By: Andrew Bluestein | Follow Me On Twitter / X @adbblue

The Boston Bruins defeated the Ottawa Senators 6-2 at TD Garden Tuesday night with a strong third-period performance. After nearly surrendering a three-goal third-period lead against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night, the Bruins learned a lesson and didn’t yield a goal in the final frame of this contest. After scoring twice in 25 seconds early in the third, it was clear that Ottawa lost interest in the hockey game.

The Bruins simplified their game, got pucks in deep, and won puck battles to preserve their lead without issue. Their goaltender, Linus Ullmark, shut the door, and it sealed their third straight victory. The netminder was pleased with the team’s defense in front of him. “We played really well defensively, I felt at least. The third period came, and we really shut it down.”

First Period

The first ten-bell chance of the night came off a point-blank chance by Trent Frederic set up by Morgan Geekie, but Senators goalie Joonas Korpisalo robbed him. Ottawa was able to have some sustained offensive zone time and generated plenty of net-front traffic. The first half of the opening frame did not feature much action. The Bruins woke up after the TD Garden bull gang was busier than either team, and David Pastrnak was the catalyst.

He got the Black and Gold on the board with a beautiful deflection from the hash marks on a Matt Grzelcyk point shot, which made it 1-0. The Bruins’ leading goal scorer soon after notched his second of the night, beating Korpisalo on a fancy backhand move for a 2-0 lead. Boston continued to apply offensive pressure, including creating a few golden opportunities off the rush, but no results were posted. The Bruins protected their net well, making things easy for Ullmark, and had the edge in shots on goal 6-5.

Second Period

Ottawa received the game’s first power play after Johnny Beecher was called for a questionable slashing penalty. With 0:37 seconds left on that minor, Charlie Coyle was called for tripping, creating a five-on-three situation. Despite Ottawa tilting the ice, the Bruins withstood the onslaught much due to the help from Ullmark making some dandies between the pipes.

The Bruins netminder put on a show that included a dazzling glove save to put an exclamation point on the penalty kill. Boston found themselves shorthanded for a third straight time when Andrew Peeke was called for interference. They couldn’t survive this one, however, as Shane Pinto squeaked one by Ullmark to cut the lead in half 2-1.

Boston got their first power play of the night on a Jacob Chychrun interference call. The second power-play unit cashed in, and it was Justin Brazeau who buried a loose rebound on the doorstep to make it 3-1. However, the Bruins got lazy in the final seconds and allowed Ottawa to get one back with just 0:02 left in the period when Brady Tkachuk scored off the rush, making it 3-2. The Senators heavily outshot Boston 23-11.

Third Period

Both teams traded chances off the rush in the first minute, but neither found the back of the net. Just under 5:00 into the period, Pastrnak completed his 17th career NHL hat trick with a beautiful backhand finish, which he touched on in his postgame media availability. “Definitely fun. This one feels special because it was two backhanders and a high tip, and I don’t get many of those.” The goal gave his team a 4-2 advantage. Just 0:25 later, the Bruins extended their lead to 5-2 after Jesper Boqvist finished a great individual rush, tucking the puck by Korpisalo. Kevin Shattenkirk recorded his third assist of the night on the goal.

The Senators slowly started to wear down as the third period went on, with the Bruins putting their foot down, controlling the game. Ottawa checked out of the game down the stretch and disappeared, with Boston controlling time, space, and possession. They had a power play with 2:41 left, and Brazeau potted his second goal on the man advantage, completing his first career multi-goal game for a 6-2 lead.

The rookie spoke about his accomplishments after the win. “It’s nice. It’s a lot of fun. I haven’t played too much winning hockey, so it’s really nice to be a part of, and hopefully continue to be a part of it down the stretch.” The Bruins played a complete game in the third period and didn’t stop playing until the final siren, which earned them a comfortable victory.

Up Next

Next, the Bruins will wrap up their three-game home stand against the New York Rangers at TD Garden on Thursday night. It will be a 7:00 p.m. puck drop and will be the third and final meeting between the teams this season. The Rangers won the first game 7-4 and the second game 2-1 in overtime.