Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) tries to get his stick on the puck as Ottawa Senators defenceman Nikita Zaitsev (22) defends in front of goaltender Cam Talbot (33) during first period NHL hockey action in Ottawa, on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
OTTAWA – Alex DeBrincat had the only goal of the shootout Tuesday night as the Ottawa Senators snapped a three-game slide with a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins.
DeBrincat and Tim Stutzle scored second-period goals for the Senators (15-16-3) while Cam Talbot made 49 saves including 26 in the third period alone.
Jake DeBrusk and Paval Zacha scored in regulation for the Bruins with Zacha’s goal coming at 16:27 of the third period to tie the game 2-2. Jeremy Swayman made 31 saves for the Bruins (27-4-2).
The teams played through a scoreless first period despite a pair of breakaways by Senators forwards Brady Tkachuk and Stutzle.
In the second period, Patrice Bergeron appeared to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead, but a video review determined that the play was offside and the game remained tied.
Stutzle did score a goal that counted when he beat Swayman from the right faceoff dot at 8:11 on the power play.
The Bruins got that goal back just over two minutes later as DeBrusk first shot was wide but hit the end boards and bounced back right onto his stick as he was about to circle the net. He had an empty net to deposit the puck as Talbot was moving the other way expecting the puck to come out the other side.
DeBrincat restored the lead for the Senators as he caught up to the puck at the top of the crease and delivered a chip shot over the shoulder of Swayman at 13:37 for a 2-1 lead.
Senators forward Drake Batherson assisted on both second-period goals and increased his point streak to 11 games. It’s the highest such streak since Jason Spezza had an 11-game streak in 2011-12.
NOTES
Tuesday was the second meeting of the season between the two teams. Ottawa scored a 7-5 win on home ice over Boston on Oct. 18. “¦Before Tuesday’s game the Senators recalled defenceman Dillon Heatherington and forward Jacob Lucchini from Belleville of the American Hockey League. “¦ Brad Marchant played his 900th career NHL game Tuesday, all with the Bruins. “¦ Erik Brannstrom was a scratch for the Senators Tuesday while A.J. Green and Jakub Zboril were scratches for the Bruins.
UP NEXT
The Senators meet the Washington Capitals at the Capital One Arena on Thursday. On Saturday they will be in Detroit to face the Red Wings.
The Bruins, meanwhile, are in East Rutherford Wednesday to face the New Jersey Devils before heading home to host the Buffalo Sabres Saturday afternoon.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 27, 2022.
