Bruins Open November Against Ottawa
Feb 8, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins left wing
Brad Marchand(63) stick handles between Ottawa Senators defenseman
Erik Karlsson(65) and center
Mika Zibanejad(93) during the third period at TD Banknorth Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
With the month of October over, the Bruins look for a fresh start tonight against the Ottawa Senators. They finished out the opening month at the .500 mark with hopes of improvement in the coming months. Fresh off of an overtime victory that had Brad Marchand netting the game-winning goal, the Bruins are expecting to bring the same type of efforts tonight at the Garden.
Against the Sabres the Bruins sported some fresh-looking lines with Claude Julien attempting to ignite a spark and get some of the under performers going and it seemed to work. Brad Marchand, who had just three points in the first 11 games of the season, matched that in the sixty-minute round. The recent recalls of Joe Morrow and David Warsofsky worked out in the Bruins favor as well as they contained the Sabres to just 15 shots on net.
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“I’m looking for consistency in our game,” said Boston head coach Claude Julien. “Being able to play three periods fairly consistent is what we’re looking for.”
The goal once again tonight is to play consistently, something the Bruins have struggled with all season but have shown glimpses of. Their best showing came in the first two periods against the Minnesota Wild and the third period against the Sabres. If they can combine the efforts of those two games and put together a solid, sixty minute performance, there is no reason they shouldn’t be able to beat the Senators.
“I’m looking for consistency in our game,” said Boston head coach Claude Julien. “Being able to play three periods fairly consistent is what we’re looking for.”
The Senators will be coming into tonight’s game looking to bounce back from a shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. Despite splitting the series with them last season, the Bruins have won 15 of the last 19 meetings against the Senators and 8 out of the last 10 at the Garden. They have opted to not have a morning skate or media availability today, leaving the assumption that the lines will remain the same, with the exception of Tuukka Rask between the pipes instead of Niklas Svedberg. We can also expect to see Craig Anderson in net for the Ottawa Senators who currently sports a 2.38 GAA and .934 save percentage through 5 games.
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The Bruins need to come out of the locker rooms focused and ready to be on attack in order to gain the advantage in momentum over the Senators. They need to have clean breakouts through the neutral zone and play smart, three-zone defensive hockey. With the new-look lines and sparks igniting chemistry among them, the Bruins could be on the right track to turning things around and making the month of November memorable.