If you were to ask any Bruins fan if they would take a split in the first two games up in Ottawa, a good chunk of them would have said yes.

The way they lost Game 2, however, stung the Hub of Hockey. And it is not sitting well with the Bruins.

#NHLBruins Cassidy, “Not satisfied with split. We were 20 minutes away from being up 2-0. We’re disappointed.”

— Shawn Hutcheon (@ShawnHutcheon) April 15, 2017

On a day where they scored three times in the second period – three days after totaling zero shots in the middle stanza – and in a game where it appeared that the Bruins would overcome another bit of adversity following Adam McQuaid’s injury, Bruce Cassidy saw his team blow a two-goal lead for the first time since he took over as interim coach back in February.

Before long, a pair of third period goals 2:20 apart by Chris Wideman and Derick Brassard – following a great individual effort from Erik Karlsson – evened things up and shifted the momentum towards the Senators.

That momentum carried over into overtime when Dion Phaneuf out of all people fired the game-winner shortly after Zdeno Chara’s penalty expired for shooting the puck over the glass late in the third period. Phaneuf’s first of the postseason 1:59 into the extra session gave the Sens the 3-2 lead and evened the best-of-seven series up at 1-1.

Here is what we learned as the series heads back to Boston for Game 3 on Monday night.

Narritive flips following Game 1

In Game 1, the Sens Twitter account simultaneously poked fun at the Bruins’ second-period shot total and the advanced stats community. Fittingly enough, the Bruins got pucks in deep on Guy Boucher’s 1-3-1 system and bounced back with goals from Frank Vatrano and Brad Marchand to secure the 2-1 win.

All one needed was a trained eye to notice the game was going in the Bruins direction that night. Those trained eyes would also tell you that the script changed for Game 2 following the Bruins’ three-goal second period outburst thanks to Drew Stafford, Tim Schaller (shorthanded) and Patrice Bergeron (power play).

In a sport with its share of ebbs and flows, though, the Sens only needed one to get back into it. They got that with Wideman. Then they got two thanks to Karlsson’s individual effort to keep the puck in, skate to the left side of the blue-line and feed Brassard on the one-timer.

Though they had their chances to regain the lead, the Bruins were mostly stuck in neutral. Then a tired Chara shot the puck over the glass with 12.5 ticks in regulation to set up an Ottawa power play late in the third period and into overtime. In the vulnerable minute, Phaneuf kept the puck in the Sens attacking end on a clear attempt and eventually found space at the point and notched the game-winner.

Game. Set. Match.

A long time coming for MacArthur

From the inspiring play of Craig Anderson after supporting his wife during her cancer treatment to Clarke MacArthur’s road to recovery from a concussion, the Sens have had their share of feel-good stories during the 2016-17 season. On Saturday, MacArthur had his second inspirational moment following his return last week.

Just 1:10 after Stafford’s first goal of the playoffs, MacArthur tied the game up at 1-1 in the second period with his first goal in two years.

After missing nearly 150 games over the last two seasons due to a concussion, MacArthur appears to be back in good spirits. MacArthur’s battle through personal adversity certainly deserves a stick tap throughout the hockey community.

Bruins need bodies to heal and quickly

Already without Colin Miller, Torey Krug, Brandon Carlo, David Krejci and Noel Acciari just to name a few, the last thing the Bruins needed was for another player to be hit by the injury bug. Well, for the fourth straight game, they had to play with five defensemen after McQuaid left the game in the first period due to an upper body injury.

While Krejci and Miller could be close to returning, the Bruins need bodies to heal and quickly. Whether or not they would have to recall someone from Providence like Tommy Cross, Matt Grzelcyk or Rob O’Gara as an extra defenseman at the very least is a question that will be asked over the next 24-48 hours.

Up front, the Bruins are missing Krejci. Even with Stafford’s goal on Saturday, the second line has suffered without him. A noted playoff performer, Krejci’s playmaking ability can help break down the Sens defense both in their neutral zone trap and in the attacking end.

As for the blue-line, the last thing Cassidy needs is to see his bench short of blue-liners. That may be the top thing on his list of wishes he delivers to the Easter Bunny.