Bruins at Senators
THE STORY: It would appear that last week’s two-game slide was the anomaly in the Boston Bruins’ schedule. The Bruins have looked strong in back-to-back victories and are coming off a 3-0 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday. Boston is without captain Zdeno Chara but had little trouble stopping the punch-less Kings. The Ottawa Senators should put a little more pressure on the Bruins’ blue line. The Senators, who host Boston on Wednesday, snapped a three-game slide with a 3-2 overtime victory at Buffalo on Tuesday. Ottawa sits at the bottom of the Northeast Division due mostly to its own blue line, which is allowing a league-worst 3.4 goals, undermining a relatively strong offense. Goaltenders Craig Anderson and Alex Auld bear much of the responsibility with goals against averages north of 3.40.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), TSN (Ottawa)
ABOUT THE BRUINS (19-9-1): With Chara out because of a leg injury, Boston spread its minutes around on the blue line Tuesday and had little trouble fending off the Kings. Brad Marchand scored a pair of goals and Rich Peverley snapped a 13-game goalless drought, which gave the Bruins eight goals in their last 101:34 after exploding at the end of the first period of Saturday’s 5-3 triumph. Boston will likely turn back to top goaltender Tim Thomas, who was pulled after two periods on Saturday.
ABOUT THE SENATORS (14-13-4): Ottawa snapped a six-game losing streak to Buffalo when Jared Cowen one-timed Erik Karlsson’s pass into the net 45 seconds into overtime. Milan Michalek scored his league-leading 19th goal in the first period but had to leave the game in the second after colliding with Karlsson. He did not return. Anderson made 27 saves in the win on Tuesday, marking only the second time in his last nine starts that the veteran yielded fewer than three tallies.
OVERTIME:
1. Anderson allowed all five goals in Boston’s 5-3 win over the Senators on Nov. 1.
2. Marchand has six points - three goals - in eight career games against Ottawa.
3. Boston has taken the last five meetings by a combined 19-6.