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Bruins face Senators while clinging to final playoff spot

Mar 29, 2008 - 10:23 AM Ottawa (42-28-8) at Boston (39-28-10) 1:00 pm EDT

BOSTON (Ticker) -- The Boston Bruins have overcome losing streaks and injured players to stay in the thick of the playoff race.

The Bruins go for their third straight win on Saturday afternoon, when they host the Ottawa Senators in a crucial matchup between Northeast Division rivals.

Boston has bounced back from a dismal 1-3-3 stretch earlier this month by sweeping a home-and-home series with Toronto, effectively eliminating the Maple Leafs from postseason contention in the process.

Six different players scored in a four-goal victory on Tuesday before the Bruins posted a 4-2 triumph on Thursday, ending the Maple Leafs' playoff hopes.

The pair of wins, which came without the services of leading scorer Marc Savard, helped Boston (39-28-10) stay one point behind the Philadelphia Flyers (39-28-11) for seventh place in the Eastern Conference and remain two points ahead of the surging Washington Capitals (39-31-8).

Savard, who has 15 goals and 78 points this season, could return for Saturday's game after sitting out the last two with a broken bone in his back. But Chuck Kobasew, who is second on the team with 22 goals, suffered a fractured left tibia in Tuesday's triumph over Toronto and will miss the next four to eight weeks.

The Senators fell to 2-3-1 over their last six games on Thursday, when the endured a 4-3 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

Despite the setback, Ottawa (42-28-8) still controls fifth place in the East with 92 points, one ahead of the New York Rangers (40-26-11) and one behind the New Jersey Devils (43-28-7).