Event: Boston Bruins vs. Ottawa Senators
Date/Time: Tuesday, November 1, 2011 - 7 p.m. EDT.
Location: TD Garden (Capacity: 17,565), Boston, MA.
Broadcast Info: Tuesday's game between the Bruins and Canadiens will be broadcast live on NESN, as well as TSN and RDS in Canada. The game can also be heard on the 98.5 the Sports Hub Radio Network, with Dave Goucher providing play-by-play, and Bob Beers providing analysis.
Last Time Out: There isn’t much to say about the Bruins’ last time out that hasn’t already been said multiple times this season. Saturday’s 4-2 loss to Montreal only added to the frustration of an already scrambling team. When asked where he thinks the team has experienced break downs, head coach Claude Julien spoke with a noticeably irritated tone.
"I’m so tired of this [question]- I don’t know why we keep harping on everything," Julien said. "We’re just, there’s breakdowns everywhere and that’s what we talked about the other day and Sunday we just looked at our whole game. It’s a lot of everything, it’s-answering that questions to be honest with you, would be repeating myself."
The Bruins have now lost their last three games and are 3-7-0 this season.
Storyline: The Ottawa Senators come into TD Garden with six straight wins under their belts, after starting with a brutal 1-5-0 start to the season. The young team finished off the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Sunday, but both teams enter tonight with fresh legs.
Julien mentioned that he could see why and how the Senators have managed to change their season around, and it all stems from the energy and work ethic produced by the team.
"The team that we’re playing right now has lots of [energy]," Julien said. "They’re not perfect, they make mistakes, but because of the energy that they play with, they’re able to back each other up and certainly make it a game and that’s why they’ve won I think, six in a row now."
The two goaltenders tonight will be Tim Thomas (3-4) and Craig Anderson (6-2).
Players To Watch: Former Hockey East stars and now Ottawa forwards Bobby Butler and Stephane Da Costa have ties back to the Boston area. Butler, a former UNH Wildcat is originally from Marlborough, MA and will have almost 30 people in attendance tonight to watch the game, wearing jerseys with Bruins colors, but with his name on it. However, his time on the ice has been limited due to a groin injury he sustained on October 13. After putting some ice time in on Sunday against the Leafs, it would seem appropriate for him to come out in front of friends and family and do well. Butler has only played in three games so far this year, and has yet to record a point. He is replacing an injured Daniel Alfredsson.
Da Costa, who played with the Merrimack Warriors for two years before heading out to Ottawa has two goals on the season with the Senators and plays on the same line as Butler.
Four different Bruins personnel have ties back to the Senators as well. Captain Zdeno Chara, Joe Corvo and Chris Kelly all played for them for an extended amount of time, and GM Peter Chiarelli served seven years in the organization.
Similar to the Benoit Pouliot outing last week, Chris Kelly talked about how it’s easy to get up for a game against your former team.
"I think it’s something special," Kelly said. "Obviously if you have been with a lot of teams, it kind of loses its flare, but Ottawa’s the only team I’ve ever been with and I know a lot of the guys, so you want to come out and have your best effort."
Prediction: I think the Bruins will finally take one from the better team. The Senators are coming in with a lot of energy, but the Bruins have the ability to play up to that level if, as Julien said, they have their work ethic with them tonight. Final Score: Bruins 3, Senators 2.
For more Boston Bruins coverage, visit our team page and blog, Stanley Cup of Chowder.