4 Takeaways For The Boston Bruins vs Ottawa Senators

Not only is Today Presidents Day, but it was also a special day inside TD Garden. The Boston Bruins had the privilege to honor long-time center David Krejci for playing in his 1000th game. Boston would go on to defeat the Ottawa Senators 3-1 and continue their win streak. We will examine the Boston Bruins’ takeaways in their game against Ottawa.

Boston Bruins Takeaways Against Ottawa

Jake DeBrusk

Jake DeBrusk is so back. He has been sensational since his return to the lineup. DeBrusk picked up where he left off last game. He got the party started scoring the first goal of the game in DeBrusk fashion going to the front of the net. But that was not all he was good for. His impact on this game was fantastic.

DeBrusk finished with the best Corsi For at 5v5 (75%). In all situations, it was 83%. When on the ice, the team had 26 shot attempts opposed to 5. His CF REL was also a team-high (38.3%). In addition, the team generated five high-danger chances with him on the ice and got a goal for his efforts. DeBrusk was a menace out there and the team is glad to have him back, having scored in his first two games back from an upper and a lower-body injury he sustained in the Winter Classic.

Penalty Kill

The Boston Bruins’ big takeaway was the penalty kill. They went perfect, killing 3/3, including a 5 on 3 in the opening frame to begin the game. The penalty kill was smothering. Boston did not give Ottawa an inch despite them having more open ice. As a unit, they did not allow a single shot on goal and only gave up one scoring chance. Boston has been good in the high-danger area all season long and did not allow a shot from that area. Everyone does their job well and plays their role and it showed in this game.

Dominant Performance By The Top Line

After a poor performance against the Dallas Stars, the top line of the Boston Bruins was sensational today. They picked up the first goal of the game and had the best possession of any Bruins line (78.57 CF). The line out-chanced the opposition 11-3 and dominated the high-danger area 3-1. The second line of David Krejci, David Pastrnak, and Pavel Zacha was just as dominant. But the top line was a tough customer to play against and defended the ice very well.

Pasta Power

The biggest Boston Bruins takeaway is the man who is due for the hefty payday. Who doesn’t love a serving of Pasta? Not only did Pastrnak net the game-winning goal, but it came in a fitting fashion. After David Krejci won the faceoff, defensemen Charlie McAvoy went to work. Drawing defenders towards him, he found an open Pastrnak for the top-shelf goal. This would be his 40th of the season and the third time in his career he has hit the mark. In addition, this was his seventh game-winner this year which leads the team. Pastrnak would also pot number 41 and extend the lead. What makes this special is he is now one goal behind Connor McDavid for the league lead.

Like DeBrusk, Pastrnak was awesome in this game. He finished with the third-best CF (68%), and when he was on the ice the team had 34 shot attempts (team-high). In addition to the two goals, he ranked second in xGF with 81%. What stands out the most is the scoring chances for him were 17-3, and they got to the high-danger area six times. Just a great performance and having their way with the Ottawa defense with him on the ice.

All Statistics Come From Natural Stat Trick

What’s Next?

The Boston Bruins head out west for a four-game road trip. Their first game will be a pivotal matchup against the Seattle Kraken. A great test for the Bruins as it will have a playoff feel to it. Seattle is a good team fighting for seeding in the Pacific Division.