Strictly looking at the boxscore, you may be tempted to think the Sens got away with one against the Boston Bruins. But nothing could be further from the truth.



The fact is the Senators spent a large part of the game in the Bruins' offensive zone. The 33-23 shots on goal in favour of Boston don't tell the whole story. Boston is a team known for folding back beautifully around the net and denying shooting lanes. But make no mistake, the Senators attack was there. Heck, both Alex Kovalev  and Erik Karlsson rang pucks off the posts and those don't even count as shots on goal.

Jason Spezza got a goal on his first game back, a patented laser-guided bullet high on the blocker side that was nigh impossible to stop, and that put the game out of reach for the Bruins. That's now four forwards who've come back from the injured list to score in their first game. Nick Foligno was the first on December 30, then Daniel Alfredsson, Milan Michalek and now Jason Spezza, all in the same week.

Once again, the whole team participated. Karlsson had one of his better games and participated in the attack, even though he wasn't rewarded on the scoresheet. Yes, he still goes right to the ice when he gets checked, but he's smart enough and tough enough to take the check and still make a smart play out of it most of the time.

Also good was Brian Elliott who was very positionally savvy, and technically sound. His rebound control still leaves a tad to be desired, but Elliott reminds us that there's no need for acrobatics if you're at the right spot at the right time. Simple, low key, and efficient goaltending. Kudos for that.

The only line that disappointed was the line that usually fights the hardest, but Chris Neil, Jarkko Ruutu and  Chris Kelly  seemed to be unable to stymie the Boston defense this time.

The Senators have now accomplished their task of distancing themselves from the pack, and are now only three points away from the Penguins. The Ottawa boys face the New Jersey Devils next who've had a mixed record of late. The Devils are 5-5-0 in their last ten games. This will be  a great test for the Sens.