Remember how Boston Bruins head coach Claude Julien would always preach about playing a full 60 minutes of hockey? His team seems to be forgetting that memo as of late.
The B's dropped another game on Tuesday night after holding a lead heading into the third period. This was also their third straight loss on the road.
They were looking to rebound on Thursday night as they skated against the Ottawa Senators, their third game in a four-game road trip. Even though this goes without saying, but Boston needed this game in a big way. When you have a chance to take over the division lead and fail to do so, that leaves the proverbial "bitter taste" in the mouths of the players.
There were several lineup changes in this game. Anton Khudobin was back in goal for the Bruins. Adam McQuaid, who left the last game with an upper-body injury, traveled back to Boston and will miss three-to-four weeks with a shoulder strain. He was replaced by Aaron Johnson. David Krejci made his return to the lineup in this game. Lastly, Rich Peverley was a scratch in favor of Ryan Spooner.
After a scoreless opening period, both teams started to put together some scoring chances in the second period. Kaspars Daugavins beat Khudobin for the first goal of the game. Towards the end of the period, the Bruins tied things up on a goal from Daniel Paille. Usually, Paille along with Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton skate as the fourth line. However, due to the make-shift nature of the third line, they had their minutes increased and they played more of the third line role.
Things started to get chippy in the third period. One would think that would favor the Senators, but the Bruins showed great restraint and discipline. They remained focus on the task at hand. Sure enough, Dennis Seidenberg blasted home the game-winning goal with a little over a minute left in the game. The Bruins finally got a much-needed 2-1 victory over a divisional opponent.
The Bruins will close out their road trip on Saturday night when they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Gold Star: Dennis Seidenberg (1 goal, plus-2 rating)...The offensive numbers he posted in this game were solid, but he still played a tight game in the defensive zone prior to his first goal of the season.
Black Star: Jay Pandolfo...It is time for Lane MacDermid to be inserted into the lineup. There is nothing else that needs to be said.
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