Frustrating, isn't it?
The look on Claude Julien's face really said it all. Contorted with irritation, Julien knew that his team outplayed their counterparts, yet came away with zero points. The Bruins dropped their third straight contest; it's the third time that the Bruins have lost three consecutive games this season. Julien's visible frustration was clearly tied to the missed opportunities-not just in the this particular game, but that the Bruins could have seized control of the Atlantic division, but rather have let other teams claw their way into the race. Now, the Bruins find themselves in the middle of a complete jumble of teams vying for an upper hand in the standings.
The Bruins applied constant pressure on Craig Anderson, but the veteran goaltender was up to the task. Anderson was cool and composed all day, steering aside any rubber that shooters fired on net. The lone goal he let in barely snuck by him, and had to be reviewed by the league offices in Toronto.
Despite dominating the Senators in zone time and shots (39-22 in favor of the good guys), the Bruins couldn't catch a break. Mark Stone launched a shot off of Dennis Seidenberg's skates and into the net, ending the Bruins' penalty kill dominance and clearly taking the wind of the team's sails. The Bruins dominated the period, yet went back into the locker room trailing. Figures.
The second period featured more of the same. The Bruins appeared supremely motivated, like a team on a mission to avenge the prior night's third period struggles and taste victory. Mika Z...? Zinsomething Zinebad Zibanejad finished off of a juicy Tuukka Rask rebound, allowing the Senators to regain the lead heading into the third period. Again, the Bruins' fruitful efforts weren't rewarded.
The Bruins were unable to break Anderson in the third period, despite controlling the pace of the contest. Boston's league leading power play couldn't produce a goal, finishing 0-2 with five shots. Mark Stone added an empty net goal to increase Ottawa's lead to two in the final minute of play.
As opposed to last night, where the Bruins' defense was nonexistent, the Black and Gold played a full, high octane sixty minutes of hockey. The Bruins played well enough to win, but the bounces didn't go their way tonight. The Bruins look for revenge on Tuesday night when the play the Senators again, when the team will attempt to snap their losing streak.