Senators vs. Bruins: Tim Stützle's Two Quick Strikes Power Ottawa's 4-1 Win in Boston

Boston had the man advantage, a full building and a chance to grab the night by the collar. Tim Stützle grabbed it instead. In a span of 1:43 in the first period at TD Garden on Monday, the Ottawa Senators star scored once while his team was short a man and once more three seconds after the penalty expired, and the Bruins spent the next 50 minutes trying to get a refund on a game they had already handed over.

Stützle finished with two goals and an assist, Michael Amadio had a goal and an assist, Drake Batherson scored, and the Senators beat the Bruins 4-1 to move to 2-0-0. Linus Ullmark and Samuel Ersson combined to stop 18 of the 19 shots they faced, and the only puck that got through was a James Hagens pass that caromed in off a sliding Ersson.

Ottawa Builds the Lead, Boston Bleeds Turnovers

Once the Senators had their two-goal cushion, they played like a team that knew the Bruins were rattled. Boston got another power play at 13:33 when Hayden Hodgson went off for hooking, and again got nothing. By the end of the night the Bruins had 21 giveaways, and the Senators cashed in on the expensive ones.

The second period started with one of them. Stützle forced a turnover in his own end, hit Batherson with a pass in stride, and Batherson went in alone and tucked a backhand past Jeremy Swayman 66 seconds in. It was 3-0, and Stützle had now been involved in every Ottawa goal.

At 5:19, another failed Boston breakout became a 4-0 hole. Shane Pinto spotted Amadio in the low slot without looking, and Amadio hammered a one-timer home. Bruins coach Marco Sturm burned his timeout right after, which is the hockey version of typing can we start over? into a group chat.

The only real scare for Ottawa came during the second, when JJ Peterka crashed into Ullmark in the crease. The former Bruin finished the period but stayed on the bench for the third. "He kind of tweaked something, a little bit," Ottawa coach Travis Green said. "So, precautionary."

Ersson, acquired from Toronto in a June 26 trade, made his Senators debut in relief. Boston finally broke through at 3:30 of the third when Ersson misplayed the puck in the corner and Hagens' centering feed, meant for Matthew Poitras, deflected in off the goalie. It was Hagens' second goal of the season. Ersson then shut the door, making eight saves in the period. The game ended with Nikita Zadorov called for interference on Nick Cousins with four seconds left, and misconducts to Zadorov, Cousins and Tanner Jeannot.

Stützle Joins His Rival Coach in Rare Company

The two goals were Stützle's first and second of the season, and according to NHL.com they pushed his career total to 151, making him the fourth German player to reach the 150-goal mark. The others: Leon Draisaitl, Jochen Hecht and, awkwardly for Boston, Sturm himself. Getting added to a club whose member is drawing up plays on the opposing bench is a very specific kind of flex.

Stützle logged 18:56, went plus-3 and set up the Batherson breakaway, and Batherson was quick to share the credit. "He made a really good read on the play, and Amadio made a great play on that first one, too," Batherson said.

Stützle, naturally, handed all the credit to the group. "Just another great team effort," he said. "All four lines, every single D, we played together as a group, fought for each other, so it was a big team win."

Amadio was the quiet second star: a goal, an assist and a plus-3 in 15:44, plus the pick that started the whole avalanche. Ullmark, meanwhile, stopped all 10 shots he saw in two periods. NHL.com noted he became the first Senators goaltender to win the team's first two games of a season since Craig Anderson in 2016-17.

The Penalty Kill That Became a Power Play

Rewind to 7:19 of the first. Warren Foegele went off for interference, and Boston had a chance to take control. Twenty seconds later, the Bruins botched a play in the offensive zone, Amadio picked off the pass, and Ottawa was off on a 2-on-1. Amadio fed Stützle at the right hash marks and he snapped a one-timer high on Swayman's stick side.

That goal flipped the energy. Boston did not score on the rest of that advantage, and three seconds after it expired, Stützle jumped another pass and broke in on a second 2-on-1. He fanned on his first attempt, kept the puck and still found the short side at 9:22. Two minutes of Boston power play, plus three seconds of grace, and two Ottawa goals. Pastrnak and company never got the momentum back.

Stats That Matter

• 0-for-10: Boston's power play through four games, per NHL.com, after going 0-for-4 on Monday.
• 18 of 19: Shots stopped by Ullmark and Ersson combined.
• 24-19: Ottawa's edge in shots on goal, despite going 0-for-4 on its own power play.
• 21 to 14: Bruins giveaways versus Senators giveaways, and the costly ones turned into goals.
• 3 points: Stützle's line, with a hand in three of Ottawa's four goals.

Two Teams Headed Opposite Directions

Ottawa is 2-0-0 after opening with a 3-2 win at Toronto, and both wins came on the road. The Senators visit Detroit on Tuesday. Amadio liked what he saw from the shorthanded units in particular. "We're building our confidence on the kill," he said.

Boston, meanwhile, has dropped two straight after a 2-0-0 start, losing 4-1 at Minnesota on Saturday and 4-1 here. The Bruins are 2-2-0, 1-1-0 at home, and the vibes in the room were not great. "We dropped the ball at home today," defenseman Nikita Zadorov said. "Didn't come ready to play today, we can see it from the first minute of the game. I don't know why."

Sturm, asked about the power play, did not sugarcoat it. "It's a good question. I really don't know," he said, before adding later, "Honestly, I have no idea why. I really don't." Captain David Pastrnak pointed at the mental side. "Obviously a lot has to do with confidence," he said.

Closing Take

Boston's power play right now is a phone stuck on the spinning wheel: everybody remembers it used to work, and nobody can figure out why it will not load. Utah comes to TD Garden on Thursday. If the man advantage stays frozen, the Bruins might want to try turning it off and on again.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Postgame quotes and game notes from NHL.com; additional details as reported by the Associated Press.