Event: Boston Bruins vs. Ottawa Senators
Date/Time: Tuesday, January 31, 2012 - 7 p.m. EDT.
Location: TD Garden (Capacity: 17,565), Boston, MA.
Broadcast Info: Tuesday'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: It’s been a while since either team has played in a regulation game, and both dated back to last Tuesday--a total of seven days ago.
The Bruins took on the Capitals and amidst the turmoil they have experienced the past few weeks, they were unable to convert two points on the game, losing 5-3.
Brad Marchand, Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverley each netted a goal, but Capitals forward Mathieu Perreault stole the show with his first career hat trick. His third goal put the Capitals up 4-3 in the third, and former Bruins defenseman Dennis Wideman put in the empty netter.
Meanwhile before hosting the All Star weekend, the Senators headed over to Phoenix to take on the Coyotes. However, they were unable to come up with two points, though captain Daniel Alfredsson and Chris Neil each put up a goal in a 3-2 loss.
Storyline: In this past weekend, the All Star Game was all about "Team Chara" versus "Team Alfredsson," and though both teams will be a little different heading into tonight, the mentality still stays the same.
There will be seven players that could potentially be getting the nod to play tonight that were also in the All Star game. For the Bruins, Tim Thomas, Zdeno Chara and Tyler Seguin and for the Senators, Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, Erik Karlsson and Milan Michalek were all named all stars.
Alfredsson had a chance to net a hat trick in front of his home crowd in the third period on Sunday, but the wall that was Tim Thomas prevented the captain from getting too excited, and instead he just took the two goals in a 12-9 game.
Now, as the second half of the regular season begins, the Bruins will face the Senators for the third time this season, taking the first two meetings so far. The B’s were able to score five times on them in each game, and Thomas was in the net both times.
Nathan Horton will remain out of the lineup tonight, still suffering concussion like symptoms, while Andrew Ference will serve his third game of a three-game suspension tonight.
Players To Watch:
Today is Tyler Seguin’s 20th birthday, and it would be fitting coming off the All Star break with an all star performance in tonight’s game. The lines were shaken up a bit with the absence of Horton, so also expect some hard play from Zach Hamill, Benoit Pouliot and Steven Kampfer as they will try and fill some of the holes created by absent players.
Prediction: The Bruins have taken some much needed rest, and I think they will come out more focused and driven for the beginning of the second half of the season. Final Score: Bruins 4, Senators 2.
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