Event: Boston Bruins vs. Ottawa Senators
Date/Time: Saturday, February 25, 2012 - 7 p.m. EST.
Location: Scotiabank Place (Capacity: 19,153), Ottawa, Ontario.
Broadcast Info: Saturday’s game between the Bruins and the Senators will be broadcast live on NESN. The game can also be heard on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with Dave Goucher providing play-by-play, and Bob Beers providing analysis.
Last Time Out: As has been the norm for the Bruins as of late, they failed at converting back-to-back wins once again, falling 2-1 in a shootout to the Buffalo Sabres.
Zdeno Chara scored the lone goal for the Bruins, netting his ninth goal of the season to tie the game early in the third period. But once it went to the shootout, Tuukka Rask wasn’t able to keep enough pucks out of the net and Thomas Vanek and Derek Roy sealed the game for the Sabres.
The Senators have been making their way through the second part of this season with a little hop in their step--especially in the last few weeks. They have won five of their last six games, including a 5-2 win over the Capitals on Wednesday.
Milan Michalek had three points including two goals and one assist in that game and has 27 goals on the season so far.
Storyline: Though the Bruins hold three games in hand against the Senators, Ottawa currently sits just three points behind them in the Northeast Division.
Despite the Bruins shortcomings as of late, and the Senators improvements, the Bruins have won all three contests this season between the two teams, including the last game in Ottawa back in December.
There have been four fights in the three games they have played together, and the most recent game, both Shawn Thornton and Adam McQuaid dropped the gloves in the same game, less than two minutes apart from each other.
The game was also memorable for Dennis Seidenberg who scored in the game, but it was from the center red line. That goal ended up being the game winner for the Bruins.
Players To Watch: Bruins forward Daniel Paille has had some success against the Senators this year, with three goals in the season series. Milan Lucic also has two goals.
One player to particularly keep an eye on is David Krejci. Since Claude Julien switched him to the wing instead of center, he has improved immensely and has begun to play with some added fire. Expect him to play well tonight with the success Lucic has had against this team.
Prediction: Even though the Bruins lost last night, they still played a well fought game and looked a bit more consistent than the few games prior. But, they can’t let their guard down just because they have done well against this team, and they have to come out early again and find the lead. Final Score: Bruins 4, Senators 1.
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