BOSTON –– The Boston Bruins have something to prove on Thursday at TD Garden.
The Ottawa Senators are in town for a rematch after the Bruins' 7-2 loss on Oct. 27. Boston has since rebounded with four straight wins and looks to extend its streak come the 7 p.m. puck drop.
“It was a pretty bad game from us. That was the first time I didn’t feel any energy on the bench, especially going into the third. We can throw it away, but I also think we learn from it. That we can’t play like that. We can’t take a period or two off because the league is that good,” head coach Marco Sturm said. “That should be motivation enough for us [today] to show an answer. Because that was not us.”
Boston most recently beat the New York Islanders, 4-3 in a shootout, on Tuesday at UBS Arena. Pavel Zacha scored his first power-play goal of the year during the second period, which pushed his point streak to four games. Zacha centers the second line with Casey Mittelstadt and Viktor Arvidsson.
“I always think the centerman is always the motor and always the brain on any line,” Sturm said. “I think [Zacha] took that since he’s back on center – I think he took that line to another level. Not just defensively against top lines, top opponents. But also offensively.”
Wait, There’s More
- Marat Khusnutdinov remains on the first line, centering David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie. The 23-year-old forward had the game-tying and shootout-deciding goal in Tuesday’s win against the Islanders, as well as the overtime, game-winning goal against the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 30.
- Joonas Korpisalo will be in net for the Bruins. The goaltender – who was traded to Boston from Ottawa in June 2024 – last played on Oct. 30 and made 37 saves in the win. Korpisalo has a 3.49 goals against average and a .882 save percentage through six games.
- Charlie McAvoy is tied with Pastrnak for most assists on the team with 11. The defenseman has registered five assists in the last four games while skating on the first pair with Nikita Zadorov.
