The Boston Bruins had their seven-game winning streak snapped on Thursday night against the Ottawa Senators on the road, 5-3. It was their second loss in two and a half weeks to their division foe, and it was the beginning of a short two-game trip that concludes on Saturday night against the Montreal Canadiens.
Boston practiced on Friday afternoon ahead of the first matchup with the Canadiens this season, and head coach Marco Sturm made some switches on defense. Jonathan Aspirot missed the last couple of games with Mason Lohrei drawing back into the lineup. At practice on Friday, Sturm had Lohrei and Aspirot paired together on the last pairing, with Henri Jokiharju being the odd one out. The 26-year-old had played in six games this season and has been a steady presence on the backend. He also grew up outside of Montreal.
Former Bruins star collects 1,000th career point
It is still a shock to the system seeing former Bruins captain Brad Marchand wearing a Florida Panthers uniform. It will never look right. Regardless, after winning the Stanley Cup last spring, he re-signed with the Panthers to close out his career in South Florida.
It has been a tough start to the season for Florida, which is missing some key players. That makes it even more important that they bring him back over the summer. In Thursday night's 6-3 win over the Washington Capitals, he recorded his 1,000th career point. He has 11 goals and nine assists in 16 games for the Panthers this season.
Canadiens dealing with injuries
The Canadiens will be shorthanded for a while with some key players out for an extended period of time. Alex Newhook underwent surgery for a fractured ankle and will miss four months, while Kaiden Guhle had surgery for a torn adductor and will miss 2-3 months.
Boston will need a better start on Saturday night against Montreal as the Canadiens have lost their last two home games by a combined 12-1 score to the Los Angeles Kings and Dallas Stars. Expect a fast start from a team that will be a tad angry.