After four days without a game, the Ottawa Senators return to action on Thursday night with a road game against the Boston Bruins. On the one hand, after six games in 10 days, the respite from a busy schedule was welcome. On the other hand, they've been playing some good hockey, going 4-1-1 in that six-game stretch, and might have preferred not to interrupt the positive momentum.

But one would imagine there's a heavy preference for the former mindset. With a condensed schedule in an Olympic year that now sees them play six games in 10 days once again, teams are happy to embrace any rest and recovery time that the schedule allows.

As the Montreal Canadiens were on Saturday night, the Bruins will be in foul humour on Thursday, looking to get even. In Montreal's case, they wanted physical revenge for Nick Cousins' slash on star rookie Ivan Demidov. For Boston, they'd like to push back after getting whalloped by the Senators in Ottawa 7-2 on Oct. 27.

The Bruins seem to have used the sting and venom from that loss as fuel. They've ripped off four straight victories since then, beating the New York Islanders twice, and also posting wins over the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes.

Overall, Boston has been a streaky lot in the first month. They won their first 3 games, lost their next six in regulation, and now they've won five of their last six.

The Bruins will welcome back their former star goalie, Linus Ullmark, who won the 2023 Vezina Trophy with the club. That performance has created sky-high expectations in Ottawa that Ullmark has yet to live up to.

Analytics: Can Senators Goalie Linus Ullmark Replace Another Slow Start With Another November Heater? An analyst recently questioned Ullmark's intensity, and Ullmark questioned some aspects of his own offseason prep. Between that and his current numbers, there are goaltending concerns again in Ottawa.

In 130 games over three seasons with the Bruins, Ullmark had an 88-26-10 record, a .924 save percentage, and a 2.28 goals-against average. Sens fans no longer need him to get back to that level.

They're more than ready to settle for something that falls just halfway between his Boston numbers and what he's done for the Sens so far this season, which is allowing 3.41 goals against per game with an .861 save percentage.

Leevi Merilainen guarded the Sens' cage in the recent beatdown of the Bruins, but Ullmark is expected to get the call on Thursday. The veteran won both starts against his old mates last season, making 14 saves in November's 3-2 overtime win, and 22 saves in a 6-3 victory in March.

The Sens lineup remains mostly the same, with newcomer Jordan Spence expected to be a healthy scratch for the ninth time in 14 games.

Face off is 7 pm.