Boucher looking for battle-tested lineup as Sens prepare for visiting Bruins

However, Cassidy termed it “maintenance days” and that “we’ll have a better idea tomorrow morning but I do expect them to play”. “We didn’t change our game plan whatsoever, we didn’t want something different at all, but I think we didn’t manage it well mentally”.

The Atlantic Division rivals open their best-of-seven series Wednesday at the Canadian Tire Centre, and Boucher said he’s looking for a playoff-tested lineup that will make sure the Senators get out to a quick start.

Ottawa Senators left wing Ryan Dzingel (18) and Senators center Tommy Wingels (57) look to control the puck in front of New York Islanders goalie Thomas Greiss (1) in the third period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, April 9, 2017, in New York.

“I don’t really think about the ice time or the numbers; I kind of just sit there and wait for Coach to call my name”, McAvoy, who admitted that he was nervous on his first shift, said after the win.

However, public enemy number one and one of the NHL’s most polarizing players (and top scorers) had other ideas. “We knew the odds of us sweeping Boston weren’t very good”.

Fleury was able to keep the door shut long enough for the Penguins to regroup between periods and come out flying in what would turn out to be a three-goal second period. Rather than healing, the last 13 years have given us time to relive every moment over and over in our minds.

Yes, it was just one game, but it usually takes National Hockey League newcomers quite some time to get adjusted to the professional level.

Possible surprise stories: Ottawa’s Clarke MacArthur played the final four games after suffering a horrific concussion in training camp. “That’s an element of his game that he does well and we needed it”.

“We’re not getting it back and you’ve got to move forward and you’ve got to work on what you’ve got to work on to give yourself a chance of winning on Saturday”. “You’re going to have to answer that question until you beat them”. When Brown continued to ask about “a real veteran”, Boucher interrupted him to say, “You want to know if Zinger [Ryan Dzingel] is playing”. It remains to be seen if it will catch up to them, but the presence of Morrow in the lineup indicates it might be time to start getting anxious from a B’s perspective. Fredrik Claesson took Methot’s spot in the lineup. Karlsson’s usual defensive partner, Marc Methot, is likely to miss the first game of the series as he is still dealing with a broken finger from a Sidney Crosby slash. It will be interesting to see if Guy Boucher continues to deploy those five skaters against them in Game 2, or if he decides to go strength on strength and put Erik Karlsson out there. Even Colin Miller, if we moved him up, [Chara] played with him past year. As the game goes on, the team will focus on matchups against the Senators. However, the leadership of Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, Tuukka Rask, and the scoring presence of Brad Marchand will drive the team.

Ideally the Senators would like to see Mark Stone break out of a career-high 16-game goal-less drought. Krug is questionable for game one with a lower-body injury, while Carlo is out for the time being. The Bruins and Sens ranked among the NHL’s most penalized teams this season, so the Sens would be wise to slow the game down and force Boston into an ugly street fight.