Event: Boston Bruins at Ottawa Senators
Date/Time: Wednesday, December 14, 2011 - 7:30 p.m. EDT.
Location: Scotiabank Place (Capacity: 19,153), Ottawa, ON.
Broadcast Info: Wednesday's game between the Bruins and the Senators will be broadcast live on NESN, and 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: Both teams had the disadvantage of playing last night and then playing again tonight. Back-to-back games are never kind to any team, so it will be interesting to see which team comes out looking stronger and less fatigued. However, both teams are coming off a win as well, and are relying on those good feelings to lead the way tonight.
The Bruins finished off the Kings, 3-0, without leading defenseman Zdeno Chara or key penalty killer, Gregory Campbell. Tuukka Rask was in net, and posted the ninth shutout of his career, and the first of the season.
Brad Marchand scored two goals and is now tied for second on the team in goals scored.
As for the Senators, they lost a key forward in their 3-2 overtime victory against the Buffalo Sabres. Milan Michalek, who leads the NHL in goals scored, netted his 19 goal of the season last night, but left the game in the second period after he collided with teammate Erik Karlsson. It was unclear if he would play in tonight’s game, but Senators’ head coach Paul MacLean said they would take a look at the injury today before the game.
Ottawa scored first in the game, but then gave up two quick goals at the end of the period. That didn’t come back to haunt them though, and they scored the tying goal 7:27 into the third period and finally, Jared Cowen scored the game winner just 45 seconds into the extra frame.
Storyline: The B’s currently hold the lead in the season series against the Senators, winning their last outing together 5-3 at the beginning of November. The Bruins went on to conjure up an amazing winning streak after that game, and will hope to do so again.
The Senators have been struggling quite a bit as well, similar to how the Bruins started their month of December. They have lost five of their last seven and winning last night’s game stopped them from having a four-game losing streak.
Chara traveled with the team, while Campbell stayed at home with a fractured bone in his foot. It’s still unclear if Chara will play tonight.
Players To Watch: As many players will tell you, traveling back to play their old team adds a little spark to their step. Chris Kelly has been on fire already this year, and traveling back to his stomping grounds should give him some extra fire. If he can make that work, no doubt the rest of his line will also come through.
Prediction: With Tim Thomas back in net tonight, and the confidence that the team can play without their top defenseman, I think the Bruins are going to come out and start a new streak against the Senators once again. Final Score: Bruins 4, Senators 2.
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