KELLY MAKING AN EMOTIONAL RETURN TO TD GARDEN AND HIS FORMER TEAM
Last time the Senators centre played in Boston, he hit bad ice and broke his leg
This will be a homecoming for Chris Kelly.
The last time the Senators’ veteran centre stepped on the ice at Boston’s TD Garden was Nov. 3, 2015, when he broke his femur on his first shift with the Boston Bruins after hitting a rut in the ice in a game against the Dallas Stars.
Kelly wasn’t sure what happened but he knew he was in trouble when former Ottawa teammate Jason Spezza and Dallas forward Tyler Seguin started yelling at the referees from the Stars’ bench to blow the play down. Initially, Kelly thought he had been slashed.
“They carried me off the ice,” Kelly said Monday at the club’s hotel. “It was a solid three seconds because that’s all I managed. I jumped on the ice and broke the (femur). That was the last time. It’s nice actually because that’s not the way I wanted to end playing at the Garden.
“It’ll be nice to get back on the ice there.”
Fortunately, after working hard on his recovery and earning a one-year deal to come back to the Senators last summer, Kelly, 35, will be back at the Garden Tuesday night as the club closes out this two-game road trip.
Dealt to the Bruins by the Senators in 2011, he won a Stanley Cup that spring and spent five more seasons with Boston before returning to Ottawa. Yes, he’s played in Boston as an opponent before but it’s been a while, which is why this game will have some special meaning.
“When you play your former team, and it’s your first time back in the city, it’s always a special thing,” Kelly said. “This year, it’s March and it’s been a long season. In Ottawa, it happened a lot faster because it was my first game.”
Other than his final appearance here with the Bruins, Kelly looks at his time in Boston as special.
“Coming here, when I got traded, having an opportunity to win with the team and being a part of a few more good teams, we had a lot of good memories and a lot of fun. I made a lot of great friendships and I really enjoyed living in the city,” Kelly said. OFF THE GLASS: The Senators tried not to get caught up in the hype of what the weekend series against the Habs meant but you can’t blame them if they did. They had a chance to close in on Montreal for the top spot in the Atlantic Division but failed miserably with the way the club lost Sunday. The Habs “played well (Sunday) night. They stuck with their system, they scored timely goals and you give them credit that they were able to stay the course for longer than us,” Kelly said. “I think both teams, in the back of their minds, first place was up for grabs. Ultimately, it was about trying to execute for six periods and I found maybe the last three periods weren’t our best.” ... It was no surprise the Senators didn’t skate Monday because coach Guy Boucher usually goes with rest. “With where we’re at in the schedule, it’s pretty tough to go on the ice today,” defenceman Dion Phaneuf said. “You’re playing three in four nights with travel. The coach has been really good about rest all year. He’s a big believer in it. He’s got his schedule planned, he knows what he’s doing, we know the plan and these days have been really good for us. We find a way to get re-energized. We go into another building (Tuesday) where it’s going to be a playofftype atmosphere.” THE LAST WORDS: Looking to snap a four-game losing skid, maybe a stop in Boston is exactly what the Senators need. The club is trying to extend its winning streak against the Bruins to five straight with a victory here. The Senators won the final two games of the series against the Bruins last season and they’re 2-0-0 against Boston this season. The Senators haven’t lost to Boston since a 7-3 defeat on Dec. 29, 2015, at the Garden. Ottawa scored a 4-2 win over the Bruins the last time the two teams met on March 6 at home. The club will be back in Boston on April 6 . ... Expect to see goalie Craig Anderson make the start against the Bruins. Yes, he gave up eight goals in back-to-back losses to the Habs on the weekend, but Boucher has insisted if Anderson says he’s ready to go then he starts. Given the fact that this is a huge divisional matchup then the Senators should go back with their top goalie. Anderson has a 10-11-0 lifetime record vs. the Bruins with a 3.12 goalsagainst average and a .905 savepercentage. While Tuukka Rask started for the Bruins Monday night in Toronto, the expectation is he’ll suit up for back-toback games with the playoff race still on.