Final: Senators 6, Bruins 3 - Swayman allows 4 goals in 1st period as Bruins lose to Senators

The Boston Bruins fall to the Ottawa Senators 6-3 in a rough defensive performance which saw Jeremy Swayman get pulled after the first period.

In the first period, the Bruins allowed four goals to the Senators. Ottawa played as the better team through the first 20 minutes beating Boston to puck battles and applying constant pressure in Boston's defensive zone. The Bruins did get on the board at the end of the period as Casey Mittlestadt  scored his first goal since being traded to Boston.

Joonas Korpisalo took over for Swayman at the start of the second period, but the Bruins still weren't able to limit the chances from the Senators. Boston did play much better in this period outscoring Ottawa in these 20 minutes. David Pastrnak recorded his 34th goal of the season and Marat Khusnutdinov recorded his first goal as member of the Bruins.

The Senators did add another goal in between Pastrnak and Khusnutdinov's goals putting the score at 5-3 going into the final intermission.

In the third period, the Bruins weren't able to generate scoring chances against former Bruin goalie Linus Ullmark. With five minutes left in the game, Korpisalo was pulled for the extra attacker, and the Senators scored the empty net goal sealing the victory for Ottawa.

Letting the Senators score four goals in the first period made it difficult for Boston to attempt any comeback in this game. Boston's defense didn't click at the start, and Ottawa took advantage of this. While it was a bad game for Swayman, watching his team be unable to get the puck out of their own defensive zone didn't benefit his performance. He played great in the past two games against Florida and Tampa Bay, and it seemed he didn't have the same energy as he did compared to his last two starts. 

On the bright side, it's good to see Boston's trade deadline acquisitions produce in this game. Mittlestadt now has three points in his three games with the Bruins, and getting production from Khusnutdinov is a positive aspect from this game. Considering how the first period went, how the Bruins competed in the second and third periods was another positive sign in a difficult loss to an Atlantic division foe.

On Saturday, Bruins will head back to TD Garden to take on the Tampa Bay Lighting for the fourth and final time this season. Puck drop will be at 7 p.m.

________________________

WHO: Bruins (30-28-8) vs Senators (34-25-5)
WHEN: 7 p.m.
WHERE: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa
TV: NESN
RADIO: 98.5-FM The Sports Hub

LIVE BOX SCORE

ROSTERS

PROJECTED LINES

Boston

Geekie - Zacha - Pastrnak

Koepke - Mittlestadt - Lettieri

Khusnutdinov - Lindholm - Lauko 

Beecher - Kastelic - Brown

Zadorov - Jokiharju

Lohrei - Peeke

Wotherspoon - Mitchell

Swayman

Korpisalo

Ottawa

Tkachuk - Stützle - Giroux

Perron - Cozens - Batherson

Greig - Pinto - Amadio

Highmore - Gaudette - Zetterlund

Sanderson - Zub

Chabot - Jensen

Kleven - Matinpalo

Ullmark

Forsberg

PREGAME NOTES

The Bruins travel to Ottawa tonight in the fourth and final games between these teams this season. 

The Bruins are currently on a two game winning streak after Tuesday's comeback win against the Florida Panthers. In the third period, the Bruins were down by two goals but were able to rally scoring three unanswered goals agains the defending Stanley Cup champions en route to the victory.

Case Mittlestadt, acquired by the Bruins in the Charlie Coyle trade, has recorded two assists in the two games he has played for the Bruins. Helping Boston complete the comeback against the Panthers on Tuesday, Mittlestadt has already received praise from his teammates and head coach. 

“He has good hands. He has good vision,” coach Joe Sacco said of Mittelstadt. “He sees the ice well.”  "I think it’s just a matter of time for him to get to know the system, get to know his teammates," said Nikita Zadorov. "It takes time. He’s been great for us. ... He has so much skill. It’s fun to see. When you go on the ice you know he’s going to make a play for you."