Chara is sorely missed
Ottawa's top line takes advantage
OTTAWA - For the second straight game, the Bruins were without Zdeno Chara, who remained in Boston, nursing an upper-body injury.
"We all know he's an impact player," said coach Claude Julien. "When you haven't got him, it's a big part of your team out. But our guys just keep battling through that stuff. They don't spend too much time [dwelling on] it. Instead, they look for solutions. That's the kind of attitude to want."
In each previous meeting, Julien matched Chara against Ottawa's top line. Last night, No. 1 winger Dany Heatley (hat trick) and designated disher Jason Spezza (power-play goal) combined for the Senators' four goals, making Chara's absence that much more glaring.
Julien used Dennis Wideman as his No. 1 defenseman, matching the 24-year-old against Spezza's line whenever possible. But Wideman, who was on the ice for three of the four Ottawa goals, didn't have an answer for Spezza and Heatley. He was tagged with a game-high five giveaways.
The Bruins also missed their captain at the other end. Chara has a team-leading nine power-play goals, using his boomer from the point and showing a knack of going backdoor at the right time to shovel pucks into the net.
Last night, the Bruins went 0 for 5 on the power play - the fourth time in five games the power play failed to score. In the second period, Julien altered his No. 2 unit, replacing Phil Kessel, David Krejci, and Chuck Kobasew with Milan Lucic, Glen Metropolit, and P.J. Axelsson.
Then in the third period, Julien shifted his No. 1 unit around as well, replacing Matt Lashoff at the left point with Marc Savard.
"Just to try something new," said Savard. "We're struggling."
Julien said Chara is still considered day to day.
Tricks of the trade
On Feb. 11, more than two weeks before his counterparts acted at the trade deadline, Ottawa general manager Bryan Murray landed two significant pieces, acquiring Mike Commodore and forward Cory Stillman from Carolina for defenseman Joe Corvo and forward Patrick Eaves.
By swiping the rugged Commodore and the skilled Stillman, Murray appeared to have a roster poised to make a deep postseason run. But the Senators have gone only 5-7-3 with Commodore and Stillman in their lineup. Both will be unrestricted free agents following this season.
On the flip side, Carolina GM Jim Rutherford's club has ripped off a 10-2-1 run since the deal. The Hurricanes lead the Southeast Division with 79 points, 7 ahead of Washington and Florida, and seemingly have wrapped up the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Both Corvo and Eaves will remain under Carolina's control next season, while Stillman could sign with his former club after July 1.
Ward checks in
Aaron Ward appeared in his first game since March 3, when he suffered a bruised right foot while blocking a shot. Ward, skating mostly with Andrew Ference, logged 22 shifts for 19:06 of ice time. He appeared to be seriously injured in the first period when he was belted by Anton Volchenkov. The rugged Ottawa defenseman flattened Ward along the wall in center ice, snapping the Bruin backward over the boards. Ward fell to all fours after the hit and struggled to get back to the bench. Play was halted at 17:36, allowing trainer Don DelNegro to help Ward off the ice. The defenseman returned to the bench toward the end of the first period, and played regular shifts for the rest of the game.
C's weren't seen
While Chara was missing for Boston, Ottawa was without its captain as well. Daniel Alfredsson sat out for the fourth straight game with an injured back. He skated on his own after the team's morning skate but wasn't ready for action. The Senators were also without bruiser Chris Neil (knee) . . . Kobasew, who served as Savard's right wing last night, hasn't scored since Feb. 2. Metropolit, the second-line center, hasn't netted a goal since Feb. 5 . . . Every Bruin played at least 10 minutes . . . With Ward back in, Bobby Allen was the healthy scratch. Allen had appeared in the last four games . . . Petteri Nokelainen and Jeremy Reich were the healthy scratches up front . . . Shane Hnidy appeared in his 400th NHL game last night.
Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com
