The Montreal Canadiens have gotten back on track, so it remains to be seen if the Ottawa Senators really have a chance to win the Atlantic. Either way, they got a pretty big win on Monday.
Ottawa managed to beat the Boston Bruins in regulation (4-2), strengthening their lead for second in the division while also putting the top spot in reasonable reach:
Atlantic’s top four
1. Canadiens - 82 points in 66 games played
2. Senators - 78 in 64 GP
3. Bruins - 74 in 66 GP
Maple Leafs - 70 in 64 GP
As you can see, this win leaves the Senators comfortably ahead of the Bruins with more points and more games in hand. They also have games in hand to make things interesting with Montreal.
The Bruins, meanwhile, must worry about the Maple Leafs taking the third spot a little bit more after this outcome.
Ottawa is riding some nice play from Alex Burrows (one goal, one assist) along with expected contributions from the likes of Mike Hoffman and Erik Karlsson. Craig Anderson also enjoyed a strong Monday:
Boston has to be pretty happy about the way things have been going lately (including a solid 8-3-0 mark under Bruce Cassidy), but the edge went to Ottawa tonight.