The Boston Bruins were unable to overcome an early deficit in a 4-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators at TD Garden on Monday night, extending their struggles on the power play. The Senators built a 2-0 lead within the first 10 minutes, capitalizing on two goals by Tim Stützle, including a shorthanded tally and another scored shortly thereafter during the Bruins’ power play. Stützle, 24, who ranks first in points among the 2020 draft class, now has 151 goals in 449 career games.
Boston’s special teams issues continued as the Bruins failed to convert on their power plays, going 0-for-4 on Monday and 0-for-10 overall this season. Head coach Jim Sturm described the power play’s performance as “a mess from the start” and indicated the team needs to improve its effectiveness on special teams despite solid even-strength play over the first three games. The penalty kill, by contrast, was more successful, stopping all four Ottawa attempts and bringing its season rate to 72.7 percent.
Sturm made several lineup changes ahead of the game in an effort to find a spark. Rookie defenseman Frederic Brunet made his first appearance of the season, drawn in on the third defensive pairing alongside Mason Lohrei. Brunet, 23, has spent most of the season with the Providence Bruins of the AHL but is seen by management as a player with potential to assume a larger role. “I think starting at home is going to be a good experience for me,” Brunet said. Sturm planned to ease him into responsibilities, particularly 5-on-5 situations, but shifted Brunet onto the first power-play unit during the second period in search of a turnaround.
On the forward lines, Matt Poitras, the Bruins’ 2023 training camp standout, returned to the lineup for his 70th NHL game. Poitras took the place of Sean Kuraly on the fourth line, centering Tanner Jeannot and Mark Kastelic. Sturm acknowledged Kuraly’s frustration at being sidelined and said the veteran forward will continue to compete for playing time. Kuraly, 33, has played 647 NHL games over seven seasons with Boston and is in the final year of a contract paying $1.85 million annually.
Despite the adjustments, the Bruins were unable to stem the Senators’ momentum. Ottawa extended its lead to 4-0 early in the second period before Boston scored a consolation goal in the final frame. Sturm called a timeout after the third Ottawa goal in an effort to regroup, but the deficit proved too large to overcome. The defeat highlighted the Bruins’ continuing challenges with special teams execution and raised questions about the integration of new players as the season begins to take shape.