Ottawa, which pounded the Black and Gold 5-1 on Monday, wasn't fazed by the flashy jerseys and went on to clip the B's 2-1 for their sixth straight win.
The loss was the Bruins' fourth in a row and seventh in their last eight games. They are 1-6-1 dating back to Jan. 7. The Bruins (54 points) fell behind the Flyers (55 points) in the conference standings as Philly topped Carolina Saturday afternoon.
Senators 2, Bruins 1
TD Garden, Boston, Mass.
Jan. 23, 2010
Headliner: Daniel Alfredsson, who netted a hat trick in Monday's 5-1 win over the B's, got Ottawa on the board with just six ticks left in the first frame as he netted his
14th of the season. Alfredsson beat both the clock and Tim Thomas when he snuck it through the 5-hole from the
right side.
Grinder: Daniel Paille popped his third goal in his last five games midway through the second period to tie things up at one. The winger ripped one from outside the left circle from a tough angle to beat Brian Elliott in the top shelf for his seventh of the season.
Paille's goal would be Elliott's lone mistake as the Sens' backstop kicked aside 32 shots for his 14th win of the season and second win over the B's this week. In his two wins over the Black and Gold, he has allowed just two goals on 56 shots. The 24-year-old is now riding a four-game winning streak in which he has allowed five total goals.
B's winger Mark Rechhi skated in his 1,540th career game which ties him for 10th all time with Johnny Bucyk.
Weak Link: Thomas made just 21 saves in the loss and has now won one game in his last six starts.
The game featured just two penalties — one on Miroslav Satan and the other by Ottawa's Filip Kuba.
Key Moment: Jason Spezza’s return to the lineup was a successful one as the centerman tallied on a long-range wrist shot from the top of the crease that beat Thomas
over the right shoulder to give Ottawa the 2-1 lead. That eventual game-winner deflated Claude Julien's team, which just eight minutes
earlier, watched Recchi’s would-be go-ahead goal get waived off after video replayed proved
that the veteran winger kicked the puck past Elliott.
What’s Next: After Saturday’s matinee battle, the B’s will hit the road and head down to Raleigh to take on the Hurricanes in a late-afternoon tilt with the league’s worst squad.
Through 50 games, the Canes have just 37 points, one fewer than the Oilers for the lowest in the NHL. The Canes are 10-12-3 at home and are coming off a 4-2 loss to the Flyers in Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon.
Former BU Terrier Ray Whitney leads the way with 15 goals while Joni Pitkanen is helping out with 24 assists. Between the pipes, Cam Ward has 10 wins to go with a 2.89 GAA.
