The TD Garden was buzzing with emotion and energy Thursday night, and the Boston Bruins gave their fans plenty to cheer about - both before and during the game. On a night when Zdeno Chara’s iconic No. 33 was lifted to the rafters, the Bruins wasted no time setting the tone, jumping out to a two-goal lead in the first four minutes and holding off the Seattle Kraken for a 4-2 win.
It was a fitting tribute to one of the most beloved captains in franchise history. Before the puck even dropped, the Bruins honored Chara with a pregame ceremony that featured legends like Bobby Orr and team president Cam Neely. But the most touching moment came when Chara’s children helped raise his number to the rafters - a symbol of the towering defenseman’s legacy and the 2011 Stanley Cup he helped bring to Boston.
Once the game got underway, the Bruins came out flying. Just 54 seconds in, Marat Khusnutdinov took a stretch pass from Charlie McAvoy, broke in alone, and beat Seattle goalie Joey Daccord with a smooth backhand finish to make it 1-0.
Less than three minutes later, Viktor Arvidsson added to the lead - though not quite how he drew it up. Trying to feed Casey Mittelstadt in front, Arvidsson’s centering pass deflected off Jordan Eberle’s stick and found the back of the net.
Just like that, it was 2-0 Bruins, and the Kraken were forced to burn an early timeout.
That decision would come back to haunt Seattle.
The Kraken did manage to claw their way back into it. Chandler Stephenson cut the deficit to one, giving Seattle some life.
But Boston’s penalty kill delivered a backbreaker in the second period. With the Kraken on the power play, Mark Kastelic picked Matty Beniers’ pocket at the blue line and raced the other way, finishing a short-handed breakaway to restore the Bruins’ two-goal cushion at 3-1.
Seattle made another push late, with Eeli Tolvanen scoring to make it 3-2. But a pair of back-to-back penalties in the final minute left the Kraken shorthanded - and without a timeout to regroup. They still pulled Daccord for the extra attacker, trying to make it a 5-on-4, but David Pastrnak sealed the win with an empty-netter with just 15 seconds remaining.
Jeremy Swayman was sharp between the pipes for Boston, stopping 26 shots and helping the team close out a perfect 5-0 homestand - their first such sweep since 2019. The win also marked Boston’s seventh in their last eight games, as they continue to build momentum in the second half of the season.
For Seattle, the loss was another tough one in a recent skid. The Kraken have now dropped four of their last five and will look to regroup quickly with a trip to Utah on deck Saturday. The Bruins, meanwhile, will hit the road to take on the Blackhawks in Chicago - but not before celebrating a night where history, heart, and hockey came together in front of a roaring home crowd.