Senators at Bruins
The Boston Bruins have gone two months without losing at home and will attempt to keep the streak intact when they host the Ottawa Senators on Friday night in the front end of a home-and-home series. The Bruins, who hold a three-point lead over Tampa Bay atop the Atlantic Division, are riding a 14-game point streak at TD Garden and their 15 home victories are second in the league to Pittsburgh (17). Boston has won seven of its last nine overall and will be going for its eighth straight home win.
Ottawa turned in perhaps its most complete performance of the season entering the break, halting a three-game skid (0-2-1) with a 5-0 drubbing of Pittsburgh that snapped the Penguins' seven-game winning streak. Inconsistency has been a hallmark of the Senators, who will be seeking back-to-back victories for the first time since winning three straight from Nov. 5-9. "We haven't done it on a consistent game-to-game basis," goaltender Craig Anderson said. "We've had a good game, bad game type of thing."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, RDS, RSN East (Ottawa), NESN (Boston)
ABOUT THE SENATORS (15-17-7): Anderson's inconsistent play has been among the chief reasons for Ottawa's struggles, but he earned his second shutout of the season against Pittsburgh with a 27-save performance. Anderson had surrendered at least four goals in 10 of his 16 previous starts prior to blanking the Penguins, rarely showing the form that led to him posting a league-best 1.69 goals-against average last season. Defenseman Erik Karlsson had a goal and two assists Monday, giving him eight points in his last six games.
ABOUT THE BRUINS (25-10-2): Boston is receiving production from some unexpected sources, including four points apiece from Carl Soderberg and Ryan Spooner in the past two games. Matt Fraser scored his first goal as a member of the Bruins in the win over Nashville while Reilly Smith has three goals in his last two games and seven in the past nine. "There is depth in this organization," Smith said. "A lot of teams may have looked past us in the last few games because we have so many guys who aren’t regulars on the roster like Spooner and Fraser."
OVERTIME
1. Ottawa has won the past two meetings against the Bruins, including a 4-2 victory at home on Nov. 15.
2. Bruins G Tuukka Rask, who has won three straight, is 4-2 lifetime versus Ottawa.
3. Anderson is 4-8-0 with a 3.32 GAA versus the Bruins while Robin Lehner is 2-5-0 with a 2.69 GAA against them.