OTTAWA, Ontario — In a matchup of teams fighting for position at the tail end of the Eastern Conference playoff structure, the Bruins dropped a 6-5 shootout decision to the Senators on Saturday at Canadian Tire Centre.

It was an electric game with intensity that matched the atmosphere at Canadian Tire Centre as the Ottawa Senators defeated the Boston Bruins 6-5 in the shootout.

In a pivotal divisional game, the Ottawa Senators had one of their shakiest defensive games in quite some time. Their offensive game was phenomenal, though, as they were able to come away with a big 6-5 win.

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Down 5-3 to the rival Boston Bruins with the goalie pulled, the Senators scored twice in the final four minutes to tie the game, then won it 6-5 in the shootout. The victory, for the time being, moves Ottawa into the first Wild Card position (WC1) in the Eastern Conference, now tied in points with Columbus and Boston.

The Boston Bruins have a 22-18-4 record over 46 games for 49 points and a 53.3% winning percentage. The Ottawa Senators (and ugh... Montréal Canadiens) have a 22-18-4 record over 44 games for 48 points and a 54.5% winning percentage.

The Bruins fell to the Senators in a heartbreaker on Saturday after winning two straight games. Read more on Boston.com.

With the early lead, the Sens kept the pressure up. Around the 7 minute mark, Norris beat Swayman clean... but couldn't beat the post. The Bruins were lucky to not be down 2-0, but that wouldn't last long.

Tim Stutzle scored the only goal in the shootout and had a goal and an assist, Norris scored twice, and Merilainen made 23 saves for the Senators (23-18-4), who are 4-0-1 in their past five games.

The Isles earned the game's first powerplay, but that PP looked every bit like a unit that's converting at a 10.6% clip on the season and is 0 for their last 24. Unfortunately, the Isles did take over momentum and proceeded to get the final 7 shots of the period, but they couldn't score.