Bruins at Senators
The Boston Bruins barely escaped a postseason matchup against the league-best Washington Capitals, but their "consolation prize" doesn't offer much relief. The Ottawa Senators, who swept the four-game series against the Bruins and have beaten them six times in a row, will host Boston on Wednesday night in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
The Senators finished second in the Atlantic Division -- three points ahead of the Bruins -- after missing the playoffs in 2015-16 and secured home ice with a last three-game winning streak that included a 2-1 shootout win at Boston. Ottawa's main concern appears to have been alleviated when captain and star defenseman Erik Karlsson, who missed the final three games with a foot injury, returned to practice Tuesday and said he "absolutely" will be in the lineup for the series opener. The Bruins are back in the playoffs after a two-year absence, due in large part to a turnaround following the dismissal of coach Claude Julien in early February. Boston went 18-8-1 under interim coach Bruce Cassidy and won six in a row down the stretch to secure its spot in the postseason, but managed only six goals in the four matchups against the Senators.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NHL Network, SN, TVA Sports
ABOUT THE BRUINS (44-31-7): Brad Marchand, who has a team-high 39 goals and scored 22 times in 41 games on the road, will return to the lineup after serving a two-game suspension for spearing Tampa Bay's Jake Dotchin, but Boston has some major health worries. Defensemen Torey Krug (lower body) and Brandon Carlo (upper body) and rookie forward Noel Acciari have been ruled out of the series opener while third-leading goal scorer David Krejci and Dominic Moore missed Tuesday's practice. That puts more of an onus on Tuukka Rask, who set career highs this season with 37 wins and eight shutouts.
ABOUT THE SENATORS (44-28-10): Ottawa, unlike the Bruins, is as healthy as it has been for much of the season, with the lone exception being defenseman Marc Methot, who is dealing with a finger injury resulting in a slash from Sidney Crosby. Coach Guy Boucher shuffled his lines at Tuesday's practice by moving Zack Smith (sidelined the past six games) to center on the fourth line while pairing Jean-Gabriel Pageau with forwards Mike Hoffman and slumping Mark Stone. Goaltender Craig Anderson, who took a leave from the team while his wife battled cancer, won all four starts against Boston this season.
OVERTIME
1. The Bruins signed D Charlie McAvoy to a three-year, entry-level deal Monday and paired him with captain Zdeno Chara at the following day's practice.
2. Stone and Smith are mired in goal-scoring droughts of 15 and 13 games, respectively.
3. Boston has scored one at even strength in the four matchups with Ottawa.