Red Sox reportedly contact free agent pitcher Kodai Senga

The Bruins defeated the Lightning 5-3 on Monday, bringing the team’s record to 17-2-0 this season. Boston will face the Panthers in Florida on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Also Monday, the Celtics saw a nine-game winning streak end with a 121-107 loss to the Bulls.

In international news, the United States drew 1-1 against Wales in the opening of each team’s group stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Tim Weah scored for the United States, while LAFC striker Gareth Bale’s penalty equalized the game in the second half.

The United States will face England on Friday (2 p.m. ET) in the next match of the group stage.

The Red Sox and Kodai Senga: Among the many offseason priorities for the Red Sox, fixing the team’s starting rotation is high on the list. Boston ranked near the bottom of the league (4.53) in the team ERA in 2022.

A notable possibility is Kodai Senga, 29, a Japanese free agent. Senga, a right-hander who throws in his mid to upper 90s and also has a curveball and a crotchball (arguably his best throw), went 11-6 with a 1.89 ERA in 2022 as as a member of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in the Nippon Professional League. He had 159 strikeouts in 148 innings.

On Monday, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported that the Red Sox and Yankees had “contacted” representatives from Senga.

Senga, Morosi noted, “is not attached to posting fees or draft compensation, which has expanded his market.”

Senga is among several starting pitchers the Red Sox have reportedly expressed interest in amid what could be a busy offseason.

Anecdotes: Patrice Bergeron picked up his 1,000th career point on Monday. Can you name the other three Bruins in team history to achieve the feat?

(Answer below).

Hint: Bobby Orr is not one of the answers.

More on boston.com:

David Pastrnak watched as a fan fingered him: After scoring to give the Bruins a 5-1 lead against the Lightning on Monday, Pastrnak celebrated his goal but came face to face with a Tampa Bay fan making a gesture. Pastrnak held his gaze as the fan lowered his hand.

“It was quite funny” Pastrnak told Joe Haggerty of Boston Hockey Now after the game. “You could tell he felt bad because he brought it back pretty quickly.”

On this day: It’s officially been 10 years since the iconic “butt fumble,” when Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez met his own lineman, fumbled the ball, and the Patriots scored thanks to Steve Gregory’s 32-yard return .

It was immediately grabbed as a surprisingly and memorably poor Jets game. The moment not only went viral, but remained number one on ESPN’s “Not Top 10” for 40 straight weeks, eventually having to be retired at the start of the following NFL season.

To make matters worse for New York – a seemingly impossible task after Sanchez’s fumble – the Jets fumbled on the ensuing kickoff and Julian Edelman caught him in the air before sending him back for another touchdown. . In less than 10 seconds, the Patriots had scored two fumble return touchdowns to double the lead to 28-0.

A 56-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady to Edelman later in the quarter capped a remarkable 35-point second quarter en route to a 49-19 rout on Thanksgiving Day.

daily highlight: In a stunning surprise earlier on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia beat Argentina 2-1 in the World Cup. Salem Al-Dawsari scored the decisive goal with a well-placed shot at the far post.

Quiz answer: Ray Bourque (1,506), Johnny Bucyk (1,339) and Phil Esposito (1,012)