Boston: Craig Anderson stopped 28 shots in regulation and overtime and three more in the shootout on Thursday to help the Ottawa Senators clinch a play-off spot by beating Boston 2-1, ending the Bruins’ six-game winning streak and pulling ahead of them in the Atlantic Division standings.
Kyle Turris scored the only goal in the shootout. Anderson stopped Drew Stafford, who scored Boston’s only regulation goal, and Ryan Spooner before straddling the goalpost to turn away David Pastrnak’s attempt at the end.
Tuukka Rask stopped 25 shots for Boston, who went 0-4 against Ottawa this season. The Senators had never swept the Bruins in a season series.
Ottawa, who got a goal in the second from Alexandre Burrows, now has 96 points to 95 for Boston after entering the night tied. The Senators still have two games remaining — one more than the Bruins — and also have the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh Penguins clinched home-ice advantage for their first-round playoff series against the Columbus Blue Jackets with a 7-4 victory over the New Jersey Devils.
The Penguins got goals from seven players, two assists from Sidney Crosby — including a spectacular no-look, backhand pass to give Conor Sheary a shot into an open net — and 34 saves from Matt Murray in picking up their 50th win of the season.
The win gave Pittsburgh 111 points — the second-highest total in franchise history. Coupled with Columbus’ 5-4 loss to Winnipeg, the Penguins will finish second ahead of the Blue Jackets in the Metropolitan Division, gaining home-ice for the best-of-7 first-round series.
