Senators vs. Bruins Game 2 Prediction

The injury-riddled Bruins lucked out in taking Game 1 in Ottawa, but may have their luck run out when they play the Senators in Game 2.

The Bruins squeaked by in Game 1 in Ottawa, and managed to take home the first of at least two road games with the Senators. However, the team came away with even more injuries in the series opener, and will potentially have more holes to fill in Game 2.

In Game 1, the Bruins were outplayed for much of the game, including a second period in which they couldn’t register a shot on Senators goalie Craig Anderson. Boston is the first team to win a playoff game with no shots on goal in any period since Washington on May 7, 1994, against the New York Rangers.

Despite being outshot 12-0 in the period, Boston registered 25 shots on goal in the game, including the tiebreaker with 2:33 left in the game from Brad Marchand.

Marchand’s return from his two-game suspension to end the regular season was welcomed by the B’s, as he immediately made an impact on the offensive end.

The younger talent in the Bruins lineup also made an impact in Boston’s first playoff game since 2014, including Frank Vatrano, who registered a goal in his first NHL playoff game.

Tuukka Rask played to the expectations of many Bruins fans, tallying 26 saves against the Senators, who were all over Boston offensively in the first two periods.

The Senators will have to continue the pace they found in the second period, and may have gotten lucky with injuries piling up for the Bruins. With Krug still out from his regular season injury towards the end of the year, and David Krejci likely out again for Game 2, the Bruins are losing key elements on all sides of their game.

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Pick: Senators 2, Bruins 1

The Senators had the right game plan against the Bruins in Game 1, and will need to utilize their home-ice advantage in Game 2 to even the series. The Bruins are getting weaker and weaker defensively as they play more games, with Colin Miller the latest Boston defenseman to get hurt and have his fate unknown for Game 2. I think the Senators break through Rask’s tough wall, and the Bruins fall victim to their laundry list of injuries as the series evens up going back to Boston.