Boston Bruins Will Handle the Ottawa Senators With Ease in Round One

The Boston Bruins are back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs following a two-year absence, and they should easily take down their first round opponent.

The Boston Bruins will begin their first round Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the Ottawa Senators tonight on the road. Boston should have the edge.

On paper, the Bruins may look doomed as Ottawa swept the season series 4-0-0, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.

In 2016-17, the Senators had a negative goal differentail. They’re the only team with a negative goal differential to make the playoffs, but they won’t last. Things get ramped up in the playoffs and Ottawa won’t be able to outscore Boston.

According to The Hockey News, the Bruins should handle the Senators with ease.

Statistically, The Hockey News gives Boston a 57% chance of winning this opening round series. They also give the Bruins a 14% chance to win the Eastern Conference and a 7% chance to win the cup. Their Stanley Cup odds are actually tied for fifth with the Chicago Blackhawks. It seems laughable, but they explain their reasoning.

"“The strength here is at forward, and while it’s mostly top heavy, it’s a damn good top and they’ve made some good adjustments to balance things out. Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand are arguably one of the league’s best duos and putting David Pastrnak with David Krejci gives the team a second unit that’ll be tough to stop.”"

Don’t sleep on the Boston Bruins!

Injury Concerns

Injuries will be a major factor in this series, as the team will likely be without defenseman Torey Krug and Brandon Carlo and forward Noel Acciari to start Game 1. Now, some say David Krejci and Domininc Moore may be out.

Krejci and Moore both missed Tuesday’s practice and head coach Bruce Cassidy did not promise that they’ll be ready to go.

"“I do expect them [to play], but I guess we’ll have a better idea tomorrow morning. There’s some maintenance work going on with them, so we’ll see where they’re at tomorrow,” Cassidy said after practice."

If Krejci misses time, it’s a major blow to Boston, but hopefully he’s back in the lineup soon.

Potential Lines

Without Krejci and Moore

Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-David Backes

Drew Stafford-Ryan Spooner-David Pastrnak

Frank Vatrano-Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson-Matt Beleskey

Tim Schaller-Riley Nash-Sean Kuraly/Kevin Hayes

Zdeno Chara-Charlie McAvoy

John-Michael Liles-Adam McQuaid

Colin Miller-Kevan Miller

With Krejci and Moore

Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-David Backes

Drew Stafford-David Krejci-David Pastrnak

Tim Schaller-Ryan Spooner-Riley Nash

Frank Vatrano-Dominic Moore-Matt Beleskey

Zdeno Chara-Charlie McAvoy

John-Michael Liles-Adam McQuaid

Colin Miller-Kevan Miller

McAvoy Gets First Crack at NHL

Rookie Charlie McAvoy will likely be paired with Zdeno Chara as the top defensive pairing for his first NHL action as the two were paired in practice. Boston surrended the first year of McAvoy’s contract by bringing him up to Boston, but the Krug and Carlo injuries forced management’s hand.

The 19-year-old will be paired with a future Hall of Famer, and he’s just trying to live in the moment.

"“It’s just about realizing where you are, taking it all in. Not missing a beat of it, but showing up and realizing this is something I’ve wanted for a long time.”"

Bruce Cassidy however said defensive pairings could be tinkered with. McAvoy has not played with Chara, and the coach doesn’t know how he’ll handle the NHL stage. McQuaid or Colin Miller could also be moved up to the first defensive pairing.

"“Z’s at least played with [Adam] McQuaid. Even Colin Miller, if we moved him up, [Chara] played with him last year. I think ‘reluctance’ is not the best choice of words. In this case, I think just ‘uncertainty’ would be a better word, for me, anyway,” said Cassidy on reluctance to play McAvoy with Chara."

Tuukka Rask In the Playoffs

More from Chowder and Champions

The Boston Bruins will have Tuukka Rask between the pipes in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It’s been an up and down season for Tuukka and some fans were calling for him to be replaced, but that’s just ludicrous.

Down the stretch, Rask did what he had to do in order to get Boston into the playoffs.

Rask plays well in the playoffs. In fact, his 2013 run was statistically better than that of Tim Thomas in 2011, though they didn’t win it all. According to CSNNE, Rask has the second-highest save percentage among goalies with 10 games played in the postseason. His .936 mark sits behind only Braden Holtby (.939) and well above the likes of Carey Price (.916).

Since 2013, Rask ranks 5th in games started (34), 4th in wins (21), 3rd in GAA (1.92), 2nd in SV% (.936) and 1st in shutouts (5). Yes, even with a two-year absence from the playoffs, Tuukka Rask leads the shutout category.

Rask will be looking to carry his playoff push momentum into this series. In the final six games he started, Rask had a .971 save percentage and 2 shutouts.

The Bottom Line

Boston will win this series in five games, and Brad Marchand will notch at least two goals. This will setup a possible matchup with our rival, the top-seeded Montreal Canadiens and Claude Julien.

Next: Bruins Face Senators in Round One

The Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators will get things started tonight at 7 PM EST at the Canadian Tire Centre.

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