BOSTON — The Boston Bruins turned a one-goal deficit into a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday at TD Garden, and it all was due to a three-goal outburst in the second period.
There certainly was a marked difference in the urgency of the team entering the second 20 minutes. After the game, head coach Bruce Cassidy — who earned his 200th win with the Bruins organization — relayed what went down in the locker room in between the frames.
“Just talking a bit about how we need to play every night in this league to win,” he said. “Doesn’t matter who we’re playing. Typically our starts have been good. That hasn’t been the issue. It’s more the second period, so today it was the reverse.
“We got going after that, brought some emotion … It’s maintaining that level.”
The Bruins outshot the Senators 14-11 in the opening period but had nothing to show for it, as the Senators went ahead on an early goal in the second from Massachusetts native Zach Sanford — whose last goal at TD Garden came in Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. By the end of the night, that turned into a 36-27 advantage for Boston.
Patrice Bergeron, who again was the hero by scoring the eventual winner late in the second period — after goals from Brad Marchand and Derek Forbort — noted that the Bruins were lacking energy in the first frame.
“We weren’t as ready for it from the drop of the puck,” he said. “But I thought after that we got going and we played to our strength. Obviously, we’ve got to make sure we play for 60 (minutes) and that’s something that we really have to go back to and talk about.”
By the sounds of it, these last two games were a wake-up call for the Bruins — who struggled against the lowly Senators days after turning a 1-1 game into a 5-2 loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs. It’s not ideal to need one 10 games into the season, but if it gives them the kick they need, then it’s worth it.
Here are more notes from Tuesday’s Bruins-Senators game:
— The Senators were missing several key players as a COVID-19 outbreak ravaged the organization. A fifth player, defenseman Victor Mete, entered the league’s COVID protocols prior to the game.
— This was Bruce Cassidy’s 200th win with the Bruins organization.
— Jack Studnicka returned to the lineup after three games off, skating on the right wing alongside Jake DeBrusk and Erik Haula. He filled the role of Curtis Lazar, who moved to the same position on the fourth line, joining Trent Frederic and Tomas Nosek. Karson Kuhlman was the odd man out as a healthy scratch.
All of this likely will be temporary, since Nick Foligno — who usually is the right wing on the third line — is expected to return to the ice for Thursday’s game after missing time with an upper-body injury.
— Tuesday was the first night of the Bruins Foundation’s 50/50 raffle to benefit the Colby Cave Memorial Fund in honor of the former Bruin, who died last April at age 25 after suffering a brain bleed.
The raffle is a two-day affair, with tickets to be sold during Thursday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers, where Cave was playing last season. Raffle tickets also are available online.
— The Bruins will host the Oilers on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. You can watch it all — including pregame and postgame coverage — live on NESN.
