The Boston Bruins flexed their offensive depth Thursday night, skating past the Philadelphia Flyers with a 6-3 win that showcased both firepower and poise. Fraser Minten and Casey Mittelstadt led the charge with a goal and two assists apiece, as Boston continued its torrid stretch, now 9-1-1 over its last 11 games.
This was a game where Boston’s scoring came in waves-and from all over the lineup. Pavel Zacha and Viktor Arvidsson struck just 42 seconds apart in the first period, setting the tone early and putting the Flyers on their heels. From there, the Bruins never looked back.
Minten’s goal-an ice-cold five-hole finish on Samuel Ersson-made it 3-0 early in the second period. The rookie continues to look more and more comfortable at the NHL level, showing the kind of finishing touch and offensive awareness that’s hard to teach.
Philadelphia did show some pushback. Travis Konecny, who’s been one of the few consistent bright spots for the Flyers this season, capitalized on a defensive miscue to notch his 21st goal-and his fourth in just two games.
He nearly added another later in the period, but it was Nikita Grebenkin who cashed in on the rebound, with Konecny picking up the assist. Matvei Michkov added a power-play goal, flashing the skill that has Flyers fans excited about his long-term potential.
But Boston had answers at every turn. Mittelstadt buried a backhand rebound to make it 4-1, and then Tanner Jeannot got a stick on an Andrew Peeke blast from the blue line to extend the lead to 5-1. Marat Khusnutdinov added the exclamation point in the third.
Between the pipes, Jeremy Swayman was solid once again. He turned away 33 shots and picked up his seventh win in nine starts this month. It wasn’t a perfect night for the Bruins defensively, but Swayman’s steady presence gave them the cushion they needed.
On the Flyers’ side, things got worse late in the second when goaltender Samuel Ersson exited with a lower-body injury. He had made 15 saves before being replaced by Dan Vladar, who stopped six shots in relief. Ersson’s status moving forward will be something to monitor, especially with the Flyers now 2-8-1 in their last 11 games and looking for any kind of spark.
Boston did suffer a setback when Zacha left the game late in the second period with an upper-body injury. He did not return, and the Bruins will be hoping it’s nothing long-term, especially given his early impact in this one.
Next up, the Flyers return home to host the Kings on Saturday, hoping to regroup and find some footing before their slide becomes a full-on spiral.