Bruins Drop Game Two in Overtime Vs. The Senators

With one game already in hand, the Boston Bruins took to the ice at the Canadian Tire Center looking for a two games to none series lead over the Ottawa Senators. For big chunks of the game, they looked like they’d have a chance to come home with a chance to sweep. Unfortunately, the NHL Playoffs are prone to crazy endings and thrilling comebacks.

Boston and Ottawa skated to a scoreless draw after the first period. They were even throughout, with ten shots and saves for Boston and none for Ottawa. There were two penalties, but they overlapped and resulted in four on four skating. Much like the first game, goaltenders Tuukka Rask and Craig Anderson stole the show.

The second period saw scoring open up and Boston took control in the frame. Just before the halfway mark, Drew Stafford netted a centering pass from David Bacchus to give Boston a 1-0 lead. Ottawa fired back 1:10 later when Clark MacArthur tied the game at 1-1 on a Bobby Ryan pass from the post to the slot.

The rest of the period belonged to Boston. The Bruins outshot the Senators 13-9 and got two goals in the second half of the frame. Craig Anderson mishandled a puck deep in his own zone. Dominic Moore took it and shot it. It went loose for Tim Schaller to score a short-handed goal and give Boston a 2-1 lead. In the final minutes, Chris Wideman was called for tripping. A minute into the power play, Patrice Bergeron netted the third Boston goal of the period. The Bruins took a 3-1 lead into the second intermission.

Before Saturday night, Boston had only lost four times when leading by two goals all season. Their second playoff game would be their fifth such game. In the first five minutes of the third, Chris Wideman fired a puck from the blue line that beat Tuukka Rask. 2:20 later, Erik Karlsson took control of the puck, keeping it in the Senators attacking zone. He found Derick Brassard, who lasered a shot into the back of the net to tie the game. Boston made a late charge, but they could not take back the lead.

Overtime got underway and ended quickly. In the first two minutes of play, Dion Phaneuf took a Matt Stone Pass at the blue line, fired a shot from there, and beat Tuukka Rask to tie the series 1-1.

The teams finished even on shot totals, at 29 a piece. Task made 25 saves while Anderson made 26. The teams will resume the series at the TD Garden on Monday, April 17th. Puck drops at 7pm.