BOSTON BRUINS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME
- The Bruins visit the Senators tonight in the 2nd of 4 games between these teams this season and the second of two Boston visits to the Canadian Tire Centre.
- They are 27-4-2 overall this season and are 9-4-0 on the road … They are 15-3-0 vs. Eastern Conference opponents.
- The Bruins are playing their 5th of 14 sets of back-to-back games tonight in Ottawa and tomorrow in New Jersey … They are currently 4-0-0 in the 1st game of those sets and are 3-1-0 in the 2nd games so far.
- The Bruins returned from the holiday break to play in Ottawa tonight and in New Jersey tomorrow … They will return to Boston to host Buffalo on 12/31 in closing out 2022 and will open 2023 hosting Pittsburgh on 1/2 in the Winter Classic at Fenway Park.
RECENT GAMES:
- The Bruins are 6-0-1 in their last 7 games with wins vs Vegas (3-1 on 12/11), vs NY Islanders (4-3/SO on 12/13), vs Columbus (4-2 on 12/17), 7 vs Florida (7-3 on 12/19), vs Winnipeg (3-2 on 12/22) and in New Jersey (4-3 on 12/23) and 3-2 shootout setback to Los Angeles on 12/15.
- They are 10-1-2 in their last 13 games and are 17-2-2 in their last 21 games.
- They are 18-0-2 in their 20 home games, including a 14-game home win streak, the longest from the start of a season in league history … That is the 2nd longest point streak from a season’s start in Boston annals to 1973-74’s 21-game stretch at 19-0-2 … This is their fifth longest home point streak overall in team history (4x) with their club mark a 26-0-1 stretch in 1970-71.
- Boston 7 vs Florida 3 … Patrice Bergeron had 2-2=4 totals, Brad Marchand added 3 assists, and Brandon Carlo, Connor Clifton (1-1=2 each), Hampus Lindholm and Taylor Hall (2A each) had 2-pt nights … Charlie Coyle, David Krejci and David Pastrnak had single goals … Linus Ullmark earned the win … SOG: Bos 26, Fla 39 … PP: 2/4 … PK: 0/3
- Boston 3 vs Winnipeg 2 … The Bruins went down 0-2 after the 1st period before tying the score on goals by David Pastrnak (1-1=2 totals) and Jake DeBrusk (his 200th NHL point) … Nick Foligno had 1-1=2 totals with the GWG in the 3rd period … Jeremy Swayman took his 2nd straight win in net … SOG: Bos 39, Wpg 27 … PP: 1/4 … PK: 0/2
- Boston 4 at New Jersey 3 … The Bruins scored 4 straight 2nd period goals en route to the 4-3 victory with goals by Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak (2) and Jake DeBrusk (GWG+A) and 2A from David Krejci … Linus Ullmark extended his pt streak to 11-0-1 … SOG: Bos 23, NJ 40 … PP: 0/1 … PK: 1/2
INJURIES (Total man-games lost in 2022-23: 36)
- None
BOSTON vs OTTAWA, LIFETIME SERIES
- The Bruins and Senators are meeting for the 151st time in their histories with the Bruins having a 87-44-8-11 record and 477-374 scoring advantage in those games.
- The Bruins are 41-23-3-7 lifetime in Ottawa with a 218-181 scoring edge in those 74 contests.
NUMBERS
1 / 2: Boston’s rank in win percentage (.848) and fewest goals against per game (2.18) while 2nd in goals for per game (3.88).
2 / 3: Boston’s special teams ranking in the penalty-kill at 84.7% (19/124, tied) and power play at 29.3% (36/123) … The Bruins are 35.0% on the power play over their last 6 games (7/20).
2: Player on the current roster new to the Bruins organization this season – A.J. Greer (free agent) and Pavel Zacha (trade).
3: Season series completed – ARI (1-1-0, snapping a 19-gm win streak which was the longest by an opponent in club history), COL (2-0-0), VGS (1-0-1).
4: Defenseman points in a game this season by Hampus Lindholm (1-3=4 vs PIT on 11/1) and Charlie McAvoy (4A vs CHI on 11/19).
4: Points by David Pastrnak (1-3=4 totals) on 10/12/2022 in Washington in the 2022-23 season opener … That is the most points in a Boston opener since Brad Marchand (2-3=5) and Pastrnak (2-2=4) in 10/13/2016.
5: Game-winning goals by Taylor Hall (tied for 3rd in the NHL), including three straight deciding goals from 10/20-25/2022 – deciding shootout goal vs. Anaheim on 10/20, OT goal vs. Minnesota on 10/22 and GWG vs. Dallas on 10/25.
7: Straight 20-goal seasons by David Pastrnak, including his 3rd-fastest 20 in his 30th game (22 gms in 2019-20 and 28 gms in 2018-19).
9: New career-best win streak by Linus Ullmark from 11/7-12/13/2022 … That bested his 8-game stretch from 10/12-11/3/2022 which was his previous mark and it also tied the longest win streak by a Boston goaltender from the start of a season (Tim Thomas, also 8-0-0 in 2010-11).
9: Players on the Bruins current roster who played college hockey – Connor Clifton, Charlie Coyle, Derek Forbort, Trent Frederic, AJ Greer, Matt Grzelcyk, Charlie McAvoy, Craig Smith and Jeremy Swayman.
10: Former first round draft picks on the current roster – Charlie Coyle, Jake DeBrusk, Derek Forbert, Trent Frederic, Taylor Hall, Hampus Lindholm, Charlie McAvoy, David Pastrnak, Pavel Zacha and Jakub Zboril
11: Game point streak by David Pastrnak (10-5=15) from 12/3-23 (current), which is his 6th career stretch of at least 10 gms … Pastrnak had a 9-game streak from 11/7-25 with 6-7=13 totals in that span earlier this season.
14: Straight home wins to open this season, which is the longest such streak in NHL history … That also tied as Boston’s longest home win streak overall since a 14-game stretch in 2008-09.
20: Current home point streak at 18-0-2 … That is the 2nd-longest from the start of a season in club history and is tied for the 5th-longest home point streak overall in team history with their club mark a 26-0-1 stretch in 1970-71.
56: Points by the Bruins after 33 games this season at 27-4-2 … That is the 2nd-best mark after 33 games in team history (28-4-1).
+56: Boston’s league-leading goal differential (Toronto is 2nd at +29), including an NHL-best 3rd period goal differential at 47-21 and +26.
102: Points by David Pastrnak in this 2022 calendar year … That ranks 7th in club history (Ray Bourque is next with 103 points).
396-25-21: Boston’s record since 2011-12 in games in which they have had a 2-goal lead in a game … That extends to 259-2-6 over that span when they have led by 3 goals
557: Consecutive Bruins games (regular season & playoffs) currently sold out at TD Garden … Their last non-sellout game was on 12/2/2009 when a Wednesday game vs. TB drew 16,553
FUN FACTS
- The Bruins currently have 22 players on their roster … 10 were drafted by the team, 4 were acquired in trade and 8 were signed as free agents.
- The Bruins play 16 matinees this season (local start time 4:00 pm or earlier) … They have a 3-0-0 record in afternoon games so far.
- The Bruins play 14 sets of back-to-back games this season … They are currently 4-0-0 in the 1st game of those sets and are 3-1-0 in the 2nd games so far.
- The Bruins are playing game 12 of a 14-game December schedule tonight (8 hm/6 rd, 8-1-2) … They will play 14 games in January (5 hm/9 rd), 10 in February (3 hm/7 rd), 15 in March (9 hm/6 rd) and 7 in April (3 hm/4 rd) … They went 8-1-0 in October and 11-2-0 in December.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
Dec. 20: Craig Smith assigned to Providence/AHL (cleared waivers 12/19).
Dec. 21: Craig Smith recalled from Providence/AHL.
OTTAWA SENATORS NOTES:
LAST GAME: Dec. 22, 3-2 OT loss vs. Washington: Johansson scored at 2:04 of the extra session to send Washington to a 3-2 overtime win at Canadian Tire Centre. The game saw Ovechkin record the lone multi-point effort (two assists) despite the home side preventing the forward from equaling Howe for the second most regular-season goals in NHL history (801). Kuznetsov and Milano also found the back of the net for the Capitals as Ovechkin provided six shots-on-goal to eclipse Bourque for sole possession of most by an NHL skater (6,211) since tracking began in 1959-60 while the 408th multi-point game of his career tied him with Coffey for 12th on the league’s all-time list. DeBrincat became the sixth Ottawa skater to reach double digit goal totals with his tenth of the season and Batherson provided his ninth power-play goal to move into sixth leaguewide while extending his point streak to 10 games for the home side. Kuemper earned the win for Washington in making 23 saves while Talbot took the loss making a season-high equaling 37 saves on a season-high 40 shots. Scratch: Brassard; Injuries: Bernard-Docker, Brannstrom, Joseph, Norris, Zub; Shots: OTT – 25, WSH – 40; PP: OTT – 1-6, WSH – 1-3.
BROADCAST INFORMATION: This evening’s game against Boston will be broadcast regionally on TSN5 and RDS. On the radio, the game will be available locally via TSN 1200 (English) and 94,5 Unique-FM (French).
WHAT’S NEXT: Ottawa begins a two-game road trip against Washington on Thursday at 7 p.m. The contest will mark the third of three regular-season meetings and the lone matchup at Capital One Arena.
INJURY REPORT: D Bernard-Docker, RW Joseph, C Norris and D Zub are on IR and will not oppose the Bruins this evening. D Brannstrom missed Thursday evening’s game with a lower-body injury. Total man-games lost: 95.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS: Recalled D Heatherington and C Lucchini from Belleville (AHL) on Dec. 27.
OTTAWA vs. BOSTON – History:
2022-23 (1-0-0): Oct. 18 @ Ottawa (7-5 win), Dec. 27 @ Ottawa, Feb. 20 @ Boston, March 21 @ Boston
2021-22 (1-2-1): 11/9/21 @ Boston (3-2 loss), 2/12/22 @ Ottawa (2-0 loss), 2/19/22 @ Ottawa (3-2 OT loss), 4/14/22 @ Boston (3-2 win)
Series record: Overall: 55-79-8-8; Home: 30-36-3-5; Away: 25-43-5-3
Last Ottawa win: @ Ottawa: Oct. 18 (7-5); @ Boston: 4/14/22 (3-2)
Last Boston win: @ Ottawa: 2/19/22 (3-2 OT); @ Boston: 11/9/21 (3-2)
Last OT result: 2/19/22 (3-2 OT loss) @ Ottawa
Last shootout: 4/6/17 (2-1 SO win) @ Boston
Most goals, game: Scored: 7, (Oct. 18, 7-5 win); Allowed: 8, (4/13/94, 8-0 loss); Both teams: 12, (Oct. 18, 7-5 win)
Last Game: Oct. 18, 7-5 win @ Ottawa; OTT Goals: Giroux, Tkachuk, Batherson, Pinto, Stützle, Kastelic, Zub; BOS Goals: Bergeron, Krejci, Greer, Foligno, Pastrnak; OTT Scratches: Brassard, Gambrell, Zaitsev; OTT Injuries: Talbot; OTT Goalie: Forsberg; BOS Goalie: Swayman (6 GA, L, 40:00), Ullmark (1 GA, 20:00); OTT PP: 0-2; BOS PP: 1-3; Shots: 31-34.
Career vs. Boston: Giroux leads all players in career games played (51), in goals (11), in assists (26), in points (37) and in penalty minutes (28) against Boston.
SWEATER WEATHER: The Senators enter their third season of wearing a primary logo which sees the organization return to its roots with the implementation of the modified original “2D” logo. The team has earned a 68-82-14 all-time record (13-15-3 this season) while wearing its current sweater. Ottawa unveiled their Reverse Retro jersey on Oct. 20 and will wear the sweater on five occasions in 2022-23 (1-1-0 this season). The Senators hold an all-time record of 113-76-7-25 when wearing an alternate; 27-19-2-5 when wearing a red alternate, 85-56-5-19 when wearing a black alternate and 1-1-0-1 when wearing a cream alternate.
HOME ON THE RANGE: Ottawa has a record of 8-8-1 at home this season … Drake Batherson and Claude Giroux are the Senators leaders with eight goals at home while Tim Stützle maintains the club lead with 14 assists at Canadian Tire Centre … Through 17 home games, Stützle leads the team with 20 points on home ice … The Senators earned a record of 15-22-4 at home through 41 home contests in 2021-22.
ROAD SCHOLARS: The Senators have a record of 6-8-2 on the road this season … Giroux and Tkachuk lead with six goals on the road this season while Tkachuk ranks first with 12 assists while the Senators serve as visitors … Through 16 road games this season, Tkachuk maintains the club lead with 18 points … The Senators registered an 18-20-3 record over 41 road contests in 2021-22.
FRANCHISE RECORD: Ottawa has posted an all-time record of 1,018-998-115-179 over 2,310 games … The Senators are 556-443-60-98 through 1,157 all-time home games and 462-555-55-81 through 1,153 all-time road games.
BACK-TO-BACK GAMES: Ottawa will play back-to-back games on 12 occasions in 2022-23 and will open their third set of the season on Saturday when the team visits Detroit ahead of welcoming Buffalo to Canadian Tire Centre the following evening … The Senators played 17 back-to-back sets last season and earned a record of 6-9-2 in the first half of contests on consecutive nights (2-0-0 this season) while posting an 8-8-1 record (1-1-0 this season) in the second half of games on consecutive days.
ON THE POWER PLAY: The Senators are 36 for 129 (27.9%) on the power-play in 2022-23 … Batherson leads with nine power-play goals while Alex DeBrincat maintains the club lead with 19 points while the team enjoys a man advantage … Ottawa has recorded multiple power-play goals 10 times in an individual contest in 2022-23 after having done so 11 times in 2021-22.
ON THE PENALTY KILL: Ottawa has overcome 96 of the 120 occasions the team has been shorthanded in 2022-23 to maintain an efficiency of 80.0% through 33 regular-season games … The team has registered two (Joseph, Motte) shorthanded markers this season after recording nine such goals in 2021-22.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
COACH SMITH: D.J. Smith was introduced as the Senators’ 14th head coach in franchise history on 5/23/19. A native of Windsor, Ont., Smith spent the four previous NHL seasons as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Prior to joining the Maple Leafs (which was also the team for which he made his NHL playing debut in 1996-97), Smith guided the Ontario Hockey League’s Oshawa Generals to a record of 135-53-3-13 over three campaigns which included his having been recognized as the OHL’s Coach of the Year in 2013-14. One year later, he helped the team capture the Mastercard Memorial Cup. His 95 head coaching victories with Ottawa see him rank in a tie for fourth in franchise history.
SECOND SEASON AS CAPTAIN FOR CHUCKY: Two-time NHL All-Star Brady Tkachuk was appointed the 10th captain in Senators franchise history on 11/5/21. A native of St. Louis, Tkachuk succeeded Erik Karlsson who served in the role for four seasons from 2014-15 to 2017-18. The bronze medal winner with Team U.S.A. at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship is the first American-born skater to serve as team captain. Tkachuk is assisted by full-time alternates Thomas Chabot and Claude Giroux.
DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORING: With one of two goals in Thursday’s 3-2 overtime defeat vs. Washington, Alex DeBrincat joined Claude Giroux, Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, Tim Stützle and Shane Pinto in recording at least 10 goals on the campaign. The six players with double-digit goal totals sees Ottawa join Buffalo as the lone two squads with at least as many 10-goal scorers. The team has tallied an even 100 goals to this point in the campaign while their 36 total goals on the power-play place the Senators in a tie for second in the NHL behind Edmonton (41). The team has seen significant contributions from Batherson as of late as the Fort Wayne, Ind. native extended his career-long point-streak to 10 games to mark the first double-digit point streak by an Ottawa player since Mark Stone from 2/17/18 to 3/8/18 (two goals, 13 assists in 10 games). The streak is tied for the third-longest active run (David Pastrnak) trailing only Connor McDavid (14) and Josh Morrissey (11).
ALL-TIME LEADERS: Chris Phillips is the Senators’ all-time leader in games played (1,179) … Daniel Alfredsson leads in goals (426), assists (682) and points (1,108) … Following Phillips is Alfredsson (1,178), Chris Neil (1,026), Wade Redden (838), Radek Bonk (689), Jason Spezza (686) and Mike Fisher (675) … Neil leads in penalty minutes (2,522) while Patrick Lalime holds the lead in shutouts (30) and ranks second (283) to Craig Anderson (435) in games played among goaltenders. Anderson leads in wins (202).
