The Boston Bruins had a chance to gain ground in the Atlantic Division standings Monday night, but the Ottawa Senators defended their home ice.
Ottawa capitalized on a hot start, which included two goals in the first 3:25, en route to an important 4-2 victory.
Boston saw goals from Patrice Bergeron, as well as Brad Marchand, who registered his 30th tally of the season.
With the loss, Boston drops to 34-26-6, while Ottawa improves to 36-22-6.
Here’s how it all went down.
SLOPPY START
The Senators jumped on the Bruins early. Just over a minute into the opening period, Derick Brassard put Ottawa on the board with a wrist shot that beat Rask through the five-hole.
The Senators’ first-period fireworks continued two minutes later. They extended their lead to 2-0 thanks to a tip-in goal from Jean-Gabriel Pageau.
The B’s were able to salvage their poor start thanks to Bergeron. The Bruins top-line center found the back of the net with 1:33 remaining in the first period, cutting Ottawa’s lead to 2-1.
While the scoreboard didn’t show it, the Bruins outplayed the Senators in the opening 20 minutes. Boston registered 13 shots on net, while Ottawa only logged seven. The B’s also held the advantage in significant scoring chances by an 8-3 margin.
SCORELESS SECOND PERIOD
Boston appeared to have all the momentum heading into the second frame, but Ottawa didn’t get the memo. Although no goals were scored, the Senators undoubtedly dominated the period. The Bruins were fortunate to only trail by one after the period, as Ottawa managed to fire 16 shots on net. Boston’s offense, on the flip side, was borderline non-existent, as it only recorded five shots on net in the second period. The Senators were also awarded the first power play of the game in the second stanza, but their man advantage was stymied thanks to a strong Bruins penalty kill.
CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR
After a solid offensive series, the Bruins received an untimely high-sticking penalty from David Pastrnak. Ottawa wasted no time on the man advantage, as Mike Hoffman found the back of the net just 14 seconds into the power play.
Hoffman’s tally didn’t ruin Boston’s morale, though, as the Bruins responded 14 seconds later. After Viktor Stalberg committed an interference penalty, Marchand snuck in a rebound goal on the power play to trim the Senators’ lead to 3-2.
The B’s had their chances to tie the game with strong pressure in the Senators’ zone, but their offensive attack was to no avail. Alex Burrows sealed the victory for Ottawa with an empty-net goal with 50 seconds remaining in the contest.
UP NEXT
The Bruins return home for a Wednesday night matchup with the Detroit Red Wings. Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Marc DesRosiers/USA TODAY Sports Images
