Surging Bruins set for latest clash with Senators

Although first-year coach Marco Sturm did not want to say his team was turning a corner, the Boston Bruins' four-game winning streak has optimism soaring in advance of a home game against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday

The Bruins are coming off a 4-3 road victory over the New York Islanders on Tuesday when they rallied from three separate one-goal deficits and bumped above the .500 mark at 8-7-1 on the season.

Marat Khusnutdinov scored both a game-tying goal to force overtime and the lone goal in the shootout.

"It shows the character in our room," Sturm said after the Bruins further distanced themselves from a six-game losing streak last month. "We made some mistakes, but I'm glad we came back and won the game."

The 23-year-old Khusnutdinov had been a major bright spot in Boston's lineup of late, even before Tuesday's heroics. He earned a promotion to the top line alongside David Pastrnak and scored the overtime winner last Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres.

Khusnutdinov's breakout after being a healthy scratch in five of the first 10 games has come in the absence of Elias Lindholm (lower body), who remains week-to-week.

"He keeps that mindset of happiness, gratefulness, gratitude, and he's getting rewarded for it. We're happy to see that," Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman said.

Against the Islanders, a late-game spark came from 21-year-old Fraser Minten, who was bumped up to the middle of a line with Pastrnak and Khusnutdinov. Minten played 25 NHL games prior to this season.

"Sometimes it's my gut, but to tell you the truth, I knew that was coming. I just didn't know it was that early," Sturm said. "Could we see (that line) again? Absolutely. It gives me another option."

The Senators have been idle all week in between two stretches of six games in 10 days. The trip to Boston marks their first game since a 4-3 overtime loss at the rival Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.

Ottawa had won four of five games prior to the loss, but is now winless in regulation (1-1-1) since a 7-2 blowout over Boston on Oct. 27. The divisional rival Senators and Bruins also play next Thursday in Ottawa, capping a 18-day stretch which includes three of their four season series meetings.

"One of the things we talk about is just playing your game," Senators coach Travis Green said. "Whether you're up or down, don't change your game. I think that's one of our strengths. When we're playing well, our game doesn't change a lot."

Captain Brady Tkachuk was absent from Ottawa's lineup in the first clash with Boston and is expected to be out for approximately six more weeks following surgery to repair a torn thumb ligament.

Drake Batherson has played well in Tkachuk's absence, scoring three goals with eight points in his last four games alone. He earned NHL Second Star of the Week honors.

Batherson had a goal and an assist against Montreal, which marked his fourth multi-point effort during a five-game point streak. Tim Stutzle and Nick Cousins have been his most regular linemates since Tkachuk went out on Oct. 18.

"Right now I feel like I'm getting my legs back and just trying to play free, and play with my instincts, and I think it's been working," Batherson said. "I'm not thinking too much. I'm trying to hunt pucks down and turn them over. That's when I'm playing my best, just putting pressure on (the defense)."