Need to Know: Bruins vs. Senators 

BOSTON –– The Boston Bruins have no time to dwell on the past.​

After falling 5-4 in a shootout to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, the team has the chance to get back in the win column as it hosts the Ottawa Senators at TD Garden on Sunday for the second game of a back-to-back.

“That’s the beauty of shootouts – you should be happy with a point. But, when you win, everything is great, and when you [don’t] win in the shootout, it feels like a loss,” head coach Marco Sturm said. “Got to learn from it, and today’s another chance to get back at it. That’s a good thing.”

Sunday’s matchup marks the fourth and final regular-season meeting between the Atlantic Division squads. Ottawa has won two of the three games it has played against Boston this year. The B’s beat the Senators 3-2 in overtime on Nov. 6.

“Me personally, I think it’s one of the better teams in the league, honestly. The one we played against – they always give us a hard time,” Sturm said. “They have some grit, they have speed, they have a really good power play; one of the best power plays. We are going to have our hands full tonight.”

Wait, There’s More

• Alex Steeves will re-enter the lineup for the Bruins. The 26-year-old forward was a healthy scratch on Saturday against the Canucks. Steeves is projected to skate on the fourth line with Sean Kuraly and Mikey Eyssimont. He has logged nine points (seven goals, two assists) through 19 NHL games this year.
• Joonas Korpisalo will start in net for Boston. The goaltender last played on Dec. 11 against the Winnipeg Jets and made 26 saves in the victory. Korpisalo – who spent the 2023-24 campaign with the Senators – has a 3.35 goals against average and .888 save percentage through 13 games.
• Pavel Zacha enters Sunday’s contest on a three-game point streak. The 28-year-old forward has goals in the last two games, one of which was on the power play. Zacha has been centering the second line for the majority of the season and has a total of 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) through 35 games.

Opposing View

• The Senators are also playing in the second game of a back-to-back; they beat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-4 on Saturday at Canadian Tire Centre. Brady Tkachuk and David Perron had two goals each, and Tim Stützle and Fabian Zetterlund also scored in the win. Netminder Leevi Meriläinen made 20 saves. Ottawa has won four of its last five games.
• Stützle leads the Senators in both goals (16) and points (37). The 23-year-old forward is centering the first line between Tkachuk and Zetterlund, and is also on the first power-play unit. Five of Stützle’s goals have come on the man advantage. He is averaging 20:36 of ice time per night, which is third most on the team.
• Former Bruin Linus Ullmark could get the start for Ottawa. The goaltender spent three seasons in Boston before getting traded to the Senators in June 2024. Ullmark has a .289 GAA and .884 SV% through 25 games this year. He last played on Thursday and posted a 24-save shutout against the Pittsburgh Penguins.