Losing three consecutive games simply wasn't an option for the Boston Bruins.
After losing the first two games they played after the NHL All-Star break, the Bruins set out to return to the win column long before referees dropped the puck in Saturday's matinée matchup against the Ottawa Senators.
Hard practice and laser-focus paid off for the B's, as they topped the Senators 2-0 at Canadian Tire Centre. Trent Frederic confirmed Boston's winning intention by scoring just 45 seconds into the game. Curtis Lazar scored the second goal in the first period, and the Bruins rode their hot start to victory.
"We were ready to play, we were on our toes and it showed," Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said in a postgame video press conference, per The Canadian Press' Darren Desaulniers. "Great way to start and probably something we needed. I'm not saying we needed to score on the first shift but we needed to be on time today, be in the game early and build some momentum off of that and obviously we were.
"We were clearly the better team in the first period and the game kind of leveled out after that but we did enough to win the game."
Lazar explained how the Bruins' set the tone for Saturday's win the previous day.
"... I think it started (Friday) in practice as well. We battled and competed and skated and that carried over (to Saturday)," Lazar said in a postgame video press conference. "I mean, you look at our first shift. We kind of set the tone, and that just built the game for everyone. I thought we did a good job scoring puck on the ice and it's good, solid effort for us."
Jeremy Swayman, who backstopped the Bruins' shutout win, explained the mindset he and the team adopted following Thursday's blowout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
"Have a quick memory then we move on to the next game," Swayman said in a postgame video press conference. "I think that's something I've been focusing on, and I have a lot of great people help me with that But just talking about it, moving on taking the positives and focusing on the next game."
Here are some other notes from Bruins-Senators:
-- Swayman's shutout was the fourth of his career and it came in his 29th appearance for Boston. He's just the sixth goalie who made his NHL debut with the Bruins to record at least four shutouts in his first 30 appearances, according to the NHL.
-- The Bruins will be back in action Tuesday in the Big Apple when they visit the Rangers at Madison Square Garden with puck drop set for 7 p.m. ET.
