Senators Cruise Past Sloppy Bruins, 4-1
We're not going to sugarcoat this one, Bruins fans. Monday night at TD Garden was a rough watch. Tim Stutzle scored twice in the first period, the Ottawa Senators built a 4-0 lead, and the Bruins fell 4-1. Boston dropped to 2-2-0 and has now lost two in a row after opening the season with two wins.
There was one bright spot, and we'll get to it. But first, let's rip the bandage off.
A power play gone wrong
The trouble started on what should have been a good thing: a Boston power play. Midway through the first period, the Bruins mismanaged the puck in the offensive zone, Michael Amadio picked off a pass, and suddenly Ottawa had a 2-on-1 the other way. Amadio sent a backhand feed to Stutzle at the right hash marks, and he one-timed it high past Jeremy Swayman for a short-handed goal at 7:39.
And then, just three seconds after that same power play expired, it happened again. Stutzle stole a pass, broke in on another 2-on-1, fanned on his first attempt, regained the puck and beat Swayman short side at 9:22. Two goals in 1:43, and the building went quiet.
The second period didn't help
If we were hoping for a fresh start after intermission, we didn't get one. Just 66 seconds into the second, Stutzle forced a turnover in his own zone and sent Drake Batherson in alone, and Batherson beat Swayman on the backhand for a 3-0 lead. At 5:19, after a failed Boston breakout, Shane Pinto made a no-look feed to Amadio in the low slot for a one-timer and a 4-0 lead.
Coach Marco Sturm had seen enough and called a timeout to settle things down. It did. The Bruins didn't give up another goal the rest of the night. But the damage was done.
The bright spot: Hagens scores again
Okay, here's the good part. Rookie James Hagens spoiled the shutout at 3:30 of the third period. Samuel Ersson, who had come in for Ottawa to start the third, misplayed the puck in the corner, and Hagens sent a pass toward the front of the net for Matthew Poitras. The puck deflected in off a sliding Ersson. It wasn't a highlight-reel snipe, but it was Hagens' second NHL goal in his first four games, and we'll take it.
About that goaltending change for Ottawa: former Bruin Linus Ullmark stopped all 10 shots he faced over two periods before leaving as a precaution after a collision in the crease with JJ Peterka late in the second.
By the numbers
Boston was outshot 24-19 and went 0-for-4 on the power play, making it 0-for-10 on the season. Swayman made 20 saves on a night when a lot of the chances against him came off Boston mistakes.
Our takeaways
Turnovers cost us. Three of Ottawa's four goals came off Boston giveaways or broken plays. Clean that up and this is a different game. The power play needs a spark. Giving up a short-handed goal on it is the worst-case scenario. Hagens keeps finding the net. Two goals in four games is a pretty great start to an NHL career.
Here's the thing, B's fans: every team has nights like this. The good teams bounce back. Utah comes to town Thursday, and we've got a feeling this group is going to answer. Chin up. 🐻