In Ottawa, Jeremy Swayman made 30 saves and the Boston Bruins defeated the Senators, 2-0, on Saturday.
“I think there were ups and downs [my last few games],” Swayman said. “I wouldn’t necessarily say that, you know, it was off. Obviously, there’s goals I want back, and that’s the game of hockey. I’m in a great position to learn every day and play with some of the best players in the world. So that’s what I’m doing, focusing on the positives and moving forward.”
The Bruins struck two first period goals to take control of the game.
“We were ready to play, we were on our toes, and it showed,” Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We needed to be on time today, be in the game early, and build some momentum off of that. I thought obviously we were. We were clearly the better team in the first period, and the game kind of leveled out after that. But did enough to win.”
Trent Frederic and Curtis Lazar hit for the goals in the opening frame.
“Of course [there’s a little extra boost],” Lazar said. “It’s always fun coming back to this building. I have a lot of good memories here. It’s where I got my start in the NHL. Obviously, to score against them is pretty cool too. … This one was special for myself. I want these wins really bad, and it was good to get those two points today.”
Ottawa dropped to 16-24-4.
“It’s obviously not the start we wanted,” the Senators’ Nick Holden said. “It’s disappointing. We’ve been, for the most part, playing some pretty good hockey here. To come out like that [in the first period], and kind of put ourselves behind in the game, it’s always hard to play catchup against teams like that.”
The Bruins improved to 27-16-3.
“[The slow start] isn’t the identity we want. We want to be the hardest-working team every night,” the Senators’ Nick Paul said. “That first period wasn’t it. We started coming in the second and the third, but it was already too late. Things happen and learning experiences happen. As a team, we know we’ve got to be ready off the start, or games like these happen.
Matt Murray made 35 saves in the Ottawa loss.
“We weren’t ready. I mean, obviously on the first shift, they score,” Ottawa head coach D.J. Smith said. “That starts us on the wrong foot. You know, they’re coming off a 6-0 loss [to the Carolina Hurricanes Thursday], and they were hungry. We didn’t match that in the first, I thought we did in the second, and then it’s too late in the third.”
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