The Boston Bruins suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday evening at the hands of the Minnesota Wild, while the Ottawa Senators played only their first game of the year against their rival Toronto Maple Leafs. The Bruins won their first two games against the New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets, which was an impressive start to the season without Charlie McAvoy.
The Bruins lack defensive depth with McAvoy serving a six-game suspension, and the team hopes to get through the stretch relatively unscathed. The Senators, facing their own roster changes with Brady Tkachuk leaving in the offseason, didn't seem to miss their former captain much in a 3-2 win over the Maple Leafs.
The Senators had a great start to the season, including 4.1 expected goals against the Maple Leafs, who are a better defensive team this season than last. However, the team will also miss its top defenseman, Jake Sanderson, due to injury, which evens out the effect of McAvoy’s absence. Jeremy Swayman returns to the Bruins’ crease on Monday, which sets up a great goaltending matchup with former teammate Linus Ullmark. The 5.5 total is justified thanks to that, but these teams find a way to combine for at least six goals on Monday night.
Senators vs Bruins prediction: Over 5.5 (-125) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.
