3 Stars: Sens deny Bruins of best start in 32 years

The Bruins knew the odds were against them Tuesday night in Ottawa.

But even so, they probably didn’t see what unfolded at the Canadian Tire Centre happening, as the Senators hung a seven-spot on the Bruins’ tandem of Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark and denied the Black and Gold what would’ve been their first 4-0-0 start since 1990.

The goals came fast and furious for the Sens in this one, too, as they dropped three on Swayman in a 12:10 stretch in the opening frame, and they dropped another three on Swayman in just 4:32 in the second period.

The Bruins, for what it’s worth, did their best to hang with the Senators, and ultimately put five goals by Anton Forsberg in the losing effort, as the Bruins were unable to hit six before Ottawa hit seven on the scoreboard.

Here are the 98.5 The Sports Hub dot com three stars of the evening from the first loss of the season…

No. 3 Star: Tim Stützle

OTTAWA, ONTARIO – APRIL 16: Tim Stützle #18 of the Ottawa Senators celebrates his third period goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs with his teammates on the bench at Canadian Tire Centre on April 16, 2022. (Chris Tanouye/Getty Images)

The No. 3 overall pick from the 2020 NHL Draft, Stützle welcomed himself to home ice with one goal and two assists in just over 18 minutes of time on ice in the winning effort.

While Stützle’s goal was merely the fifth of a seven-goal night, his pair of first-period helpers really helped set the tone for the Sens in what was a relentless barrage on the Boston net.

The German forward is also showing signs of being a budding ‘Bruins Killer,’ with three goals and seven points in five career head-to-heads with Boston.

No. 2 Star: Patrice Bergeron

Oct 18, 2022; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron (37) celebrates with team his goal scored in the first period against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. (Marc DesRosiers/USA TODAY Sports)

Not a whole lot went right for the Bruins in this game. But as always, the Bruins consistently found themselves building towards something positive (a goal) whenever Patrice Bergeron was out there.

Deployed for 16:05, Bergeron finished the losing effort with a goal and three points, and helped kickstart Boston’s first comeback attempt with a putaway finish on Forsberg at the 17-minute mark of the opening frame.

The 37-year-old’s goal also moved Bergeron out of a tie with Rick Middleton and into sole possession of third place on the team’s all-time goals list, with 403. Next up on the list for Bergeron? Phil Esposito (459) and Johnny Bucyk (545). Bucyk is likely out of reach, but Esposito could and borderline should be within striking distance should Bergeron stay healthy and decide to return for the 2023-24 season.

Bergeron also paced the Bruins with seven shots on goal in the losing effort, and the Bruins held an on-ice shot advantage of 10-4 during Bergeron’s 10:31 of five-on-five ice-time, compared to a 25-12 shot advantage favoring Ottawa with Bergeron not on the ice at five-on-five play.

No. 1 Star: Brady Tkachuk

Oct 18, 2022; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators left wing Brady Tkachuk (7) celebrates his goal scored in the first period against the Boston Bruins at the Canadian Tire Centre. (Marc DesRosiers/USA TODAY Sports)

These Tkachuk boys — the Bruins had to deal with Matthew, now in Florida, on Monday night before moving on to Brady’s team on Tuesday — are going to be a thorn in the Bruins’ sides for years to come, huh?

Ottawa’s captain certainly led by example in this contest, with one goal, three points, and a team-leading five hits in a highly efficient 17:33 of play. Tkachuk was also the Sens’ most dominant possession forward, with a forward-leading 60.87 corsi-for percentage.