NHL teams
Joe McDonald, ESPN Staff Writer 8y

Rapid Reaction: Ottawa Senators 6, Boston Bruins 1

BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins lost their most important game of the season without No. 1 goalie Tuukka Rask, who was sidelined with an illness. As a result, the Ottawa Senators defeated the Bruins 6-1 in Game No. 82 as Boston's postseason chances continue to dwindle.

What it means: The Bruins could still back into the playoffs if the Philadelphia Flyers get fewer than two points in their final two games. Philadelphia faces the Penguins Saturday afternoon at 3 ET and the Islanders Sunday night. If the Bruins fail to earn a postseason berth, it could be the end of coach Claude Julien's tenure in Boston. If that's the case, it won't be long before he's hired elsewhere. It also could mean the end of Loui Eriksson's time in Boston. The veteran forward becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1. What makes Boston's loss on Saturday even worse for Bruins fans is that the New York Rangers defeated the Detroit Red Wings 3-2. Had the Bruins won, they would have been in the playoffs. As a result of the Bruins' loss, the Red Wings extended their record streak of qualifying for the playoffs.

How it happened: The Senators played the role of possible spoiler. With backup Jonas Gustavsson in net, the Bruins gained a 1-0 lead but the Senators scored six unanswered goals en route to victory. The Senators received a pair of goals from Zack Smith, including an empty-netter, while teammates Chris Neil, Matt Puempel, Mika Zibanejad and Jean-Gabriel Pageau (empty-netter) scored one goal each. David Pastrnak scored the lone goal for the Bruins. Ottawa goalie Andrew Hammond made 39 saves.

Player of the game: Neil's willingness to get into the dirty areas and shovel the puck under Gustavsson at 1:42 of the second period tied the score at 1-1 and gave Ottawa the momentum it needed en route to three more goals in the second.

Stat of the game: After allowing only two shots in the final 33 minutes of Thursday's 5-2 win over the Red Wings, the Bruins surrendered 29 shots in the first 30 minutes against the Senators. That didn't bode well for Boston's chances to win and Ottawa had a 4-1 lead after two periods.

What's next: It's a wait-and-see scenario for the Bruins, while the 2015-16 season is over for the Senators.

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