With just four points dividing the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins in the battle for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, it was fair to expect their game tonight to be a good one. Few would have predicted this eventful of a start though.
Kyle Turris needed just 19 seconds to give the Ottawa Senators a 1-0 lead thanks to a juicy rebound surrendered by Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask.
Ottawa didn’t get to enjoy the lead for long as Boston forward Carl Soderberg even the score less than a minute into the contest. Senators goaltender Andrew Hammond, who briefly left the ice just before the start of play due to a minor skate issue, didn’t look particularly good on this one.
Ryan Spooner netted his fourth goal of the season at 4:04 to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead.
Hammond has tied a 76-year-old record by allowing less than three goals in each of his first 12 career starts. If he wants to claim sole possession of that record, he’ll need to be perfect for the remainder of the game.
Of course, given the importance of this game for Ottawa, he doesn’t need to look to the record books to find reasons to stay motivated.