Sens at Bruins

The Boston Bruins certainly owe a shellacking to the Ottawa Senators after the embarrassing L stuck on them by the home team that incidentally led to this winning streak that the Bruins are now on.

It’s also weird that Brady Tkachuk was not part of that debacle on Oct. 27 and won’t be part of this rematch either. He had surgery to repair a torn thumb and is out the next several weeks.

Meantime, the Bruins snapped into a better frame of hockey, simplifying their game with two personnel adjustments: Pavel Zacha to center where his 200-foot commitment, superior stride and relentless team-first mindset can affect more of the game when he’s out there; in turn, Casey Mittelstadt has found himself on the left wing, and those two moves have helped monetize Viktor Arvidsson’s feisty game. Suddenly, the Boston Bruins are not a top line and a bottom nine.

On the back end, the return of Hampus Lindholm from an apparent hamstring pull that had Bruins Nation reliving Kevan Miller’s nightmare with a twice-broken kneecap allowed coach Marco Sturm to create a shutdown pairing of Nikita Zadorov and Charlie McAvoy, limiting his attempt to achieve balanced pairings to the bottom two: Lindholm with Andrew Peeke and, with the extended scratching of Mason Lohrei and the foot surgery to Jordan Harris, the unanticipated insertion of fellow left shot Jonathan Aspirot. During the Bruins’ losing streak, the hardnosed Aspirot was helping the AHL Bruins win hockey games and has now brought credible structure and a Connor Clifton-like feisty to the NHL Bruins. Aspirot is also a bit like Parker Wotherspoon, the left-shot defenseman who waited forever behind a talented N.Y. Islanders group before finally getting a NHL opportunity in Boston. Wotherspoon is now averaging over 21 minutes of ice time per game while playing plus-7 hockey for the surprising Pittsburgh Penguins.

Goaltending tonight: Old friend Linus Ullmark for Ottawa vs. Joonas Korpisalo for Boston.

FIRST PERIOD

The Sens find a seam coming out against the Bruins top line and isolate a 2-on-1 that Michael Amadio finishes glove side on Korpisalo for a 1-0 Ottawa lead. Shane Pinto and Claude Giroux with the assists at 5:42 of the opening period.

Senators get a bounce, but Nick Cousins can’t outfox Korpisalo and looks up to the rafters in disbelief.

The Bruins get scrappier in the Ottawa zone to try to break down the Sens’ airtight transitional play, and they begin to get results as Morgan Geekie gets two chances in tight, and three different lines generate some havoc around Ullmark.

1-0 Sens with 7:09 left in the first period.

Amadio gets another chance but passes it across to a vacated lane. Bruins fortunate on that one.

Fabian Zetterlund blocks Aspirot’s shot from the left point and winces on his way to the Ottawa bench.

Despite Ottawa’s scoring chances, the Senators’ only shot of the first period was Amadio’s goal until 1:06 remaining when a long shot was steered wide by the Boston starter.

SECOND PERIOD

Mark Kastelic and Kurtis MacDermid get into it and get roughing minors.

Bruins get on the board 1:21 into the second period on Morgan Geekie’s 10th goal of the season with an assist from Andrew Peeke. 1-1.

Peeke is banged up on a hit by Tyler Kleven that the Bruins don’t like at their bench. No penalties, but Hampus Lindholm was getting the post-whistle stick up on Kleven.

Geekie and Tanner Jeannot hit posts on Linus Ullmark.

Ottawa D Niklas Matinpalo goes to the box for crosschecking with 6:47 left in the second period. Bruins to the powerplay.

Lots of action including a Claude Giroux tantrum after his stick was flung high in the air – he throws a big push at David Pastrnak – play calms down and Tanner Jeannot pulls up at the halfwall and sets up Sean Kuraly for the go-ahead goal with 3:57 left in the period.

Now Kastelic chases a chance that Ullmark turns away. The fourth line continues to buzz, but the puck pops over the line and Kastelic knocks down an opponent partially from behind but, worse, without the puck resulting in an interference penalty with 3:19 left in the period.

Ottawa to the powerplay with an opportunity to make the Bruins pay for the bad penalty and tie the game. TV timeout first… Verdict: It’s a strong powerplay with sustained puck control in the zone, but the Bruins penalty killers get the job done. Hampus Lindholm twisted down Ridly Greig like a can opener, and the Ottawa forward retaliated with a crosscheck that Lindholm answered just enough – no whistle to that subplot.

Second period ends with the Bruins up 2-1.

Beautiful assist by Jeannot.

Shots through two periods: 18-10 Boston.

THIRD PERIOD

Tim Stutzle and Drake Batherson were minus-2 through two periods, so expect a hard third period from the Senators’ top line, as they’re down a goal and not having a good game. Marco Sturm will need strict matchup hockey in the final 20.

Batherson, right on schedule, comes flying down right wing, fakes inside, stays outside, misses the near post.

Aspirot almost put Amadio (who has the Ottawa goal), into the Boston bench.

The Senators interfered with Boston’s attempt to block a point shot that, fortunately for the Bruins, missed the net. But the officials did see Thomas Chabot pick off a Bruins puck chaser high in the zone, so the Bruins go the powerplay just as the Senators were turning up the offense; 10:51 remaining in regulation.

Shane Pinto on the penalty kill takes advantage of the Bruins while standing around, and Korpisalo saves the day. With 10:09 left, the teams go to 4v4. The penalty is on Pavel Zacha for slashing. Ottawa will wind up with a 41-second powerplay. Just a really bad job by the Bruins with that powerplay opportunity gone up in smoke, especially once Arvidsson got tripped – no call – and the Bruins’ compete level fell way off.

Giroux ties it on the powerplay, his shot deflecting out of reach and over the goal line with 8:08 remaining. 2-2.

Korpisalo stops Dylan Cozens in close.

Henri Jokiharju sneaks into the slot and fires on Ullmark, who makes the pad save that everyone in the building can hear.

Giroux gets a look from the right circle, but Kastelic deflects his blast over the glass with 5.6 seconds left. Full of fight and confidence, the Senators get one more chance, but the Bruins get sticks in a way.

It’s a point for both teams and a 3v3 overtime next.

Shots through regulation: 21-20 Boston, but from here it seems Korpisalo has had more quality saves.

OVERTIME

Kastelic wins the draw, goes off the ice, and Pastrnak, Zacha and McAvoy cycle for eons without a shot attempt.

Sens get chances, Korpisalo stops Chabot.

Bruins twice dump the puck from the attacking zone to their own end.

Zadorov misses the net twice.

Geekie breaks in off wing but passes to Pastrnak. Greig goes to the penalty box for whacking Pastrnak in the arm (slashing with 41.9 seconds remaining in the overtime).

Bruins to the powerplay (4-on-3 in front of the goalies).

Geekie goes off for tripping Jake Sanderson with 38.8 seconds left, so it’s back to 3v3 with the faceoff in the Boston zone.

Sturm takes his one and only timeout with 22.2 seconds left in the hockey portion of this athletic contest.

Two power moves by McAoy. Zacha cannot convert the first but he does on the second with 5.6 seconds left, giving the Bruins a 3-2 win in overtime and sparing their fans a second straight shootout.

The Boston Bruins are 9-7-0, as they now head to Toronto for Saturday night vs. the Maple Leafs.

Drive safely.