subject: Boston Bruins Tickets - Bruins Shutout Senators 2-0 [print this page] Tim Thomas made 29 saves, Patrice Bergeron and Marco Sturm scored in the third period, and the Boston Bruins registered their fourth shutout of the season and 10th straight victory over the Ottawa Senators with a 2-0 win on December 21. Get Boston Bruins tickets and see Thomas rob some of the best forwards in the game. Thomas, who won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender in 2008-09, improved his record this season to 8-8-5 with his 16th career shutout.
Thomas didn't know it was his 10th win in a row against the Senators. He said, "Oh, that's ten in a row? I had no idea. I didn't know it was like that. I don't know-you know, I like the nice crisp air when we come visit here. When you step outside the hotel I think this has the cleanest-smelling air around, I don't know if that has something to do with it."
Boston's Shawn Thornton stripped the puck from Ottawa's Josh Hennesy in the Senators' zone and fired a long shot from the right side. Ottawa goaltender Brian Elliot kicked out a rebound, but Bergeron quickly recorded Boston's first goal 3:19 into the third period. Bergeron put Thornton's shot past Elliott for his ninth goal of the season. After the game, the forward gave Thornton credit for creating the play.
Bergeron said, "That was a great forecheck from Shawn, he made that play in the middle to cut that pass and then a great shot. If you put the puck to the net and there are some guys there to get the rebounds something's going to happen, and I was lucky enough to be right there to get the rebound."
Sturm gave Boston a 2-0 lead when he got behind Ottawa defenseman Alexandre Picard and ripped a shot past Elliot at 13:07. It was his 10th goal of the season. Boston ended an 0-2-2 skid and moved past Ottawa into second place in the Northeast Division with 41 points, one ahead of the Senators.
Boston's injury prone defense has suffered this season. Dennis Wideman returned to the line-up after missing two games due to an undisclosed injury. Derek Morris, whose injury is also unknown, missed his second consecutive game while Mark Stuart remains sidelined with a broken sternum.
Elliott made 27 saves in his 15th start in the past 16 games while No. 1 goalie Pascal Leclaire recovers from a broken jaw. The Senators have dropped three of five and are 5-7-1 in their past 13 games.
Boston captain Zdeno Chara, who assisted on Sturm's goal, acknowledged that Elliott and Thomas played well. The 6-foot-9, 255 pound defenseman stated, "I think both goalies played extremely well. It was a really tight game and we just stayed patient and eventually scored those goals." The Bruins have not lost five in a row since a six-game losing streak in December 2007.
Although Ottawa lost the game, the evening wasn't a loss for Senators' Mike Fisher, who confirmed his engagement to singer Carrie Underwood earlier in the day.
