The Bruins looked like they were still suffering from some jet lag after their West Coast trip, as the Ottawa Senators easily downed the Bruins 5-1 at TD Garden on Monday afternoon. The Senators were led offensively by Daniel Alfredsson (hat trick) and Mike Fisher (3 assists), while Brian Elliott made 22 saves in the Ottawa net. Daniel Paille was lone Bruins goal scorer.
The Senators struck first 7:39 into the game when Mike Fisher lugged the puck into the zone and slipped a pass to Alex Kovalev in the slot and Kovalev's backhander got past Tim Thomas for the 1-0 lead.
Daniel Alfredsson increased the Senators' lead to 2-0 with 5:36 left in the first period on a quick one-time half slapper from the top of the right circle that was setup by Mike fisher behind the net.
The Sens made it 3-0 midway through the second period when Filip Kuba's slap pass from the blue line found Daniel Alfredsson at the doorstep for his second goal of the game. The goal chased Bruins starter Tim Thomas from the game after giving up 3 goals on 9 shots. Tuukka Rask entered the game in relief of Thomas.
Daniel Alfredsson wasn't done yet though, as his slap shot from the high slot with traffic in front earned him a natural hat trick at 13:14 of the middle period. The power play goal was Alfredsson's 13th of the season.
The Bruins finally got on the board with 15:37 left in the third period when Daniel Paille picked up a puck in front of the net and beat Brian Elliott up high after Johnny Boychuk's shot from the point was blocked and bounced around in front of the goal.
The Senators made it 5-1 on an odd play with 8:55 left in the game when Dennis Wideman and referee Dan O'Rourke collided, which created a breakaway for Jonathan Cheechoo. Cheechoo skated in and tucked the puck past Rask for his 5th goal of the year.
Notes:
- Ottawa scored 2 goals on their first 3 shots of the game.
- The Bruins and Senators combined for just 8 shots in the first period. The Bruins held a 5-3 edge in shots after the opening period, but trailed 2-0 on the scoreboard.
- I just realized that Brian Elliott's mask pays homage to Casey Jones from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
- On this date in 1958, Willie O'Ree broke the NHL's color barrier when he suited up for the Bruins in a game against the Montreal Canadiens.
- Patrice Bergeron made his return to the lineup after missing some time with a broken thumb.
- The Bruins were without Steve Begin, Byron Bitz, Marco Sturm, Marc Savard, and Andrew Ference.
- Vladimir Sobotka was one of the few bright spots for the Bruins today. Sobotka played with intensity on every shift. He finished the day with 9:36 of ice time, 5 hits, and 3 shots and won 6 of his 8 face-offs.
"The way we played today is just unacceptable."
- Blake Wheeler
- The Bruins are off until Thursday night when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets at TD Garden.