The Boston Bruins’ seven-game winning streak came to a screeching halt on Thursday night in a heart-wrenching 5-3 loss to the Ottawa Senators, and defenseman Hampus Lindholm didn’t hold back in expressing his frustration. After a valiant effort to fight back from a 3-1 deficit in the third period, the Bruins allowed the Senators to regain the lead, ultimately sealing the game with an empty-net goal.
In the postgame interview, Lindholm was candid about why the loss stung so much. “We let this one slip away. A game we should’ve won,” he said, visibly frustrated. “We made too many mistakes, and now we have to learn from it — we won’t let this happen again.” The veteran defenseman knows this isn’t the kind of game the Bruins can afford to drop if they’re going to stay at the top of the NHL standings.
Lindholm took responsibility for the final goal, acknowledging his role in the breakdown. “The last goal, the team needed to do a better job, myself there, too,” he admitted. “We had a lot of fight back throughout the game, but the goals they got were a lot on ourselves. So, at least we can tighten that up. I think we’re playing some good hockey right now. I try not to get too low after a game like this, but it’s frustrating. It’s a game we should’ve won or at least had a point. Just have to learn from it.”
While the Bruins showed resilience by tying the game at 3-3 after falling behind early in the third, Lindholm pointed out that their lack of discipline was a major factor in the defeat. “We knew they were coming out hard. Obviously not ideal to start killing right away. They’re good on the power play, and they got some momentum there. We have to play a little smarter,” Lindholm noted, stressing the need to avoid mistakes that give opponents the upper hand.
Despite the loss, Lindholm’s outlook remains determined. “We’ve been playing good hockey, and it’s important not to get too low after a loss like this,” he said. “We’ll learn from it and come back stronger in the next one.”
This loss, though frustrating, highlights the Bruins’ resolve to bounce back — and their willingness to face their mistakes head-on. With Lindholm’s leadership and a team full of talent, the Bruins are sure to learn from this tough defeat and come out with even more fire in their next game.
The Bruins may have stumbled in Ottawa, but with Lindholm’s mindset and determination, expect them to rise back to the challenge in their next matchup.
Nathaniel Lowe is expected to be cut loose by the Red Sox this week. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)AP
The Red Sox have some roster cleanup due this week, with Tuesday marking the date by which teams need to add eligible prospects to their 40-man rosters to protect them from the Rule 5 draft and Friday representing the annual non-tender deadline for arbitration-eligible players. Don’t expect Boston to clear a roster spot by cutting bait with a homegrown former All-Star starter, though.
At this point, Boston is unlikely to non-tender injured righty Tanner Houck, multiple sources said Monday. With a 40-man roster crunch coming, there was some thought that cutting bait with Houck was possible due to his current situation. Houck, who took home $3.95 million in 2025, is projected (by MLBTradeRumors’ widely used model) to take home the same salary in 2026, but is expected to miss most if not all of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August. Considering the 2027 season is in jeopardy due to labor tensions and Houck is set to hit free agency after that year, the possibility existed that the Red Sox could non-tender (release) Houck into free agency to save a bit of money knowing he won’t be ready to pitch for most of 2026. But sources indicate the Red Sox plan to tender him a contract.
It’s unclear if the sides have talked about a creative long-term deal. Tendering Houck a contract would keep him under club control ahead of negotiations to avoid arbitration and set a 2026 salary later in the winter.
By Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, teams must add eligible prospects to their 40-man rosters to protect them from being poached in next month’s Rule 5 draft. The Red Sox, who have a full 40-man roster, don’t have a long list of candidates but are expected to make at least a move or two. Right-handed prospect David Sandlin is a virtual lock to be added, requiring at least one 40-man roster spot to be cleared. Lefties Shane Drohan and Hayden Mullins, righties Yordanny Monegro (injured) and Jedixson Paez and outfielder Miguel Bleis are among the other potential Rule 5 candidates in the organization. If the Red Sox want to make sure any of those players aren’t taken in the Rule 5 draft, they can add them. Doing so would require spots to be cleared.
Any roster spots that need to be cleared for prospect additions need to be opened simultaneously Tuesday, which is a day when small trades are usually made throughout baseball. Therefore, the Red Sox could get a jump on the Friday non-tender deadline (set for 8 p.m. ET) by moving on from players four days early. The non-tender date represents an opportunity for teams to cut bait with arbitration-eligible and pre-arbitration-eligible players and send them into free agency. The Red Sox, unlike in previous years, could be busy on non-tender day.
The most obvious non-tender candidate on the roster is first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, who is projected to earn $13.5 million in 2026. That mark represents much more than what he’d get on the open market after a down season that included him being cut by the Nationals. Lowe will almost certainly be lopped off the roster but could re-sign at a lower rate as he tests the open market. Boston is anticipating the healthy return of Triston Casas next season and is looking to upgrade the first base position via free agency or trade.
The Red Sox have seven other arbitration-eligible players and are certain to retain Kutter Crawford, Romy Gonzalez, Triston Casas and Brennan Bernardino at their low projected numbers. Connor Wong, who is projected to make $1.6 million in 2026, is expected to be tendered after Craig Breslow gave him a vote of confidence last week. Cooper Criswell already agreed to a one-year, $800,000 deal for 2026, removing him from non-tender consideration.
In addition to Lowe, the Red Sox could cut bait with some younger players on the roster. Righty Josh Winckowski (projected to make $800,000) is a candidate to be cut from the roster, as is lefty Jovani Morán. Tough roster decisions might be made with the utility group of Vaughn Grissom, David Hamilton, Nate Eaton and Nick Sogard later in the winter but for now, those players are projected to be safe.