The Boston Bruins will want to be wary heading to Ottawa; after all, after a great night out often comes a hangover.
Last night, playing in front of the Montreal Canadiens’ home fans at the Bell Centre, the Boston Bruins went to town, putting 5 goals past Carey Price before he was pulled while David Pastrnak netted the first Bruins hat-trick in Montreal since the 1980s. All in all, a very very good night for any Boston Bruins fan.
However, it does come with a warning. The team cannot, whatever they do, let their foot off the gas. They can’t head to Ottawa expecting the Senators to be pushovers, nor can they get too self-assured despite such an impressive scoreline.
Although, on the surface, the Sens are easy opposition, the Boston Bruins need to treat them seriously.
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They may have lost their most recent fixture to the Columbus Blue Jackets, but of late they’ve been tallying far more good results than anyone expected of them. Their new coaching team have really managed to get a group of misfits and youngsters firing, with the likes of Anthony Duclair, Connor Brown and Tyler Ennis all in double-figures among others.
It’s easy to compare the two line-ups and expect a walk in the park. The Senators should have no answer to the pairing of David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand, nor the secondary firepower being brought by the likes of Charlie Coyle, David Krejci and last night’s 3-point man, Sean Kuraly.
It is the absolute biggest risk for the Boston Bruins. Right now, they’ve turned a new page and reversed their slump. Four straight wins should be five tonight, but it’s going to require a focused game.
First up, we absolutely must start on time. A continuation of the Habs game from the moment the puck drops would be great, although it’d be nice to limit the shot counter a little more.
Secondly, if Pastrnak can continue his scoring form through a second game, that’d be great. There’s nothing to suggest he won’t, he’s easily been one of the most consistent multi-point per night scorers for the Boston Bruins all year.
Thirdly, the goaltending needs to continue to be rock solid. Last night it was Jaroslav Halak showing up his former teammate, Carey Price. Tonight, it’s more than likely Tuukka Rask between the pipes – more of the same is needed either way.
All in all, tonight should be an easy Boston Bruins victory. It all relies on the players coming in having already put last night behind them.
It may sounds backwards to immediately forget about such a convincing win, but I think it’s reasonable to suggest it could prove a negative if they head in too cocky on the back of said result.