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Bruins try to close gap on Senators

Dec 18, 2007 - 1:31 PM Ottawa (21-7-3) at Boston (18-11-3) 7:00 pm EST

BOSTON (Ticker) - The Ottawa Senators are again playing like the team that won 13 of 14 to begin the season.

The Boston Bruins, trailing first-place Ottawa by six points in the Northeast Division, look to close that gap when they host the reigning Eastern Conference champions Tuesday.

Ottawa has outscored the opposition 26-12 in winning its last five games. The recent run of success for Ottawa, 10-2-2 on the road, follows a seven-game skid.

Ottawa has scored first in 20 of its 31 games and has an 18-1-1 record in those games. Center Mike Fisher suffered a strained oblique muscle in the first period of Saturday's 7-3 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers and is not expected to be with the team for this two-game road trip, which concludes Thursday at Atlanta.

The Senators are already missing defenseman Anton Volchenkov (broken finger) and forward Patrick Eaves (separated shoulder), a valuable contributor up front.

Boston comes into the game having won four of its last five, all with Alex Auld in goal. Acquired from the Phoenix Coyotes on December 6 after starting goalie Tim Thomas went down with a strained groin, Auld has a 1.40 goals-against average for the Bruins.

Thomas was activated after Auld posted his first shutout for Boston - a 2-0 victory over Columbus on Saturday. The Bruins entered the game with the NHL's worst penalty-killing percentage, but held Columbus scoreless in five chances, including one in the closing 2 1/2 minutes.

The Bruins are 0-1-1 is the season series with Ottawa, a squad they face eight times.