Four Takeaways From Bruins’ Shootout Loss To Senators

The Bruins emerged from their holiday break Tuesday night with just one point after a 3-2 shootout loss to the Senators at Canadian Tire Centre.

Boston came back in the third period to tie the game but couldn’t get the job finished thanks in part to a stellar 49-save performance from Cam Talbot for Ottawa.

The Bruins struggled to find their legs until the third and were able to force overtime, but Talbot ended up being too much in the end.

Here are four takeaways from Tuesday’s loss.

It was a goalie clinic
Talbot was on another planet for the Senators on Tuesday and without him between the pipes, the game could have gone in a much different direction. The goalie made 49 saves which, according to StatsCentre, is the most by a Senators netminder in a regular season win.

“It seemed like we gave Cam a lot he could handle. I give him a lot of credit,” Jake DeBrusk told reporters after the game. “… I have a lot of respect for him, but it sucks that we couldn’t get the two points. It was a barrage of shots, so we gave him our best chance, and I give credit where it’s due.”

Jeremy Swayman also looked solid for the Bruins, making 27 saves in the loss. Swayman, at times, has struggled this season and hasn’t looked quite like he did in the 2021-22 season. He did miss time in November with an injury, but despite the loss, the B’s goalie looked strong in net and gave his team a chance to win.

“That’s what I want. I want a lot of shots, and I want to be challenged,” Swayman told reporters. “I’ve had my fair share of adversity so far, and I try to use it to my advantage.”

Speaking of Swayman
He hasn’t showcased his best stuff this season, but Tuesday may have been the turning point for the sophomore goalie. Swayman has a 7-3-2 record with a 2.57 goals-against average and .902 save percentage. He always has been one to rebound nicely from a tough start, doesn’t let a goal get too in his head and remains focused on making the next save. Swayman did everything he could for the Bruins against the Sens. Talbot just was otherworldly.

The good news for Bruins fans, though, is that head coach Jim Montgomery is confident Swayman has regained his form.

“I thought he was excellent throughout the game,” Montgomery told NESN’s Jack Edwards and Andy Brickley. “Their goalie obviously had to make a lot of big-time saves in the third. But I thought Sway made a lot of big-time saves throughout the game.”

He did, especially in overtime.

Pavel Zacha finally cashed in
It had been a while — 18 games to be exact — since Zacha found the back of the net. He still was contributing in other ways and didn’t look like he regressed by any means, but he couldn’t buy a goal during his drought. That changed Tuesday when Zacha tied the game in the third period to help force overtime.

“It felt good to put it in,” Zacha told reporters. “I think I had a lot of chances the last couple of games … and scoring a goal in the third period, trying to give the team a chance to win, yeah, it felt good.”

Bruins struggle in Canada
The B’s are winless north of the border this season and have yet to beat the Senators in their first two meetings. Sure, Tuesday was the first game after a few days off and the Bruins had to travel to Ontario, but they also didn’t start on time once again.

“Our goal was to get better every period,” Montgomery told reporters. “I thought our first was OK, our second wasn’t as good. I give credit to Ottawa. But I thought the third, we really got to our game.”

Boston doesn’t return to Canada until Jan. 24 when it takes on the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre, but will have to rebound from Tuesday’s loss quickly as the Bruins play the second of a back-to-back Wednesday against the Devils in New Jersey.

The good news for the Black and Gold, though, is that they’re 6-0-0 after a loss this season.