 best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1453 victory. With the series 1453 win, the Boston Bruins improve their best-of-7 NHL playoff series record to 54-52 overall and 16-11 in the Preliminary round. With the series 1453 loss, the Washington Capitals see their best-of-7 NHL playoff series record fall to 18-28 overall and 12-15 in the Preliminary round. The win order for the victorious Boston Bruins in series 1453 was LWWWW: Series 1453 thus becomes the eleventh NHL Preliminary-round series, the 39th NHL series (all rounds), and the 71st MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow that win order to completion. The series loss by the Washington Capitals is their 15th best-of-7 NHL Preliminary-round playoff series loss, which pulls the Capitals out of a tie with the NHL Calgary Flames for the most best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL Preliminary-round series losses. The 87 total best-of-7 NHL Preliminary-round playoff game losses by the Washington Capitals are a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL Preliminary-round record for the most such losses.

After Game 4: The Boston Bruins hosted and defeated the Washington Capitals 4-goals-1 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1453 lead of 3-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Boston Bruins have a series record of 20-2 (with an active five-series winning streak) and a Game 5 record of 12-10. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Washington Capitals have a series record of 2-9 and a Game 5 record of 6-5. The two Washington Capitals comebacks from 3-games-1 deficits occurred in series 504 (over the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1988 NHL Preliminary round) and in series 1057 (over the New York Rangers in the 2009 NHL Preliminary round).

After Game 3: The Boston Bruins hosted and defeated the Washington Capitals 3-goals-2(2OT) to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1453 lead of 2-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Boston Bruins have a series record of 23-10 and a Game 4 record of 16-17. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Washington Capitals have a series record of 8-9 and a Game 4 record of 9-8. The series 1453 Game 3 loss by the Washington Capitals is their NBA/NHL-leading 85th best-of-7 Preliminary-round game defeat. In best-of-7 NHL playoff series, the Game 4 outcome by the Boston Bruins presaged their series outcome in their last nine such series (five wins, four losses). The Boston Bruins trailed the visiting Washington Capitals by a goal as late as 11:31 into the third period but prevailed: In the history of best-of-7 NHL playoff games from 1939 through 2020, inclusive, home teams down a goal as late as 11:31 into the third period had a game record of only 105-532 (.165) - the Boston Bruins thus achieve a grade-B in-game comeback.

After Game 2: The Boston Bruins visited and bested the Washington Capitals 4-goals-3(OT) to knot best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1453 at 1-game-all. When tied 1-game-all in a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series, the Washington Capitals have a series record of 12-14 and a Game 3 record of 12-14, while the Boston Bruins have a series record of 26-19 and a Game 3 record of 22-23. The series 1453 Game 2 loss by the Washington Capitals is their NBA/NHL-leading 84th best-of-7 Preliminary-round game defeat.

After Game 1: The Washington Capitals hosted and defeated the Boston Bruins 3-goals-2 (OT) to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1453 lead of 1-game-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Washington Capitals have a series record of 8-17 and a Game 2 record of 10-15. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Boston Bruins have a series record of 15-34 and a Game 2 record of 21-28 (with an active four-Game 2 winning streak). The series 1453 Game 1 loss by the Boston Bruins is their MLB/NBA/NHL-leading 288th best-of-7 playoff game loss.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2020-21 NHL regular season, the Washington Capitals finished four points ahead of the Boston Bruins. From 1939 through the 2020 NHL Finals round, when NHL teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by four regular-season points, they have posted a best-of-7 playoff series record of 14-19 (.424) in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1453 is the 46th best-of-7 NHL playoff series for the Washington Capitals, and the 106th for the Boston Bruins. In best-of-7 NHL playoff series, the Washington Capitals have an all-rounds series record of 18-27, a Preliminary-round series record of 12-14, and a Game 1 record of 25-20, while the Boston Bruins have an all-rounds series record of 53-52, a Preliminary-round series record of 15-11, and a Game 1 record of 56-49 (with an active five-Game 1 winning streak). Series 1453 is the fourth best-of-7 NHL playoff series meeting between the Washington Capitals and the Boston Bruins. The Washington Capitals won two of the first three best-of-7 NHL playoff series between the two teams (including the last two such meetings).