The Atlantic Division rivals, the Ottawa Senators and the Boston Bruins, will meet for the second time this season on Thursday. Their first matchup ended with a dominant 7–2 win for Ottawa at the end of October.
Boston's Morgan Geekie opened the scoring in that earlier game, but Ottawa responded with seven unanswered goals. Drake Batherson and Tim Stutzle both delivered two goals and an assist, leading the Senators to a convincing victory.
Since that loss, Boston has improved, collecting 16 points compared to Ottawa’s 14. The Montreal Canadiens currently sit atop the division with 19 points. The Bruins now aim for their fifth consecutive win, having regained form after an early slump.
Boston’s recent success includes a 4–3 shootout win against the New York Islanders on Tuesday. Marat Khusnutdinov scored the tying goal late in regulation and was the only player to find the net during the shootout.
Ottawa has been busy on the ice, most recently falling 4–3 in overtime to the Canadiens after a shootout victory against the Calgary Flames. Despite being limited to just 17 shots in that game, they nearly clinched the win when Tim Stutzle scored a go-ahead goal in the third period before Montreal tied it late.
“Marat Khusnutdinov scored the tying goal for Boston with less than five minutes left in regulation.”
The Bruins and Senators clash again as Boston rides a winning streak and Ottawa looks to rebound from tough overtime losses in the Atlantic Division race.