Late goal gives Bruins Game 1

OTTAWA — This night ended in disappointment and heartbreak for the Ottawa Senators.

Now, they have to find a way to get up off the mat.

The Senators took one on the chin as they opened their Round 1 playoff series against the Boston Bruins with a disappointing 2-1 loss Wednesday night in front of a sellout of 18,702 at the Canadian Tire Centre as Ottawa fell behind 1-0 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarter-final.

Naturally, this wasn’t the way the Senators would have scripted their first trip to the post-season since 2015 as Boston’s Brad Marchand scored the winner with 2:33 left in the third period to give the Bruins the upperhand in the series. Frank Vatrano had tied it up earlier on Craig Anderson and only Bobby Ryan was able to score for Ottawa.

Had it not been for Tuukka Rask, the Bruins wouldn’t have gotten away with the win, but he shut the door when it counted the most. He made a huge stop on Mark Stone with eight seconds left that would have tied it. The Senators outshot Boston 27-25.

After recording a 4-0-0 record against the Bruins during the regular season and allowing only one even-strength goal in those games, the Senators wanted to pick up right where they left off.

“I don’t think we have to change anything,” coach Guy Boucher said before the game. “We’re 4-0-0 against Boston so I’m not looking to change 50,000 things and break something that’s not broken.”

The Senators will have to do a better job in Game 2 burying their chances because they allowed Rask to see the puck too often.

The playoffs are all about momentum. The Bruins tied it up 1-1 at 4:55 of the second with the first shot Boston had on Anderson in a span of 25:03. Vatrano fired a shot from the slot that beat Anderson high on the blocker side. The Senators were likely stunned the Bruins were able to get back into this one.

The Senators took the play to the Bruins in the second. Not only did they pull ahead 1-0, they rebounded from a difficult start in the first by holding Boston to no shots in the second. That’s the first time in Ottawa’s playoff history they haven’t allowed the opponent to even record a shot in a period.

The Senators and Bruins will face off in Game 2 Saturday at 3 p.m. in Ottawa.