Craig Anderson stopped 28 shots in regulation and overtime and three more in the shootout Thursday night to help the Ottawa Senators clinch a playoff spot by beating Boston 2-1, snapping the Bruins’ six-game winning streak and pulling ahead of them in the Atlantic Division standings.
Kyle Turris scored the only goal in the shootout. Anderson stopped Drew Stafford, who scored Boston’s only regulation goal, and Ryan Spooner before straddling the goalpost to turn away David Pastrnak’s attempt at the end.
Tuukka Rask stopped 25 shots for Boston, which went 0-4 against Ottawa this season. The Senators had never swept the Bruins in a season series.
Ottawa, which got a goal in the second from Alexandre Burrows, now has 96 points to 95 for Boston after entering the night tied. The Senators still have two games remaining — one more than the Bruins — and also have the head-to-head tiebreaker but not the most important one: regulation and overtime wins.
Stafford gave Boston a 1-0 lead on a power play in the first, but the Senators tied it in the second on Burrows’ unassisted goal.
The Bruins were without leading scorer Brad Marchand, who was suspended earlier in the day for the last two games of the regular season for spearing Tampa Bay defenseman Jake Dotchin in Boston’s 4-0 win on Tuesday. Marchand lifted his stick with force into Dotchin’s groin while the two were battling in front of the Lightning net.
The Bruins gadfly said it was a “very, very selfish and undisciplined” move but said he was glad the team had already qualified for the playoffs. He was
NOTES: Ottawa defenseman Erik Karlsson missed the game with an unspecified injury. He recently missed two games with an injured left foot. … Boston defenseman Torey Krug was out of service after just three shifts after colliding leg-first into the boards. The team did not specify the injury. … The only remaining teams that have never swept Boston in a season series are Philadelphia and Tampa Bay.
UP NEXT
Senators: Finish up the season at the New York Rangers on Saturday and the Islanders on Sunday.
Bruins: Conclude the regular season at home against the Washington Capitals on Saturday.
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