The Atlantic Division rivals, the Ottawa Senators and the Boston Bruins, are set to meet for the second time this season on Thursday. In their first encounter at the end of October, Ottawa dominated Boston with a decisive 7-2 victory.
The Bruins opened the scoring when Morgan Geekie found the net, but Ottawa responded fiercely with seven unanswered goals. Drake Batherson and Tim Stützle each recorded two goals and one assist, leading the Senators to an easy win.
Since that loss, Boston has bounced back, earning 16 points compared to Ottawa’s 14. The Montreal Canadiens currently top the Atlantic Division with 19 points.
Boston is aiming for its fifth consecutive win. After starting the season with three straight victories and then losing seven of their next eight games, the Bruins have regained momentum. They are fresh off a 4-3 shootout win over the New York Islanders on Tuesday.
Marat Khusnutdinov scored the tying goal for Boston with less than five minutes left in regulation, then became the only player to score in the shootout.
The Senators have been busy on the ice recently. They are coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to the Canadiens and previously edged the Calgary Flames in a shootout. Despite being limited to just 17 shots on goal in their latest outing, Ottawa nearly secured the win when Tim Stützle gave them the lead in the third period, before Montreal tied it with under three minutes remaining.
The Ottawa Senators aim to rebound against a resurgent Boston Bruins team chasing its fifth straight win in this divisional rematch.