For the Boston Bruins' sake, they better hope Monday night is one of the worst games they'll play all season and not a sign of things to come.
The Bruins were completely uncompetitive pretty much from the start en route to a 4-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators that left the fans at TD Garden with nothing to do but boo the home team.
The problems started with sloppy play from team leaders. On the Bruins' first power play of the night, captain David Pastrnak gave the puck away twice, with the second leading to a 2-on-1 the other way and a shorthanded goal for Tim Stutzle.
At the end of that same power play, alternate captain Hampus Lindholm gave the puck right to Stutzle for another 2-on-1, and another goal for Stutzle that technically came just after the power play ended. The Bruins' power play is now 0-for-10 on the season with a shorthanded goal against.
David Pastrnak on the Bruins’ power-play struggles: “Obviously a lot has to do with confidence. We just have to find it. We proved that we can be a good power play last year, so we just have to get back to it. And like I said, I think mainly it’s the confidence.” https://t.co/Z274cTtCwq
— Scott McLaughlin (@smclaughlin9) October 6, 2026
The veterans weren't alone in giving this one away, though. The Bruins' second power play of the night came to a screeching halt when rookie James Hagens took a slashing penalty. Just seven seconds later, Matt Poitras, making his season debut, took a tripping penalty, setting up what would eventually be 1:42 of a 5-on-3 power play for Ottawa. Boston, to its credit, did actually manage to kill that off.
Hagens got in trouble again early in the second period, though. He got caught out for a long shift and then failed to get the puck deep before going off for an ill-timed change. The Senators turned the puck right back up ice and Drake Batherson scored on a breakaway to make it 3-0.
Four minutes later, as they struggled to maintain any possession at all, the Bruins got caught scrambling in their own zone and eventually suffered a breakdown that left Michael Amadio alone in front for a fourth Senators goal.
Bruins coach Marco Sturm called a timeout at that point, with 34 minutes still left in the game, but it was already too late. The fans knew it, and commenced their booing accordingly. Four-goal comebacks aren't going to happen often, and especially not when a team is struggling as much as the Bruins were to create anything offensively. Hagens got one back in the third with his second career goal, but that was it.
Hagens put a lot of blame on himself after the game, calling his performance "unacceptable." Sturm, meanwhile, said it was a game for young players to "learn the hard way" while also pointing out that the Bruins needed everyone to be a lot better, not just the kids.
Hagens on his game tonight:“Personally, I was a big reason for a couple of those goals going in. I have to be a lot better. That’s unacceptable on my end.” https://t.co/tDb2nInEUY
— Bridgette Proulx (@bridgetteproulx) October 6, 2026
Sturm on Hagens and the young guys:“Yes, he probably had a tough night like anyone else, but I won’t blame him, he’s a kid who needs to learn…“Overall as a group we just have to help those kids out, and the kids have to play better as well. So I won’t blame my young guys for that. They’re kids, they need to learn the hard way sometimes.”
— Bridgette Proulx (@bridgetteproulx) October 6, 2026
Sturm tried some new lines, too. For the second game in a row, he dropped Elias Lindholm off the first line. On Saturday, he moved Fraser Minten up to center Pastrnak and JJ Peterka. On Monday, he put Pavel Zacha between Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie.
Sturm said after Monday's morning skate that he "really liked" the Bruins' 5-on-5 play through the first three games of the season, hence why he wasn't touching his line combinations too much. That certainly can't be the case after Monday, though, as the Bruins got crushed at 5-on-5 – as well as on special teams – in this one. At 5-on-5, the Senators led 23-13 in shots on goal, 10-6 in high-danger chances, and 3-1 in goals.
The loss hurts even a little bit more because, in a weird schedule quirk, this was the Bruins' only divisional game among their first 17 games of the season. Their next divisional matchup isn't until Nov. 8 against Florida.
The Bruins have a day off Tuesday before returning to the ice for practice on Wednesday ahead of a home tilt with the Utah Mammoth on Thursday. How Sturm tries to spark his team, and with what combinations, will mark an important early-season test.
Nikita Zadorov on the message in the room after the Bruins’ 4-1 loss to Ottawa:“There's no message. Everybody knows. We dropped the ball at home, didn't come ready to play today. You can see it from the first minute of the game. I don't know why.” https://t.co/0xC96RjspU
— WEEI (@WEEI) October 6, 2026
