Fraser was the No. 1 star of the Bruins' 4-2 win over the Senators on Saturday night.

The puck was there well before Matt Fraser was.

Fraser was just getting to the red line when Carl Soderberg laid out a soft dump pass in front of his linemate. There were miles of open ice in front of Soderberg and Fraser after Erik Karlsson's failed pinch, and Fraser had an easy race to the puck. The left-hand shot settled the puck at the left faceoff dot.

It's a perfect place to be for a goal-scorer. All alone on your strong side, with a steady puck on your tape and just a goalie to beat. Fraser played his role like an Academy Award-winning actor — his quick release was spot on, the puck rocketed off his stick, and he beat Robin Lehner glove-side for his second goal in 1:28.

Fraser was the No. 1 star of the Bruins’ 4-2 win over the Senators on Saturday night. He was only in the lineup because David Krejci was a surprise late scratch after going through warmups.

The Bruins are hopeful their No. 1 center will return Tuesday. Where that leaves Fraser is unclear.

The 24-year-old checks a box that none of his teammates can — pure goal-scorer. Fraser has 90 goals over three AHL seasons. He has the best shot on the team. He can lock and load as well as anyone the Bruins have since Jarome Iginla was let go.

The Bruins have scored at a higher clip lately — they’re up to 2.67 goals per game for 14th in the league, and are at 3.44 a night over the last nine games — but a weapon as powerful as Fraser’s snap shot is hard to say, ‘No, thanks’ to.

Simon Gagne could be bumped up to the press box. Gagne has been the fourth-line right wing, and is scoreless in seven straight games. His only point — a goal at Montreal — came when he moved up to the top line. The 34-year-old had no shots in 12:01 of ice time Saturday night. Daniel Paille could move to the right side and Fraser is in as the left wing.

But Fraser is not suited for fourth-line duty. He needs his linemates to set him up while he searches for ways to use his rocket launcher. Playing with Paille and Gregory Campbell would not bring out the best in Fraser.

Fraser’s first goal Saturday came off the good work of his linemates. Loui Eriksson got in on the forecheck and knocked down Karlsson’s pass with his stick. Soderberg’s low shot created a perfect rebound for Fraser to waltz in with his finger on the trigger. Eriksson occupied Lehner to give Fraser time to hit his target.

Eriksson and Soderberg are skill players. They make their linemates look better in the offensive zone. Chris Kelly, their usual linemate, is fourth on the team with seven points.

Fraser would slot in well there on a permanent basis. He would not feel the pressure of being a top-six player. Against third defensive pairings, he could have the most opportunities to play in the offensive zone.

But the Bruins like Kelly with Soderberg. Although Soderberg is over the wrist injury that prevented him from taking faceoffs a month ago, Kelly is the more reliable option in defensive situations.

“Sometimes in the D-zone Kells will take those draws just for the reason that if we don't win the draw, he's working down low,” coach Claude Julien said Friday. “Kells is by far the best as far as working down low as a former centerman. Those are the reasons he'll take them a lot of times.”

Julien called it a luxury to have Kelly on Soderberg’s left. The line has been the team’s best through the first month. It’d be difficult to break them up, and demoting Kelly down to the fourth line after a superb first month is a harsh decision.

On the top line, Seth Griffith has started to mesh with Milan Lucic and Krejci. Griffith has five points in his last seven games. He's added a right-hand shot to the power play. Griffith could move to the fourth line in place of Gagne to open a top-six role for Fraser, but it would be moving down a player in Griffith who hasn't really done anything wrong.

If nothing else, Fraser is in a better spot now than in his three-game appearance at the start of the year. He earned himself a spot in Boston with a terrific training camp, then was placed on a line with Lucic and Ryan Spooner. Lucic was hesitant coming off wrist surgery, and Spooner’s confidence was shot after an underwhelming training camp. The line was set up to fail.

Like Spooner, Fraser lost his spot in the lineup after an invisible first week. He is highly critical of himself when things aren’t going well, a trait he says has helped him go from an undrafted free agent into an NHL dressing room.

“I’d definitely like to change it a little bit, but that’s what I know,” Fraser said a couple weeks ago. “Being an undrafted guy, I didn't come into my own until I was 19 or 20. That's the only way I know, is to be hard on myself, because as soon as you start getting complacent and flat-lining, I don't play well.

“That's just how I have to approach every game because I don't have much in my back pocket — I wasn't drafted, I was traded here. But at the end of the day, if you're good enough to play, you'll find someplace to play.”

That’s exactly what the Bruins will have to figure out — finding a place on the ice for the winger from Alberta with the laser of a shot.