It was a disappointing finish to the 2013 regular season for the Boston Bruins, who lost back to back games and the top spot in the Northeast Division over the weekend. A 3-2 overtime loss to the Capitals on Saturday night was followed up by a 4-2 loss to the Senators last night at the Garden, dropping the Bruins to the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference where they will face the fifth seed Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round.
Despite suffering back to back losses against the Islanders and Hurricanes, the Boston Bruins still remain just a point behind the Montreal Canadiens for first place in the Northeast Division. The Bruins kick off the final two weeks of a crazy regular season tonight, hosting the Ottawa Senators at the Garden in the first of four straight home games. The Black and Gold could also be bolstered by the return of Patrice Bergeron, who has been practicing with contact and may be available tonight.
In a game that saw the Bruins and Senators combine for an amazing 97 shots in regulation, it was Boston who put more in the back of the net, earning a 3-2 victory over Ottawa last night at TD Garden. The Bruins top offensive line of David Krejci, Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton picked up right where they left off over the weekend, with Krejci and Horton scoring the first and third goals respectively, with Tyler Seguin adding the second off a beautiful feed from Brad Marchand. Anton Khudobin, starting his second consecutive game after a strong performance against the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday, was again sharp in between the pipes stopping 45 of 47 Ottawa shots for his eighth win of the season.
The win did come at a cost however, as center Patrice Bergeron left the game in the second period and did not return after a collision with Senator forward Colin Greening, where it appeared that Bergeron took a forearm/elbow to the head while battling for a loose puck. Information on Boston’s best two way player and current leading scorer was not available after the game, so expect further updates today.
For about 39 minutes tonight in Ottawa, the Boston Bruins looked flat, lifeless and destined for their third straight loss. But a late second period goal by Daniel Paille seemed to energize the Black and Gold, and Dennis Seidenberg scored with just a minute left in regulation to allow the Bruins to escape with a 2-1 victory over the Senators and more importantly, two points in a game they probably didn’t deserve to win. Anton Khudobin was once again strong in goal for Boston, earning his sixth victory of the year with a 27 save performance.
Love it or hate it, the shootout has been part of the NHL and the extra point that comes from winning it can be crucial, especially in this year’s lockout shortened season. After clawing their way back from an early 2-0 deficit, the Bruins were able to draw even in the second period but needed overtime and the shootout to take the full two points from the Ottawa Senators. David Krejci had the winner in the fourth round of the shootout and the Merlot line contributed two goals for the B’s, who now sit just a point behind the Canadiens for the top spot in the Eastern Conference with three games in hand.
 |
 |