BSJ Game Report: Bruins 2, Senators 1 - B's hold on to beat desperate Sens at home

Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 2-1 win against the Senators, with BSJ insight and analysis:

BOX SCORE

HEADLINES

B's offense too much for Ottawa in 2-1 victory: Two first-period goals from David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk pushed the Bruins past the Senators, 2-1, on Tuesday at TD Garden.

Krejci scored the tying goal before DeBrusk netted the game-winner as the B's earned their fourth consecutive win.

"I thought we did a really good job in the third period," Brad Marchand said after the game. "We didn't give them much and those are things we can build on now and help us prepare for playoff time. Games are going to be tight and there are going to be momentum swings and we're going to need special games to come up big like we did throughout the game, and you're going to have to control leads.

Linus Ullmark GOT the job done in the cage once again with a 40-save outing. Ottawa goaltender Mads Sogaard played well despite the loss, picking up 33 saves.

The Senators started the scoring on a wraparound goal from Dylan Gambrell at 8:55 of the first. The Bruins were loose in their defensive zone coverage and Gambrell picked up the loose puck and slide it under Ullmark's skate for the 1-0 lead.

Two Ottawa penalties set up a Bruins 5-on-3 a couple minutes later and Krejci capitalized to even the score at 1-1. A point shot from Hampus Lindholm snuck its way through following a deflection from Patrice Bergeron and Krejci was there to clean up the rebound at 11:33. The goal counted as the third straight game the B's power play scored.

The Bruins kept the goals coming when DeBrusk scored the go-ahead tally at 15:52. Brad Marchand hit DeBrusk with a nifty pass and the 2015 first-rounder deked around Sogaard and slid it in as the B's took their first lead of the night at 2-1.

DeBrusk's tally proved to be the game-winner despite a valiant effort from Ottawa over the final two periods. The Senators threw a combined 25 shots on goal in periods two and three, but Ullmark stopped them all.

The victory gives the B's the edge in the season series with a 2-1-1 record against their Atlantic Division foes.

"We know we're a good team in the third," Lindholm said to reporters. "They got a lot of chances in the second and that's something we can learn from but at the end of the day we won a hockey game and I think that speaks a lot about our group here."

THREE UP

Montgomery's timeout: Down 1-0 in the first period, Montgomery decided to burn his timeout as the B's were getting ready for a 5-on-3 power play. The Bruins bench boss drew up a play and switched DeBrusk for Krejci. Moments later, Krejci scored to tie things up and confirm Montgomery's decision was the correct one.

"We were going to do something different on the 5-on-3 and we had it loaded on the iPad and the guys had a good visual of what would be their options if they each got the puck and we were rolling into an umbrella," Montgomery said on NESN. "We just wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page so the 5-on-3 can execute. It's not how we expected to score but I think the decision by Lindholm to shoot at the net when [Bergeron] and Krejci had a 2-on-1 at the net, it was a good power play goal."

Earlier in the season, Montgomery regretted not using his timeout in a similar situation against the Sabres on Dec. 31 and it ended up costing the Bruins as they fell in overtime 

First power play unit: Things look much more cohesive on the first unit and the goals are finally following. Krejci's first power-play goal in 38 games also served as the first time the B's tallied power-play goals in three games in a row since before Christmas.

Lindholm's presence at the point seems to be the best fit for the unit as the 29-year-old has great poise. The first of his two assists on the night came on Krejci's marker. The Bruins' power play concluded 1-for-4.

Sogaard's night: Ottawa's goalie deserved better with a solid game in net. Making his 12th start of the season, the 6-foot-7 behemoth kept the Senators in it, with his best saves coming in the third period on Boston's best scorer in Pastrnak.

ONE DOWN

Team defense: The Bruins have a Vezina Trophy candidate in Ullmark, but that doesn't mean they should let him do all the work on in their own end. Tuesday, the Senators peppered the Swedish stopper all night long, as Ullmark finished with 40 saves.

"We felt like we gave them the chances that they had with bad decisions at the blue line," Krejci said.

The second period in particular featured 21 Senators shots, including a couple of breakaway looks from Claude Giroux.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Marchand's passing skills were on full display on Tuesday with this pretty setup on DeBrusk's strike in the first period.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Montreal Canadiens make their first and only trip to Boston on Thursday as the NHL's oldest rivalry comes together again. The B's beat the Habs, 4-2, on Jan. 24.

Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.