Ottawa vs. Boston
THE SERIES SO FAR This is their first meeting this season. The Bruins are 4-2-0 on the road. They were to play Columbus at home on Thursday night. The Senators are 3-4-2 at home after Monday’s debacle against Philadelphia. The telling difference between the teams is in goal differential: The Bruins are plus-18 (48 for, 30 against), while the Senators are minus-3 (53 for, 56 against).
KEEP AN EYE ON ...
1. Craig Anderson: How will he bounce back after Tuesday’s loss? He needs a good night. He hasn’t won a game since Oct. 23, when he was in net for a 6-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings.
2. Colin Greening: Isn’t it about time he scored his first goal of the season? Maybe if he shot the puck more it would help. He has taken only 16 shots in 18 games while averaging 12:53 of ice time.
3. Zdeno Chara: At 36, he remains Boston’s iron defenceman. He leads the team in ice time at 24:39 and in average shifts per game at 28.4. Regrets? Yes, the Senators have a few.
4. David Krejci: The former Gatineau Olympique will be a key player for the Czech Republic at the Sochi Olympics. He’s off to a great year in Boston, both offensively (3-13) and defensively (plus-10) while averaging 19 minutes a game.
5. Jason Spezza: He needs some wingers (and we don’t mean Colin Greening). Milan Michalek hasn’t scored a goal in six games, while Cory Conacher hasn’t scored one in 12 and hasn’t recorded a point in seven.