This Date in Caps History - November 20

On November 20, 1999, the Washington Capitals blanked the Boston Bruins by a 3-0 count at the FleetCenter in Boston.

Washington's Peter Bondra started the scoring with his 11th goal of the season at 12:09 of the first period. Linemates Glen Metropolit and Adam Oates collected the assists. With Bondra in the penalty box for a holding the stick infraction, the Capitals' Andrei Nikolishin scored a shorthanded goal at 16:32 of the first to give the Caps a 2-0 lead. Nikolishin's goal was his first of the season. Ken Klee picked up the lone helper on Nikolishin's goal. Boston put 14 shots on Capitals goaltender Craig Billington in the first period. The Caps countered with 11 on Boston's Byron Dafoe.

The two teams skated through a scoreless second period with Washington holding an 11-9 advantage in shots on goal.

Nikolishin iced the game for Billington and the Caps when he netted his second of the game and the season into an empty net at 19:33 of the final frame. Washington outshot Boston 8-5 in the third and 30-28 on the evening.

Nikolishin's two goals earned him the game's first star. Klee earned the second star; he logged 27:41 in ice time because injuries had depleted the Washington back line. Rookies Alexei Tezikov (7:42) and Nolan Baumgartner (6:19) both dressed but played sparingly on defense for Washington. Klee also had an assist and was credited with eight hits. Billington earned the third star with his first shutout of the season against his former Boston teammates.