Condon will start in net and Pageau returns for Senators, but Marchand sits out for Bruins
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Mike Condon will start in goal and Jean-Gabriel Pageau will return to the lineup as the slumping Ottawa Senators try to slow down the high-flying Boston Bruins on Thursday night.
The Senators, third last in the National Hockey League’s overall standings, have lost four in a row since returning from their bye week, including defeats against the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues earlier this week.
The Bruins have gone 17 consecutive games without a regulation-time loss. Back on Nov. 15, the Senators led the Bruins by three points for second spot in the Atlantic Division.
Since then, the Bruins have delivered 28 more points than the Senators and moved within five points of the division-leading Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Bruins will, however, have to do without leading scorer Brad Marchand. He was suspended for five games Wednesday after delivering an elbow to the head of the New Jersey Devils’ Marcus Johansson in a game on Tuesday night.
“The last thing I wanted to do was hurt my teammates, and that’s what I did,” Marchand said following the Bruins’ morning skate on Thursday. “I respect the league’s decision.”
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