Senators ride fast start to win over Bruins
OTTAWA -- The Ottawa Senators struck early and went on to move four points ahead of the Boston Bruins in the Atlantic Division playoff race with a 4-2 victory at Canadian Tire Centre on Monday night.
Derick Brassard, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Mike Hoffman and Alex Burrows each scored a goal for the Senators (36-22-6). Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand replied for the Bruins (34-26-6).
Craig Anderson made 25 saves while improving his record to 19-8-1. Tuukka Rask stopped 25 shots as he fell to 30-16-4.
Hoffman and Marchand traded power-play goals in the third period, with the former connecting on a blast from the point at the 7:50 mark for his 20th of the season. The latter kicked a rebound to his skate and flipped it home for his 30th at 9:04.
Burrows' goal was scored with 49 seconds left and Rask on the bench for an extra attacker.
The Senators scored on their first two shots of the game. Brassard broke the ice with a low wrist shot that made it through a crowd and slipped between Rask's pads at the 1:21 mark. It was his 12th of the season.
Just 2:04 later, Pageau deflected a point shot by Dion Phaneuf for his seventh goal.
Bergeron cut the lead in half with his 17th goal of the campaign 1:33 from the end of the period, spinning around in the high slot and firing a shot that beat Anderson on the stick side.
The Bruins held a 13-7 advantage in shots in the first period before the Senators reversed the trended in a scoreless second that saw them outshoot Boston 16-5.
NOTES: Senators D Dion Phaneuf missed the morning skate because he was sick. He wound up with two assists ... Senators scratches were D Fredrik Claesson, D Jyrki Jokippaka and F Chris DiDomenico ... The Bruins scratches were F Jimmy Hayes, F Matt Beleskey, D John-Michael Liles and D Joe Morrow.