The German Hammer nails the coffin shut as the Bruins win 2-1.

Mar 21, 2013; Ottawa, ON, CAN; Ottawa Senators goalie Robin Lehner (40) makes a save as Boston Bruins left wing Daniel Paille (20) looks on in the first period at Scotiabank Place. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

The Bruins were going on a ten game win streak in the Scotiabank Centre. (The last time the Bruins beat the Senators on home ice was April 7, 2009.) Coach Claude Julien was once again mixing the lines up in order to get the best performance out of his team. The Bergeron line got promoted up to the first line tonight. (Due to merit and effort, and hopefully a none-too-subtle hit to the Krejci line’s ego.) The Merlot Men were alos promoted to the third line. This made the ‘scratch line’ (Jay Pandolfo– Jordan Caron– Ryan Spooner) the fourth line. The new line organization ended up as a mixed success.

It was looking kind of bad out there for awhile. Missed passes, bad changes, and tired players led to a comedy of errors that almost cost the Bruins two points. Once again though, the Boston Bruins shook off the rust long enough to show the Ottawa Senators and the rest of the NHL why it’s not wise to poke the bear.  A slightly sloppy but definite goal by fourth liner Daniel Paille and a last minute blast by defenseman Dennis Seidenberg gave the Bruins go ahead score with just sixty four seconds left in regulation. The Bruins keep pace with the Montreal Canadiens as they beat the Senators 2-1, bringing their record to 20-6-3.

I think our fellow Bruins fans got it right folks.

The Bruins and the Senators started off the first period in a rather humdrum pace, leading to a scoreless first period. Things got a little more interesting as the game progressed though. When I say ‘interesting’ it’s a nice way of saying ‘bad’. The Bruins seemed to turtle up in their own zone, and their offensive chances were more of a pass-and-dump than actual attempts to get shots on goal. The Krejci’s line momentum was slowing down as David Krejci was battling through a sore leg and showing everyone tonight what a professional and a warrior he is.

Kaspers Daugavins was able to get one past Anton Khudobin midway through the second, and the look of dejection on Dobby’s face was painful. Thankfully, Khudobin let that disappointment fuel him for the remainder of the game. He ended up going twenty seven for twenty eight (.964%), and got his sixth win of the year.

The Bruins battled back, but it was more the hard effort of the Bergeron line, and a very battered David Krejci who kept receiving more and more abuse from the Senators as the night progressed. With less than ninety seconds to go in the second, Daniel Paille got a pass from Johnny Boychuk and got it past Robin Lehner bringing the teams even at one. On a positive note, the Boston Bruins are now 6-0-0 whenever Daniel Paille scores. On a not so hot note, Daniel Paille has two more goals this year than Milan Lucic.

I have become somewhat of a Senators fan this year. They have pulled rabbit after rabbit out of their hats this year. Their team racks up injuries like Henry VIII racked up wives. The Senators kept fighting hard every game, and they have built up a lot of respect from me. They lost a little of that tonight when Daugavins, Chris Neil, and practically the entire line jumped David Krejci after the whistle when Krejci ended up in the Ottawa crease at the end of a play. It led to a power play opportunity, but Ottawa played like the Bruins in the penalty kill tonight, stopping all Bruins attempts to score on the power play.

Another Twitter friend offered this on Krejci.

Tonight was Dennis Seidenberg’s 562nd career game, and his 31st goal. It was also his first goal of the season. Our #44 has a habit of making his own magic happen when the Bruins needed it most, and once again the ‘German Hammer’ delivered. His goal sucked the life out of the Senators. They spent nearly the entire remainder of regulation circling in their own zone rather than trying to get on the attack to tie it up.

It wasn’t one of Boston’s best wins this season. We knew it was going to be a one goal game, and once again we were right. I just hope we get to see all the Bruins play like Krejci did tonight. They’ll need to dig down like Ottawa has to find those points in the rest of the season.