It's rare for a single goal to cement a five-game winning streak while also extending a losing stretch to five games, but that's exactly what happened on Thursday night.
When the horn sounded to end the Boston Bruins' 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators, Jake DeBrusk's third-period goal stood as the game winner. The 21-year-old rookie tallied the go-ahead marker at 8:41 of the final frame, putting the Bruins out in front for the final time in a back-and-forth contest against the struggling Sens.
DeBrusk's goal gave Boston its fifth-straight victory while also dooming the Senators to their fifth-consecutive loss, as the two Atlantic Division foes continue to head in opposite directions.
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Perhaps fittingly, the goal was equal parts determination by DeBrusk and bad luck on Ottawa goaltender Mike Condon's part. The Bruins' forward benefited from a fortuitous bounce to set up his bad-angle shot, which then caromed off Condon's blocker and into the net.
Boston (29-10-8) is second in the Eastern Conference, behind the Atlantic Division-leading Tampa Bay Lightning. The Senators (15-23-9) are second-bottom in both the division and conference.