Having returned to the top of the overall NHL standings this past weekend, the Boston Bruins look to remain on the winning track when they continue a three-game homestand against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.
Boston (40-14-15, 95 points) is in a rare position late in the NHL regular season, playing after multiple days off from game action for the second time in less than a week.
“That’s when you really catch up on your rest,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. “You could tell (Monday) in practice. There was a lot of attention to detail, our habits and focus were good, and guys were competing well against each other. … With the depth we have right now, it’s good that guys can nurse those bumps and bruises.”
Montgomery hopes that the rest can help his club continue the momentum that it gained in back-to-back wins last week, including a 6-5 triumph over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. The Bruins are 5-1-1 in their last seven games.
Though the Bruins found their offensive touch, Saturday’s game was a bit of a rollercoaster as their lead shrunk to a single goal twice in a third period that saw the teams combined for seven goals.
“I don’t know if we got complacent or what, but we can’t afford to play like that and have that mindset,” Bruins forward Charlie Coyle said. “It’s up to us to correct that. It’s those things we can still get better at and work on, but it’s nice to grab two points and be able to work on that stuff at the same time.”
Coyle scored twice against the Flyers to reach a career-high 23 for the season.
Montgomery looks at the win “as a glass half full,” though it was not a complete game.
“We’re going to continue to play teams that are fighting for playoffs or fighting for position in playoffs, which is what we like because we want to be prepared for all these things that are going to happen come playoff time,” Boston’s coach said.
The Senators (28-34-4, 60 points) visit Boston following a back-to-back that concluded Sunday with a 7-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, marking the end of a three-game win streak (2-0-1) that included two overtime wins and another in a shootout.
Carolina broke a 2-2 tie with 22 seconds left in the second period and cruised after scoring four goals in the third period.
In the words of Ottawa interim coach Jacques Martin, his team “self-destructed” late.
“I think at some point you need to learn about game management,” Martin added. “It’s a part of being a good pro and being a good team. … If you look at the (winning) goal, we had puck possession in the offensive zone, turnover and the puck ends up in our own net.”
Defenseman Thomas Chabot agreed, knowing that taking better care of the puck is a must against teams with aspirations for the sport’s ultimate prize.
“I think it’s just on us maturing and just being better with the puck at certain times,” Chabot said. “And we had some chances putting it behind them and forechecking them, which worked for us. We didn’t do that (enough). And when you play a team like them that has a chance of winning the Stanley Cup, that’s going to come back and haunt you.”
Despite the Sunday loss, Tim Stutzle still has points in a team-leading six consecutive games, with three goals and five assists over that span.
Chabot factored into both Senators goals (one goal, one assist) against Carolina.
–Field Level Media