Bruins score 3 power-play goals, best Caps for 3-1 series lead

BOSTON — The Boston Bruins had to cut short one goal celebration to skate to the defense of a teammate, who was taking some abuse from oft-suspended Capitals forward Tom Wilson.

They didn't fight back. 

They just kept scoring. 

After 15 periods of neck-and-neck hockey, the Bruins finally broke one open in their playoff series against Washington on Friday night, getting goals from David Pastrnak and Charlie Coyle 34 seconds apart early in the third period to win 4-1 and send the Capitals to the brink of elimination.

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Brad Marchand and Matt Grzelcyk added power-play goals for Boston, which was 3 for 5 with the man advantage. 

"We kind of had a mindset of, 'Hey, let's make these guys pay,' in response to the penalties they were taking," Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy said. "You always want to score ... but I think we responded well to the penalties they were taking and ultimately making them pay on the scoreboard.

Tuukka Rask stopped 19 shots for his 54th playoff victory, breaking the Bruins franchise record that was set by Hall of Famer Gerry Cheevers in 1980. Boston took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series and can advance with a victory in Game 5 in Washington on Sunday.

"It doesn't really matter who is the hero every night," said Pastrnak, who netted his first goal of the series and was originally credited for Marchand's goal. "As long as you win, you feel amazing."

After three straight overtime games in which neither team managed as much as a two-goal lead, the Bruins made it 2-0 on Pastrnak's power-play goal 29 seconds into the third. The 25% capacity crowd had barely settled down before Jake DeBrusk's shot bounced high off the glass behind Ilya Samsonov and landed in the crease for Coyle to poke it into the net.

Behind the play, Wilson put a few extra shots on Nick Ritchie — one of many scuffles in the game. For the second straight game, Rask was the target of a Capitals hit; Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller was sent to the hospital by a high hit from Dmitry Orlov. 

"Their guy left his feet, borderline late, and drove right under his chin," said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, who added that Miller left the rink for the hospital. "It's unfortunate for Kevan, but we'll see how he is."

Alex Ovechkin made it 3-1 with 15 minutes left in the game when his shot was deflected into the net by Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo. It was Ovechkin's first goal of the 2021 playoffs and the 71st of his postseason career, moving him past Steve Yzerman and into a tie with Bryan Trottier for 16th most in NHL history.

But Grzelcyk restored the three-goal lead on Boston's third power-play goal, with five minutes left. 

Samsonov, whose overtime turnover in his playoff debut helped Boston claim Game 3, made 33 saves for Washington. He struggled to hold onto his stick — losing it three times in the second period — and had to skate off a knee injury at one point but remained in the game.

Samsonov was pulled for much of the last three minutes, but the Capitals couldn't get any closer despite having a 6-on-4 advantage for much of it.

"Just think, we didn't really bring it today," forward Lars Eller said. "We were off. Now we've got 48 hours to regroup here and I want to see a different team in Game 5 at home. I believe we can do that. I've seen it before." 

The Capitals went almost 20 minutes without a shot on goal in the middle of the game and were outshot 37-20 in all. But it was still scoreless until Marchand tipped in Pastrnak's shot on the power play with 12 minutes left in the second.

"They scored power-play goals tonight," Capitals coach Peter Laviolette said. "Some of the penalties I don't like, some of them are part of the game. It's physical out there. At the end of the day, there's got to be discipline."

KNOCKED OUT 

Miller appeared to bang his head against the ice when he fell. Orlov was given a double minor for roughing, and the Bruins finally broke through just 33 seconds into the penalty.

"Millsie's a huge part of our team; we wanted to do that for him," Grzelcyk said. "We wanted to make sure to do it the right way, on the scoreboard, and not take stupid penalties."

The Bruins announced after the end of the period that Miller would not return and was taken to the hospital for "scans and evaluation." 

RI will end mask mandate for fully vaccinated people starting Tuesday

Editor's Note: More of your mask mandate questions answered: HERE

The great unmasking is about to begin.

Following Thursday's surprise Biden administration recommendation that fully vaccinated Americans can go out in public safely without face masks, Gov. Dan McKee on Friday said the state would soon follow suit.

Starting Tuesday, fully vaccinated Rhode Islanders — those two weeks past their final dose — will no longer be required to cover their faces or observe social distance, indoors or outdoors, in most situations. 

One exception is schools, where the CDC is still recommending students remained masked. McKee on Friday appeared to say teens can go maskless in school when fully vaccinated, but his office later clarified that the mask order will remain in effect for schools.

In addition, McKee also said that starting next Friday, Rhode Island would lift almost all of its remaining coronavirus limitations. That is a week earlier than originally planned. 

More:RI COVID restrictions eased today

Occupancy Limitations
That means restaurants, catered events, houses of worship, retail stores, gyms and offices can all operate with no capacity limitations. 

The changes come as new COVID infections and hospitalizations have declined as the share of the population vaccinated has risen.

More:RI to lift outdoor mask mandate for fully vaccinated people

More:CDC says going maskless outdoors is OK — for some

COVID numbers in Rhode Island
On Friday, Rhode Island reported the seven-day average of new COVID cases had fallen to 140 new cases, down from 199 cases a day a week ago and 266 cases a day two weeks ago. 

There were 92 COVID-positive patients in Rhode Island hospitals at last count, on Wednesday. This week the number of COVID patients in Rhode Island hospitals dropped below 100 for the first time since last October.

"I know we are safe and I think that we are about to make this change to masking and distancing in a way that is going to be very, very important to our state and those who are fully vaccinated will get the benefit of that," McKee told reporters in front of the State House on Friday afternoon. "So please join us, join the hundreds of us who will be able to take their masks off."

Rhode Islanders react to reduced limitations
The move to maskless public life will be a big change for most Rhode Islanders, who have covered their faces since the first state mask mandate was put in place in early April 2020.

The degree to which people will change their behavior on Tuesday, and businesses their rules, is unclear.

Beyond the paper vaccination cards stamped after people receive each shot, there is no central system in the state for verifying who is vaccinated and who isn't.

And many customers and employees, both the fully vaccinated and not, remain uncomfortable being around the maskless.

Even after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its guidance on Thursday, come Friday morning the number of people wearing masks outdoors in downtown Providence exceeded those who weren't.

"I would still for a certain amount of time wear one until I see more people not wearing masks," said Oscar Barahona, 33, sitting masked on the Providence River Pedestrian bridge. "It's a slow process."

A few benches away, two 22-year-old recent college graduates who didn't want to give their names said they didn't intend to take their masks off anytime soon, even in outdoor settings such as the pedestrian bridge.

Marisa Marino, 21, celebrated Biden's call to ditch masks after vaccination with a mask-free stroll on the bridge.

"If you are vaccinated, it is a good thing and it is good we have come this far," Marino said. "I follow all of the policies indoors, but I feel comfortable without one."  Rhode Island's more deliberate early vaccination schedule, opened up vaccine access to younger residents later than many other states, makes it more challenging to set different rules for those who are fully vaccinated.

A large chunk of Rhode Islanders under 50 who followed vaccination eligibility rules will not have passed the two-week-post-second-shot mark for another week or two.  

Rhode Island loosened the mask order for outdoor activities on May 7 but said people should still be masked if they come within three feet of each other despite the very low risk of outdoor transmission. 

At the time, Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott explained the partial outdoor mask order by saying it was necessary to guard against any risk, a standard that seemed unlikely to last. 

Like that partial lifting, many people in Providence are hedging their bets, wearing their masks down at chin level when out on the street, just in case they have to duck inside.

How should businesses respond to the new policy? 
When the mask order lifts Tuesday, any business or organization that wishes to can still require masks of customers, employees or visitors.

McKee said the state is working on guidelines to help businesses handle the transition and lifting the order on Tuesday, instead of immediately, was done mostly to provide more time to work out the details.

At Symposium Books on Westminster Street, owner Scott McCullough said he's played it cautiously since the pandemic began and would probably take a wait-and-see approach on masks.

"For me it is so new, I would like to see a few weeks if the numbers decline and more people take it off," he said. "A side benefit of this is that now we are comfortable with masks if there is a really bad flu season or some other reason