yardbarker
The Boston Bruins are set to experience another first on Monday night as they kick off a three-game homestand with their inaugural Atlantic Division matchup of the season against the Ottawa Senators.
After earning a split on their recent back-to-back road swing, the Bruins are looking to build momentum on home ice. Boston fell 4-1 to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, following a 4-3 overtime victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Friday, where JJ Peterka netted the game-winner.
"Special teams were probably the difference, both ways. But I really liked our 5-on-5 game," Boston coach Marco Sturm said after the loss in Minnesota. "We didn't really give them much. Our first period was outstanding. A lot of good things happened (on Saturday). Guys battled hard. They really did."
Both of Boston's special teams units have yet to find their stride. The power play has been held scoreless in six opportunities, while the penalty kill has allowed three goals on seven chances. On Saturday, Tanner Jeannot gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead just 1:53 into the game, but Minnesota seized control with two power-play goals in the second period.
Fellow fourth-liner Mark Kastelic assisted on Jeannot's goal with a between-the-legs feed, giving him a team-high three points (one goal, two assists). "He's been playing unreal. I told him before the game, 'Just keep doing what you're doing,'" Jeannot said. "He's the heartbeat of this team. He's doing everything -- he's putting his body on the line, he's getting points right now. It's been a lot of fun playing with him."
Peterka has scored in each of Boston's first two games. He recorded his third straight 25-goal season last year with the Utah Mammoth, who will visit Boston on Thursday.
The Bruins are expected to turn back to Jeremy Swayman in goal after Michael DiPietro, the reigning AHL Most Valuable Player, made his Boston debut with a 26-save performance. It was the 27-year-old's first NHL start since 2022, when he was with the Vancouver Canucks. "You definitely learn from your mistakes. Like I said, obviously not the outcome that I wanted, and I own that," DiPietro said. "I just have to be better and continue to work and try my best."
Ottawa had the longest wait of any NHL team for its season opener, but made it count with a 3-2 victory over the host Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. However, top defenseman Jake Sanderson played only 4:29 before leaving with a nagging lower-body injury, and there was no postgame update on his status. The Senators were already without defenseman Artem Zub (knee) to start the season.
"We'll know more in the next few days, but Sandy was smart enough to pull himself early enough that he didn't reaggravate it too badly," Ottawa coach Travis Green said. "He just felt that it was coming and took himself out." Sanderson, who had left a preseason game a week earlier with a different injury, smashed his stick in frustration upon returning to the bench.
"He's going to put everything he can into it and he'll be back in no time," new Senators captain Thomas Chabot said of Sanderson.
After Sanderson's exit, the Senators rallied from a 2-1 deficit, outshooting their archrivals 16-5 in the final frame and getting the game-winning goal from Stephen Halliday with 10:14 remaining. Chabot contributed a goal and an assist while logging 27:06 of ice time, Michael Amadio also scored, and Claude Giroux added two assists. Former Bruin Linus Ullmark, who went on a 14-4-3 run late last season, made 27 saves to lift Ottawa to its third straight season-opening win under Green.
"I thought the third period was our best," Chabot said. "We played exactly the way that we wanted to play. I'm just glad we got it done."
Key Analysis
The Bruins' special teams have been a clear weak point early on, and fixing them is a priority as they face a division rival. Ottawa, meanwhile, showed resilience in its opener but may be without a key defenseman in Sanderson. The matchup could hinge on which team can better address its early-season issues.
Originally reported by yardbarker.