Your Ottawa Senators came to play against the Boston Bruins Saturday night as they played the perfect road game to shut them out for the 2 – 0 win. Brian Elliott recorded his 7th career shutout in his 100th career NHL game and Daniel Alfredsson broke out of his scoring slump with a goal in the third period.
The game was a very physical battle with the Bruins throwing their weight around and trying to intimidate the Senators. But the Sens were ready for the battle with all the animosity from the last time these two teams met and Chris Neil laid a beatin’ on Dennis Seidenberg.
Neil had to pay for his actions as Bruins captain Zdeno Chara grabbed him early in the first for a tussle. However, it turned into more of a sparring match as nobody landed a punch and the fight ended as Chara slipped on a stick. After that so-called fight, the Sens took the crowd out of the game by playing a steady, responsible game and capitalized on their chances. By not engaging with the Bruins and their antics, Boston could not generate any momentum.
Erik Karlsson slayed the monster as he snuck a wrister by Tim Thomas in the first period. His 4th of the year, Karlsson is on fire lately with five points in his last four games. This goal was important as it was not only the game winner, but it proved that Ottawa could actually score against Thomas.
Daniel Alfredsson got the insurance goal as he found some open ice and got the tap in goal early in the third. Breaking out of his six game scoring slump, Alfredsson needed this goal to get his line some offensive production.
Brian Elliott turned away all 31 shots he faced Saturday night and made Tim Thomas the second best goalie on the ice. Earning Ottawa’s first shutout of the season, Elliott has cemented himself as the number one starter as he is top five in the league in wins and top 15 in GAA and SV%.
Jesse Winchester gets an honourable mention with his strong play on the boards and the physicallity he brings each shift. Oddest moment of the game was to see Senators defenceman Chris Campoli drop the mitts with veteran Mark Recchi. With Recchi trying to spark his team, it was good to see Campoli not back down for someone who has had only two career NHL fights prior to this one.
Filip Kuba played his first game of the season Saturday night after breaking his leg on the first day of training camp. Playing over 17 minutes, Kuba got an assist on Alfie’s goal and played a steady game. Paired with Karlsson, Kuba calms the defence and gives Karlsson a true NHL vet to play with.
Coach Cory Clouston also deserves a ton of credit for keeping his bench calm when the Bruins picked up the physical play. With Shawn Thornton and a few other Bruins running around, Ottawa played it cool and gave the Boston crowd nothing to cheer about. And going into the third with a 1 – 0 lead, Clouston kept his game plan simple and gave Boston no momentum.
***Three Stars***
First Star: Brian Elliott – a no-brainer as Elliott stopped all 31 shots for the shutout.
Second Star: Erik Karlsson – scored the game winner and beat the unbeatable.
Third Star: Tim Thomas – kept the game close and was still a beast.
The Senators came into this game after a tough defeat from the hands of the Vancouver Canucks. By handing Thomas his first loss of the season, the Senators not only slayed the monster by also moved ahead of the Bruins in the standings. Next up is the Flyers on Monday night for a battle with the second highest scoring team in the NHL.
‘Til next time, GO SENS GO!!!!!
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