Live Blog: Senators at Bruins
Third period, 3:00: The Bruins did a solid job killing a five-on-three, but that doesn't exactly get them any closer in this game. The Garden is clearing out as the Senators draw closer to the victory.
Third period, 7:04: The Bruins had a collection throughout the game for the relief effort in Haiti, and the fans donated $8,620. The Jacobs family matched that donation dollar for dollar, bringing the total donation to $17,240.
Senators 5, Bruins 1. Third period, 8:55: That didn't make the fans very happy. Dennis Widemen was trying to collect the puck in the Boston zone but lost it once an official got in his way. Jonathan Cheechoo promptly stepped in, stole the puck and beat a sprawled-out Tuukka Rask.
Senators 4, Bruins 1. Third period, 15:37: Boston has finally cracked Brian Elliott. Johnny Boychuk took a slap shot from above the right point, and the puck got deflected in traffic. It trickled beneath the left point, where Daniel Paille collected it and shot it past Elliott.
Third period, 18:11: It got a little chippy after the whistle again, and Milan Lucic was at the center of it. But the refs are going all Max Kellerman on the situation and providing a buzz kill in the middle of the skirmish.
Third period, 19:55: The fans have given the Bruins a loud ovation for the start of the third period. Let's see if the B's can put something together and wake up from their slow start.
End of second period: The Senators doubled their lead in the second period, and they head into the locker room with a comfortable 4-0 advantage. Boston is out-shooting the Senators, 16-14, but Ottawa's shooting percentage would make Shaquille O'Neal blush.
Second period, 1:39: The B's couldn't get anything going on the power play, and the crowd let them hear it with a couple of rounds of boos. On another note, there's about five and a half hours until the Celtics and Mavericks tip-off here at the Garden.
Second period, 3:56: Chris Neil got two minutes for tripping, and the Bruins have their second power play of the game.
Second period, 4:39: Mark Recchi is out of the box, and the Bruins are back to even strength. The B's got a short-handed chance when Vladimir Sobotka had a breakaway, but Brian Elliott kicked away Sobotka's shot with the right pad.
Senators 4, Bruins 0. Second period, 6:46: And this is getting out of hand. Daniel Alfredsson scored his third goal of the game on a slap shot that traveled through traffic and beat Tuukka Rask's blocker side. What's worse, the goal came with 42 seconds remaining on Mark Recchi's first minor, so the Bruins are still short-handed.
Second period, 8:04: Mark Recchi got two minutes for elbowing and two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct, and the Bruins are on the penalty kill for the third time in the game. They've looked good in that area so far, and they'll have to be great here if they have any desire to stay within striking distance.
Senators 3, Bruins 0. Second period, 9:56: That's the end of the day for Tim Thomas, who surrendered three goals on nine shots and got yanked in favor of Tuukka Rask. Thomas was booed a couple of times by the fans, and Rask got a loud ovation when he stepped onto the ice. Daniel Alfredsson put the nail in Thomas' coffin. Filip Kuba took a shot from high in the zone, and Alfredsson banked it in from the left side of the net.
Second period, 11:03: It looked like Milan Lucic and Matt Carkner were going to go at it behind the Ottawa net, but it took too long to develop and the refs squashed the beef.
Second period, 11:45: The Senators are 0-for-2 on the power play. They looked a little better on that try and came close to scoring after the puck deflected through traffic and tried to journey into the net, but there was nothing doing.
Second period, 13:58: Johnny Boychuk is in the box for high sticking, which will temper the Bruins' recent momentum. Boston has killed its only other penalty of this game.
Second period, 14:10: Milan Lucic made a nice play to get the puck out of the Boston zone — a few seconds after a bad turnover kept the puck in there — and led a three-on-two break down the ice. Lucic closed in on the left side and let off a hard wrister, but Brian Elliott made an excuse-me save with the butt-end of his stick.
Second period, 15:17: The Bruins had some good looks on the power play but couldn't find the back of the net. The teams are back at even strength.
Second period, 17:17: The Bruins have their first power play of the game after Anton Volchenkov got called for high-sticking. He really got his money's worth on those two minutes, as he got taken down in the corner by Vladimir Sabotka, and Volchenkov's stick caught the Boston forward in the face. The Bruins are 17th on the power play (17.7 percent), and the Senators are ninth on the penalty kill (82.8 percent).
Second period, 19:55: The teams are back on the ice, and the Bruins are trying to erase this two-goal hole they're in.
End of first period: The Senators take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission, despite being out-shot 5-3. The period ended after Zdeno Chara unleashed a hard slap shot from the point in the Bruins' zone that crossed up goalie Brian Elliott, who actually had to work to make a save on the play. It was kind of a slow period, as you can tell by the shot totals, but the Senators caught a couple of breaks to build their lead.
First period, 1:06: Something to keep an eye on the rest of the day. There was a brief skirmish by the Ottawa bench, and Shean Donovan gave Vladimir Sobotka a hard shove. Nothing more came of it.
Senators 2, Bruins 0. First period, 5:36: Daniel Alfredsson doubled Ottawa's lead with a slap shot that glided past Tim Thomas' right shoulder. Mike Fisher picked up his second assist of the game by making a nice play to collect the puck in the corner and work it out to Alfredsson. Thomas was screened in front by Chris Philips, and the Senators have two goals on three shots in this one.
First period, 8:33: And the Bruins killed Mark Stuart's penalty with little trouble.
First period, 10:33: Bruins defenseman Mark Stuart took the first penalty of the game, and he'll get two minutes in the box for hooking. The Bruins are first in the NHL on the penalty kill (88.1 percent), and the Senators are 30th on the power play (13.8 percent).
Senators 1, Bruins 0. First period, 12:21: The Senators took an early lead by taking advantage of some nice puck work. Blake Wheeler's shot from the slot bounced hard off of the back boards to Mike Fisher, who started the rush up the ice. Fisher sent a nice pass through Zdeno Chara to the stick of Alex Kovalev, who breezed past Dennis Wideman and beat Tim Thomas' glove side. Kovalev was promptly booed by the home crowd.
First period, 13:26: Here's a fun fact. Until Monday, Fenway Park had hosted more hockey games in January than the TD Garden. And the Bruins have more wins at Fenway this month than they do at the Garden.
First period, 19:55: The Bruins and Senators are underway at the TD Garden. Prior to the two national anthems, there was a moment of silence for those in Haiti.
1:01 p.m.: Starting for Boston are left wing Trent Whitfield, center Patrice Bergeron, right wing Mark Recchi, defensemen Derek Morris and Matt Hunwick, and goalie Tim Thomas.
1:00 p.m.: Starting for Ottawa are left wing Nick Foligno, center Mike Fisher, right wing Daniel Alfredsson, defensemen Chris Philips and Anton Volchenkov, and goalie Brian Elliott.
12:52 p.m.: Here's a note from NESN.com's James Murphy, who said Senators goalie Mike Brodeur has the flu and won't be able to go Monday afternoon. Brian Elliott, who played brilliantly for Wisconsin in their national championship victory against Boston College a few years ago, will start in net.
12:32 p.m.: Loads of injury news to report on here, the biggest being that Patrice Bergeron is a game-time decision. Steve Begin, Marco Sturm and Byron Bitz won't be playing, while Dennis Wideman will be back.
10 a.m.: The banged-up Bruins return home from the West Coast to host the Senators in a Monday matinee at the Garden.
The B's are coming off of a tough loss to the Kings, who scored two goals in the final 10 minutes of regulation and then won in a shootout, but Boston's best medicine comes in the form of the Senators. The Bruins have won 11 of their last 12 games against the Senators, including a perfect mark in their four contests this season. Stay with NESN.com's live blog throughout the game to get all of the updates and analysis you can shake a stick at.
