The Bruins wasted no time reminding everyone what they can look like when they’re on their game.
Back on home ice after an overtime loss to the Dallas Stars, Boston rolled past the Nashville Predators 6-0 on Thursday night, a game the Bruins controlled from the opening shift all the way through the finish. The win pushed Boston to 8-2-1, while Nashville fell to 3-3-3.
The first punch came quickly. Just 3:49 into the night, Charlie McAvoy jumped on a turnover and fed Boston’s captain in the neutral zone to ignite a counterattack. David Pastrnak carried the puck in on the right side and set up Casey Mittelstadt, who finished for his third goal of the season.
Boston kept pressing, and that pressure carried straight into the first power play chance of the night. Nicolas Hague was sent off for holding after grabbing at David Pastrnak, giving the Bruins a chance to keep building on their early edge.
That man advantage didn’t last long before it turned into another goal. The Bruins’ power play, which began the season 0-10 before finding a rhythm, entered the night having scored on six of its last 18 chances.
It needed only 15 seconds to cash in again and move to 7-19, nearly 37 percent. Charlie McAvoy took a pass from Pavel Zacha at the blue line and sent a shot toward Justus Annunen, with Elias Lindholm getting the final touch to send it in and make it 2-0.
Boston kept layering on the pressure in the second period, and the Bruins struck again with a goal that followed a familiar pattern. Zacha worked the puck from behind the net and found McAvoy on the right side of the blue line, and McAvoy quickly sent it toward the cage. Pastrnak got enough of a piece of it to beat Annunen and push the lead to 3-0.
Late in the second, Boston’s top end made the game fully lopsided. JJ Peterka gathered the puck in the neutral zone, pushed up ice and turned the sequence into a three-on-two rush. He moved the puck across the zone to Pastrnak, then got it right back at the far post and finished the play to put the Bruins ahead 4-0.
The third period brought no relief for Nashville. Seven minutes in, Matt Poitras dumped the puck deep and Mark Kastelic drove to the crease. The puck bounced right to Kastelic at the doorstep, and he buried it for his second goal of the season to make it 5-0.
Pastrnak put the final stamp on the night with five minutes left, and his four-point performance was complete. Frederic Brunet entered the zone on the left side and sent the puck across to Pastrnak, who made one move before snapping home the 6-0 goal.
Michael DiPietro handled the rest, turning aside all 28 shots for the shutout. Annunen stopped 25 of 31 for Nashville.
The Bruins stay at home for their next test, a Saturday night matchup with the San Jose Sharks. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET on NESN.
In Other News...
James Hagens Is Giving Bruins Fans A Very Different Reason For Hope
James Hagens arrived in Boston with the reputation of a high-end offensive prospect, the kind of young forward Bruins fans naturally expected to eventually tilt the ice with his skill. Early this season, though, the seventh overall pick in the 2025 NHL draft has been turning heads for a very different reason. The 19-year-old has fit into a checking-line assignment and impressed teammates by leaning into the dirty work, showing a willingness to adapt as he faces top competition and learns the pro game from a defensive angle.
The shift has been especially noticeable in the way Hagens has attacked his role away from the puck. Known more as a point producer, he has embraced playing wing and focusing on defense, and his early work has already stood out across the league. For a Bruins team looking for reasons to believe in its next wave of talent, Hagens is offering one built on effort, maturity and a readiness to do whatever the coaches ask. [Read more 🡒]
Morgan Geekie's Bruins Drought Is Becoming Hard To Ignore
Morgan Geekie was one of the Bruins most productive finishers a year ago, leading the club with 39 goals and quickly becoming one of the more reliable sources of offense in the lineup. This season has looked very different so far, though, with the winger still contributing in other ways through seven assists while his goal total has lagged behind what Boston expected from him.
Geekie has been measured about the dry spell, sticking to a selective shooting approach while also acknowledging the need to be more active in generating offense. The next step is finding more of those chances on his own, particularly when turnovers open the ice, because the Bruins would like their top scorer from last season to start turning looks into goals again. [Read more 🡒]
Casey Mittelstadt Is Giving Bruins A Bigger Boost Than Expected
Casey Mittelstadt came into this season with a clear focus after spending the offseason working on his skating, and the early returns have made him look like a more dynamic fit than Boston probably expected. Drafted eighth overall by Buffalo in 2017, Mittelstadt has shown improved speed and a steadier game, the kind of progress that can change how a player is used and how much trust a staff is willing to place in him.
Marco Sturm has noticed the difference, praising Mittelstadts pace and consistency while crediting the work he put in over the summer. Mittelstadt has sounded pleased with where his game is headed, too, and the growing chemistry hes building with James Hagens and Elias Lindholm gives the Bruins another useful layer as they continue sorting out their lineup options. [Read more 🡒]