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With playoff berths in the bag for each side, game eighty-one between the Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators was played without the usually measurable intensity and vigor of a late-April tilt. Still, the Bruins B-Team - down Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, and Tim Thomas - knocked off the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place by a final score of 3-1.
Although Paul MacLean's team would've loved to pick up a victory against a potential post-season draw in Boston, their regulation loss - combined with Washington's playoff-clinching victory over Florida - has added an interesting dynamic. Should the Capitals beat the Rangers in game eighty-two, the Senators drop the same against the Devils, and the Panthers pick up at least a point, the first two would flip seeds, pitting Washington against Boston and Ottawa against New York.
Remember, though: Ottawa holds the tiebreaker over Florida. Any situation where the Panthers lose the division to the Capitals and Senators fail to pick up a point v. the Devils means Ottawa holds in seventh-place.
In all honesty, that could be the best outcome for the Ottawa Senators at this juncture. No slight to the New York Rangers - they're just a better match-up for an Ottawa team that looks really uncomfortable at times against the Northeast division champ.
As for tonight's game - well, the story starts and ends with Boston G Anton Khudobin, who stole the show for all sixty. Khudobin stopped 44/45 Ottawa shots en route to the victory, and certainly looked every bit the part of an NHL netminder in the process.
Boston scored a goal in each period, with Brian Rolston(10:36 in the first), Greg Zanon(3:51 in the second), and Milan Lucic(15:27 in the third) all beating Ottawa goaltender Ben Bishop. bishop played respectably in his return from a groin injury, stopping twenty-four shots.
Ottawa's lone goal scorer was Jason Spezza, who benefited from a bit of a lucky bounce in the second period. Spezza's initial rocket blew by Khudobin and drew iron, but ricocheted off Khudobin's back and into the net. On the play, Erik Karlsson picked up an assist, bringing his point-total to seventy-eight. He'll have sixty-minutes to crack the coveted eighty-point mark.
The game didn't have any real element of theatrics or physicality, but it did peak in the waning moments of the third period. After a questionable call by the officiating, Paul MacLean was eventually tossed from the game - a rarity for a normally quiet bench boss.
Ahead: Boston's regular season finale comes on Saturday, when they'll play host to recently-eliminated Buffalo. Ottawa will head to New Jersey for a Saturday afternoon affair.
Back with more tomorrow.
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