In Dec. 1929, the Boston Bruins had seven straight games where a skater scored at least two goals. 84 years later, this year’s edition of the Black-and-Gold have matched such an accomplishment with Reilly Smith potting two en route to a 5-0 victory over the hapless Ottawa Senators.
The night didn’t necessarily begin on a bright note for the Bruins, who skated to a 0-0 draw with the 11th place Senators after a first period that left them with just five shots on goal. Their penalty kill was put to the test six minutes into the first when Brad Marchand clipped Erik Karlsson with a high stick, and they let the Sens pound Tuukka Rask for 15 shots.
But in a second period that was largely dominated by the Bruins, a late period power play opportunity gave the 36-year-old Jarome Iginla and company the chance to extend their recent special teams dominance. Beating Robin Lehner with a wrister for his 11th goal of the season -- and his fifth in the past seven games -- the Bruins took a 1-0 edge into the second intermission and wasted no time in extending their lead once played resumed for the third.
Jumping out to a 2-0 edge 38 seconds into the period on David Krejci’s eighth goal of the year, a pair of strikes from Smith (his 13th and 14th of the year and separated by 7:06), and a shorthanded breakaway dagger from Brad Marchand with 27 seconds left said it all.
The Bruins, finishing the night with 37 shots in the final 40 minutes of play, woke up from their slumber after a Christmas vacation and simply took it to Lehner and company. Now, whether it was by way of an espresso shot or Claude Julien wakeup call, the Bruins came out absolutely flying once the puck dropped on the second period, and they let it show. Just ask Lehner.
In the final 40 minutes of play, the Bruins hammered the 6-foot-5 netminder with 37 shots on goals, and attempted 50 shots in total. This blitz was in comparison to a first period that saw the Bruins attempt just eight shots. Day and night? Day and night.
With the Bruins spending so much time in the Ottawa zone in the final two periods, the 26-year-old Tuukka Rask had his moments of focus (as does any goaltender), but made 18 routine looking saves in the final 40 minutes after the Sens’ 15-shot first, enough for his 20th career shutout.
Seidenberg goes down, won’t travel to Ottawa
B’s defensemen and all around warrior Dennis Seidenberg has missed just 12 regular season games since coming to Boston from Florida back in March 2010. But late in the third period, the German-born defensemen went down behind the net, held his knee, and slowly skated off.
Not good.
He also went right down the tunnel and was not seen on the Boston bench before the game ended.
Again, not good.
This is a Boston defense that’s been ravaged by injuries in 2013, and losing Seidenberg would be huge. While he hasn’t been the most steady d-man this season, he’s done a wonderful job of eating up shorthanded minutes, lessening the burden of the club’s towering captain, Zdeno Chara.
Without Seidenberg, the own-zone demands of Adam McQuaid, Matt Bartkowski, and even Torey Krug rise, putting the Bruins in an awfully unfavorable situation.
And such a situation will find its way to Ottawa tomorrow night as Seidenberg will not travel.
If he’s out for any extended period of time, and with Dougie Hamilton still not ready to return, the Bruins may have to say the hell with the risk of Kevan Miller being exposed to waivers (on the way down to Providence if the situation arose) and bring the California native back into the fold. Now, my understanding is that players are exempt from waivers when called up on an emergency basis, so perhaps the B’s could call Miller up without losing him.
But that’s something I’d have to double check on.
Svedberg called up
In a somewhat surprising move today, the Black-and-Gold announced the call up of Providence starter and Swedish import Niklas Svedberg from the American Hockey League.
Sitting on the Boston bench as Rask’s backup tonight, the 24-year-old goaltender arrives to Boston in the midst of a drop down year on the farm, with just 11 wins in 20 games and a .907 save percentage.
So what does a call up mean? Well, more than anything else, it gives the B’s a look at what he brings.
In the event of a major injury to Rask, the Bruins would like to know what they have on deck beyond Chad Johnson, and in such an event, Svedberg certainly seems like a stronger option.
But we just won’t know until he’s in net for an actual NHL game, and with tonight being the first leg of a back-to-back with the Sens, Sat. night may give the Bruins the look they’re searching for.
Up next
The Bruins wrap up the home and home tomorrow night in Ottawa as they’ll take on the Sens. On the heels of tonight’s 5-0 victory over Ottawa, the Bruins will look to continue to roll as they have throughout Dec., and put the demons of a 4-2 loss on Ottawa ice back on Nov. 15 to bed. Like I said directly above here, it’ll be interesting to see if Svedberg gets the nod.