It's not often that two teams will play each other three times in just over a month into a season, but it's something that the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins will do tonight.
The Senators and Bruins remain close to one another in the Atlantic Division standings, so tonight's game once again adds more pressure for both teams to gain ground on one another.
Sens host B's to continue home stand
The Senators host the Bruins at Canadian Tire Centre with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
Two nights ago was the Senators' last game against the Dallas Stars. The game once looked promising for the Senators when they went up 2-0 under nine minutes into the game, thanks to goals by Drake Batherson and Nick Jensen.
Unfortunately, the Senators' offense wouldn't score again against Jake Oettinger. Mikko Rantanen and Jason Robertson scored to force overtime, then Roope Hintz scored the game-winning goal in overtime with under two minutes to play to give the Stars a 3-2 win.
While a point was earned, beating Dallas would've been a big statement win for Ottawa. The Senators have earned at least one point in all five November games and sit in third place in the competitive Atlantic Division.
For the Bruins, they're currently in second place in the Atlantic Division with an 11-7-0 overall record. The Bruins are hot with having won their last seven games, the most recent was a 5-3 win at home on Tuesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
David Pastrnak leads the Bruins with 22 points; Morgan Geekie leads the Bruins with 11 goals; Charlie McAvoy leads the Bruins with 14 assists.
The Senators and Bruins have each won one game against each other this season. The Senators won the first meeting 7-2 on Oct. 27 in Ottawa. Exactly one week ago in Boston, Pavel Zacha scored an overtime winner to give the Bruins a 3-2 win. In the overtime loss last week, Claude Giroux recorded two points.
Tonight, it's the rubber match between the two teams. With the Senators trailing the Bruins by two points in the standings, tonight's game adds more pressure.