Sens vs. Bruins - Game #2 Preview

The Sens look to even their first round playoff series against the Boston Bruins in a matinee at Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday afternoon.

The Sens continue to have a glut of options up front and on defence. which is something the coach echoed with his comments to the media on Friday. "It depends on who's healthy and who's not so I got to go back down and check with the medical staff and see which guys are 100% and which guys are not," said Boucher. "We could go 11-7, we could go 12-6 and it could be a different 6 and it could be some guys different with the 12 forwards."
The coached also told reporters not to read much into his lines at practice as he could "switch it after five minutes" if he didn't like the way those lines were playing. He stated his goal is to have everyone ready to play with anyone which would allow him the flexibility to make decisions on the fly in games.
The Sens have deployed the 11-7 line-up a few times this season and could be a way to re-introduce Marc Methot to the line-up with some insulation. Methot has been given clearance to return and looked great during the team's practice at the Bell Sensplex on Friday but the coach still has some reservations about his ability to shoot the puck.

Previous game

Game #1 was pretty much what everyone expected; a low scoring, physical affair that was ultimately decided by who could capitalize on the other's mistakes. A near perfect second period gave the Sens a 1-0 lead heading into the final frame but as the coach put it on Thursday, he thought his team looked "scared to lose instead of hungry to win" down the stretch and their 14 turnovers (compared to Boston's 5) proved to be the difference.
You can watch the full highlights from Game #1 below...

Sens to watch

Bobby Ryan had one of his best showings of the season in Game #1 notching the Sens' lone goal and leading the team in shots on goal with 6. His series opening tally was vintage Bobby Ryan as he muscled Bruins' defender Adam McQuaid off the puck before split Zdeno Chara and Tuukka Rask to bury his own rebound.

While Mike Hoffman's name wasn't noticeable on the scoresheet, his presence on the ice was. Hoffman, who finished the regular season 5th in total TOI among forwards, lead all Sens forwards in ice-time in Game #1 with 19:15. His trio of Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Tom Pyatt had drawn the assignment of matching against the Bruins' top line but Sens head coach Guy Boucher was able to find ways to sneak Hoffman out for double shifts, especially in the third period where he played a whooping 8:07 which was two full minutes more than the next forward (Kyle Turris with 6:07).

Red Zone

The Red Zone was rocking before Game #1 so if you are coming to Saturday's game the pre-game activities are set to kick off at noon.
Click here
for more details about the Red Zone.

Broadcast

Can't make it to CTC? Catch all the action on Sportsnet and TVAS or if you're looking for a great spot in the city to watch the game check out the Molson Canadian Watch Parties at Sens House.
Click here
to make a reservation.