BOSTON — Game 3 of the Boston Bruins vs. Ottawa Senators first-round Stanley Cup playoff series did not lack entertainment value. Not at all.
The teams combined for seven goals, several spectacular saves and many punishing hits.
The Senators prevailed 4-3 in overtime with a power-play goal from Bobby Ryan. Ottawa went on the power play because of a controversial call made by referee Tim Peel that sent Riley Nash to the penalty box for roughing.
The victory gives the Sens a 2-1 series lead.
Here’s how it all went down at TD Garden.
GARDEN ATMOSPHERE
The crowd was going absolutely bonkers before the game, and Rene Rancourt made his playoff return to sing the national anthems of Canada and the United States.
ANOTHER DEBUT
Providence Bruins captain Tommy Cross, who was called up Monday on an emergency basis, made his Stanley Cup playoff debut on the third defensive pairing.
POOR START
The Bruins took a penalty and allowed two goals in the first 7:40 of the game.
Sens forward Mike Hoffman got the scoring started with a breakaway goal off a fantastic stretch pass from defenseman Erik Karlsson.
Derick Brassard doubled Ottawa’s lead just 25 seconds later on a Bruins breakdown in front of the net. It was the Sens forward’s second tally of the series.
The Senators also jumped out to a 13-2 lead in 5-on-5 shot attempts in the first 10 minutes.
David Backes tried to spark the Bruins by challenging Dion Phaneuf to a fight, but the Ottawa defenseman chose not to drop his gloves. It was the right decision given the Sens’ momentum and the fact they had an offensive-zone possession at the time.
Boston settled down a bit toward the end of the frame, but the B’s never really tested Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson in the opening 20 minutes. The B’s had only one shot on goal over the final 16:18 of the first period.
BRUINS FIGHT BACK
The first 10 minutes of the second period were pretty much the opposite of the first 10 minutes of the first period for Boston. The Bruins got on the board at 6:05 of the frame thanks to a nice tip by forward Noel Acciari. It was his first career playoff goal.
Just 42 seconds later, Backes capitalized on a Ryan mistake and scored to trim Ottawa’s lead to one.
The Bruins would complete their comeback from 3-0 down with a David Pastrnak goal at 13:51 of the period.
Pastrnak’s goal extended his point streak in the series to three games.
TIGHT THIRD PERIOD
The Bruins controlled the run of play for the majority of the third period. Their best scoring chance came on a David Krejci shot from in close that was set up beautifully by Backes. Anderson made a remarkable save to keep the score tied.
ANOTHER OT
The Sens won in OT for the second straight game when Ryan scored at 5:43 of the extra period. The goal came on the power play.
UP NEXT
The Bruins and Senators resume their series Wednesday night at TD Garden. Puck drop for Game 4 is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
