BSJ Game Report: Bruins 2, Senators 0 - Bruins start strong, Swayman posts shutout in rebound outing

Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 2-0 win over the Senators, with BSJ insight and analysis:

Box Score

HEADLINES 

Bruins bounce back: Well, that’s one way to get back on track. 

After getting shellacked, 6-0, by the Hurricanes on Thursday night, the shorthanded Bruins rebounded on the road, posting a tidy 2-0 win up in Ottawa.

Despite taking to the ice without Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Matt Grzelcyk, Boston set the tone from the drop of the puck, scoring twice in the opening 20 minutes while outshooting the Sens, 22-8.

Boston’s depth helped the B’s get back in the win column after a two-game skid, with the Bruins' checking unit and a revamped second line of Charlie Coyle, Craig Smith and Trent Frederic making their mark on the scoresheet.

Yes, I’ll state the obvious. Saturday’s victory did come against a rebuilding Senators club. Still, the Bruins will take any points that they can during this current slog of the season, with the contributions sprinkled across the lineup giving the B’s plenty to build off of as they await the return of their top forwards. 

Swayman comes up clutch down the stretch

Boston built itself some breathing room early, but you could still make the argument that this should have been a four or five-goal lead for the B’s by the end of the afternoon. 

Chalk it up to a suddenly locked-in Matt Murray, Boston simply letting its foot off the gas or just the expected push that Ottawa was going to put forth, but this game could have devolved into a nail-biter had it not been for Jeremy Swayman locking things down en route to his fourth-career shutout (30 saves).

With Tuukka Rask now out of the equation, the Bruins are going to need both Swayman and Linus Ullmark to elevate their games moving forward, and Saturday was a good step in the right direction for the rookie netminder. 

FOUR  UP

Coyle Line: A second line of Coyle, Frederic and Smith set the tone right away on Saturday, with Frederic knocking home a loose puck just 45 seconds into the contest. Granted, the B’s could have beat Murray another two or three times before Frederic’s rebound strike, with Coyle setting up Smith for a Grade-A look off of a slick feed seconds earlier. Postgame, Cassidy hinted that this crew could remain intact even after Marchand/Bergeron return — with this middle-six unit potentially serving as a physical, puck-possession line.

Jeremy Swayman: After a shaky showing against Pittsburgh, good to see Swayman settle back into the NHL ranks with his second shutout of the season. Bruins are going to have to rely on both Swayman/Ullmark heavily for however long Bergeron/Marchand remain out.

Fourth Line: Much like the rest of the roster, the B’s fourth line has had a pretty rough go of it over the last few weeks, with opponents routinely lighting the lamp when Boston’s checking unit has been out on a shift. But Saturday was a step in the right direction, with this trio scoring twice (one of which was called back for goaltender interference) off of hard-nosed drives to the net.

Reilly-McAvoy pairing: Grzelcyk might have been ruled out for Saturday’s matinee, but the Bruins were still buoyed by a pretty effective top D pair. In the 16:25 of 5v5 ice time that Reilly-McAvoy logged together, Boston scored both of its goals and held an 11-5 edge in scoring chances. Not too shabby for a pair that only had 38% of its faceoffs in the offensive zone. 

ONE DOWN

Officiating: Listen, I try to avoid throwing officials under the bus on my up/down list, but this was a complete debacle in the first period of play. Despite Sens forward Austin Watson trucking Jack Ahcan with a high hit more than a second after he moved the puck, the call on the ice was just a two-minute minor for interference.

And to add insult to injury, it ended up being a 4v4 sequence, with Anton Blidh getting penalized for roughing after coming to the defense of his teammate. Sure, the Bruins did get a makeup call shortly thereafter, but what an obvious call against Watson that the officials missed. 

The subsequent no-goal call upon review of what would have been Blidh’s third goal of the season was pretty much icing on the cake.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Might not have led to a tally from Smith, but this was a sweet move (and pass) from Coyle on Boston’s first shift of the afternoon. 

QUOTE OF NOTE

“Business-like.” - Curtis Lazar on the Bruins’ mentality going into today’s game.

LOOSE PUCKS

LOOKING AHEAD

The Bruins will continue their four-game road trip, with Boston heading to New York to take on the Rangers Tuesday night. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.