3 keys to victory: Boston Bruins remain hot, edge Senators 3-2

Even without two of their stars, the Boston Bruins were able to defeat the Ottawa Senators and extend their points streak to 18 games.

What a time to be a Boston Bruins fan. This team is making Boston proud and once the Patriots win the Super Bowl, the B’s will be getting a lot of attention as they are the hottest team in hockey right now. They continued on their epic points streak as they defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-2 on Thursday night.

The young guns come out firing

The Bruins have gotten a lot of quality play from some of their most young and inexperienced players this season. After letting up a goal in the first period the Bruins struck back in the second. On the powerplay, the Senators were unable to get the puck out of the zone.

The B’s were able to take advantage of the zone time and tie the game at 1. David Pastrnak attempted to pass the puck to Danton Heinen, but the puck got deflected into the air. Heinen patiently waited for the puck like David Ortiz waiting for a hanging curveball and blasted a shot by Senators goalie Mike Condon for his 11th goal of the season.

Then with the game now tied at two, the Bruins got some scoring from yet another rookie. Jake DeBrusk entered the Ottawa zone and probably didn’t expect to break the tie game. He skated towards the boards and seemed to be trying to just get the puck on net. Condon misplayed the puck and the result was DeBrusk’s 11th goal of the season.

Peppering the goaltender

If you ever go to the Garden there is a 9/10 chance that you will hear the crowd scream “shoot!” at least once. That wasn’t a problem for the Bruins on Thursday night. The Bruins outshot the Senators 20-7 in the first period and proceeded to outshoot the Sens 44-23 by the end of the night.

This is just a product of the team’s success as well as head coach Bruce Cassidy’s style of play. Cassidy is letting the young players do their thing and wants them to focus on getting opportunities on net. You never know what can happen, and when you start to pepper a goalie with shots easy rebound opportunities can arise.

Love playing from behind

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I can’t put my finger on it but this team loves to play from behind as this is the teams 7th straight game giving up the first goal. The Bruins are 6-0-1 during the streak. It seems normal for them to just give up the first goal and then end up winning. In past years losing a lead or falling behind would kill this team. Now the Bruins are able to thrive in the same situation. It’s a real testament to how great Cassidy is as a coach.

So the Boston Bruins have won their 5th straight game and have not lost a game in regulation 18 times in a row. This is nothing to scoff at. Their points streak is the second longest in team history. With how well this team is performing they have a chance to make a long run in the playoffs and possibly take home a Stanley Cup.

The Bruins head into the All-Star break only trailing the first place Tampa Bay Lightning by five points in the Eastern Conference standings. With the Boston Bruins playing two fewer games what seemed like an insurmountable deficit may be attainable.

Everyone gets a chance to rest as the NHL is taking over Tampa, Florida for the All-Star festivities. Bruins fans hope this team doesn’t cool off over the break as their next game isn’t until Tuesday when they play the Anaheim Ducks.

Next: Boston Bruins: Thoughts on the Brad Marchand suspension

(P.S. Hope Bruce Cassidy is doing okay after taking a puck to the noggin. He didn’t miss a shift #HockeyTough)