How quickly can the Bruins put last night’s third period debacle behind them against the Sabres? That is the question of the day as the Black and Gold travel to Ottawa to face the Senators less than 24 hours after blowing a 3-1 lead midway through the final stanza vs. Buffalo.

With the Red Wings victory over the Predators and the Canadiens loss in Washington, Detroit now sits atop the Atlantic Division, while the Bruins enter this afternoon’s game in third place. After Sunday, the B’s will have two games in hand on their Winter Classic opponents while also playing the same amount of games as their other Original Six foes above them in the standings. The Senators, meanwhile, could tie the Black and Gold in the points department with a regulation victory.

Tuukka Rask will get the start for the Bruins in their second game of a back to back. But the Black and Gold will be without the services Torey Krug, who left Saturday’s game against the Sabres midway through the first period with an undisclosed injury. Either Joe Morrow or Zach Trotman will take Krug’s place on the blue-line.

Gametime: 5:00 p.m.
TV/Radio: NESN/100.7 WZLX
Records: Bruins 19-11-4 (42 points), Senators 17-12-6 (40 points)
Location: Canadian Tire Centre

Bruins projected lines

Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Brett Connolly
Matt Beleskey-David Krejci-Loui Eriksson
Frank Vatrano-Ryan Spooner-Jimmy Hayes
Zac Rinaldo-Max Talbot-Landon Ferraro

Zdeno Chara-Adam McQuaid
Dennis Seidenberg-Colin Miller
Joe Morrow/Zach Trotman-Kevan Miller

Tuukka Rask
Jonas Gustavsson

Senators projected lines

Zack Smith-Kyle Turris-Mark Stone
Mike Hoffman-Mika Zibanejad-Alex Chiasson
David Dziurzynski-Jean-Gabriel Pageau-Curtis Lazar
Shane Prince-Ryan Dzingel-Chris Neil

Marc Methot-Erik Karlsson
Patrick Wiercioch-Mark Borowiecki
Jared Cowen-Chris Wideman

Craig Anderson
Andrew Hammond

Matchup to watch: Sens offense vs. Bruins blue-line

Torey Krug’s status is unknown entering today’s matchup with the Senators (Photo by Joe Makarksi: Bruins Daily)

With Krug’s injury, the Bruins blue-line will look much different than it has in the past few weeks. That would mean more minutes for someone like Kevan Miller, whose struggles are well documented in Boston. It could mean an opportunity for Colin Miller to get more playing time.

Either way, Krug’s potential vacancy leaves a hole against a Senators team that enters today with the sixth most goals (102) and averages the fourth-most goals per game (2.91). The Sens have some young talent in their top six, including Mike Hoffman and Mark Stone, and defenseman Erik Karlsson continues to show his offensive prowess as the league’s leading scorer among blue-liners with 38 points (9 goals, 29 assists).

The good news for the Bruins is that Rask will get the start, and after last night’s shaky performance from Jonas Gustavsson, things can only look up. But can the defensemen in front of Tuukka do their job and avoid a repeat performance from yesterday’s third period?

Storyline to watch: Can the Bruins bounce back?

The Bruins look to put yesterday’s third period collapse against the Sabres behind them and finally jump to first place in the Atlantic Division with a win over the Sens. (Photo by Joe Makarski, Bruins Daily)

There’s little time for the Bruins to dwell on their third period collapse less than 24 hours ago, and that may be a good thing as they landed in Ottawa in the early morning. Given their record on the road, the best thing for the Black and Gold is to travel and attempt to get the division lead again on short notice.

Sunday marks the fourth time this year where the Bruins played a back to back. In their second game of that situation, they are 3-0-0, which is quite remarkable given the fatigue factor. We’ll see if that trend continues in their second to last game before their New Year’s Day showdown with the Habs at Gillette Stadium.