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Ottawa Senators at Boston Bruins

Mon Oct 57:30 PM ETESPN+Boston, MA
By JR·2 min read
Senators(1-0-0)
Bruins(2-1-0)
Monday 10/057:30 PM

TLDR: Ottawa won its opener in Toronto but may have lost its best defenseman doing it. Boston is back home after a road trip that ended badly, still without Charlie McAvoy, and Monday's game comes down to which blue line is less banged up.

MON OCT 5, 7:30 PMESPN+
Senators
(1-0-0)
W
Bruins
(2-1-0)
LWW

Ottawa won its season opener 3-2 in Toronto and comes to Boston with Jake Sanderson's lower-body injury unresolved and Artem Zub already on IR. The Bruins are 2-1 after a 4-1 loss in Minnesota on the 2nd night of a road back-to-back. Charlie McAvoy is still serving his 6-game suspension, so the game probably goes to whichever depleted defense holds up.

Ottawa Senators
  • Scored in every period of the 3-2 win in Toronto
  • Chabot drove the opener with a goal and an assist
  • Two days between the opener and Boston
  • Sanderson left the opener early, Monday status uncertain
  • Zub on IR, so the blue line is thin already
  • Burakovsky out of the forward group
Boston Bruins
  • Shut out the Rangers 3-0 in the home opener
  • Rested at home after the road back-to-back
  • Won 4-3 in Winnipeg on the trip
  • McAvoy suspended, game 4 of his 6
  • Gave up 4 straight goals after leading in Minnesota
  • Poitras on IR at center

The Senators' opener was a good night. They won 3-2 at Scotiabank Arena, scored in every period and kept Toronto to a single good stretch in the 2nd. Thomas Chabot set it up with a goal and an assist, and Eklund scored the winner in the 3rd. Auston Matthews and Marchenko scored for the Leafs, but Ottawa never trailed.

The cost was Jake Sanderson. He played 4:29 over 6 shifts before tangling with Nick Paul and going into the boards in the 1st period, and he didn't come back. It's a lower-body injury. He'd been dealing with an undisclosed injury all through training camp and played just 1 period of preseason hockey, per TSN. Ottawa said he'd be evaluated further and called him uncertain for Boston. That would be a 2nd regular out on the back end, with Artem Zub already on injured reserve. Andre Burakovsky is also out up front. There's no board posted on this one yet.

Boston has had a busier first week. The Bruins opened with a 3-0 shutout of the Rangers, then went on the road and won 4-3 in Winnipeg. In Minnesota the next night they scored the only goal of the 1st period and then gave up 4 straight in the Wild's home opener. Kirill Kaprizov scored on the power play, Quinn Hughes added one, and Jesper Wallstedt shut the door after the early goal. It was a second road game in 2 nights and the Bruins had nothing left in the 3rd.

Ottawa Senators
(1-0-0)
10/03W@Maple Leafs3-2
Boston Bruins
(2-1-0)
10/04L@Wild1-4
10/03W@Jets4-3
09/30WvsRangers3-0

McAvoy is the missing piece all week. The NHL gave him 6 games for slashing Buffalo's Zach Benson in Game 6 of last spring's first round. He isn't eligible to return until Boston's 7th game, Oct. 13 against San Jose. Monday is game 4, so the Bruins' top defenseman stays in the press box again. Boston is also without center Matthew Poitras, who's on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.

Both teams could be without their No. 1 defenseman, and that sets up the game. Boston gets a full day at home after the Minnesota fade. If Sanderson can't go, Ottawa's defense leans hard on Chabot after a night when he drove everything. Puck drops at 7:30 PM ET on Monday, October 5, at TD Garden. Whichever team gets more from its fill-in defensemen probably wins it.

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