The Bruins head into Saturday afternoon’s matchup with the Flyers riding a needed win and looking to keep their home stand moving in the right direction.
Boston is 3-2-0 after snapping back into the win column with a 6-1 win over the Utah Mammoth on Thursday night, a game that looked nothing like the flat effort they put forth at home on Monday. Five different Bruins scored, the power play finally broke through with a 3-for-4 showing, and Jeremy Swayman backed it up with 36 saves while the penalty kill went a perfect 7-for-7.
David Pastrnak was at the center of it all, finishing with four points on two goals and two assists. He now leads the Bruins with six points, and his history against Philadelphia jumps off the page: 46 points in 37 regular-season games against the Flyers, including 26 goals and 20 assists.
Marco Sturm kept his lines intact at Friday’s practice, but the goaltending decision remains open. Swayman has started both games of the homestand so far.
Philadelphia arrives in a rough spot. The Flyers are 0-3-2 and have been outscored 19-6 through their first five games.
Their offense has been stuck in neutral, producing just 1.20 goals per game, which ranks last in the league. Special teams have been a problem too.
Like Boston, the Flyers had to wait until their fifth game to score a power-play goal, and they are just 1-for-15 with the man advantage, good for 29th in the NHL.
These teams saw each other twice in the four-game preseason, and the home side won both meetings. Michael DiPietro was in net for Boston against an NHL-heavy Philadelphia lineup in the road game, even though the Bruins took the loss.
Saturday is also the Bruins’ sixth and final game without Charlie McAvoy.
Boston will not have a morning skate before puck drop. Sturm is scheduled to speak with the media about 90 minutes before the game.
Expected Flyers lines:
Travis Konecny - Sean Couturier - Porter Martone
Trevor Zegras - Christian Dvorak - Owen Tippett
Tyson Foerster - Denver Barkey - Matvei Michkov
Michael Bunting - Noah Cates - Noel Acciari
Flyers defense:
Travis Sanheim - Jamie Drysdale
Cam York - David Jiricek
Nick Seeler - Simon Benoit
Special teams:
Bruins power play: 21.4% (T-16th)
Bruins penalty kill: 83.3% (T-14th)
Flyers power play: 6.7% (29th)
Flyers penalty kill: 75.0% (22nd)
Season series:
Saturday, Oct. 10: at Boston, 1:00 PM
Sunday, Dec. 20: at Boston, 1:00 PM
Thursday, Mar. 18: at Philadelphia, 7:00 PM
Upcoming Bruins schedule:
Tuesday, Oct. 13: at San Jose, 11:00 PM
Friday, Oct. 16: at Anaheim, 10:00 PM
Saturday, Oct. 17: at Los Angeles, 9:00 PM
Tuesday, Oct. 20: at Dallas, 8:00 PM
Thursday, Oct. 22: vs. Nashville, 7:00 PM
Michael DiPietro is listed as the Bruins’ starting goalie with a 0-1-0 record, a .897 save percentage, and a 3.11 goals-against average. The source lists Boston’s goalie as unconfirmed, while the Flyers’ starter is also unconfirmed and identified as Joseph Woll, who is 0-1-2 with a .927 save percentage and a 2.61 goals-against average.
In Other News...
Bruins Youth Movement Suddenly Looks More Real Than Ever
Over the past 20 months, the Bruins have taken a hard turn from the veteran core that defined their recent past, trading away established names and leaning into a younger, more flexible roster. The additions of Fraser Minten, Marat Khusnutdinov, Casey Mittelstadt, James Hagens and JJ Peterka, along with the hiring of Marco Sturm as head coach, have given the organization a different look and a different timeline, and the early returns have been encouraging enough to make the plan feel less like a reset and more like a real direction.
A strong start to the season, capped by a 5-1 win over the Flyers, only adds to that sense of momentum. Boston still has roster business to sort out, with decisions ahead on pending free agents and the possibility of more movement before the picture settles, but for the first time in a while the youth movement does not feel theoretical. It feels like something the Bruins can actually build around, even if the next few weeks will say a lot about how far theyre willing to push it. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Head Into Road Trip With A Lot More To Like Than Expected
The Bruins left TD Garden with a convincing 5-1 win over the Flyers, and the larger takeaway was how many different parts of the roster chipped in. Boston moved to 4-2-0, got goals from Pavel Zacha, Mason Lohrei, Marat Khusnutdinov, Casey Mittelstadt and Fraser Minten, and saw Jeremy Swayman turn aside 14 shots in a game that never felt especially dangerous for the home side.
Now comes the part that will tell a lot more about what this start really means: a four-game road trip beginning in San Jose. Early-season home wins can cover over a few things, but the Bruins are heading west with some momentum and a deeper scoring mix than expected, which makes the trip a useful early test of whether this group can carry those contributions away from Boston. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins May Have Found The Line That Changes Everything Up Front
Bostons new second line is starting to look like more than a temporary shuffle. Fraser Minten, Marat Khusnutdinov and JJ Peterka were put back together after a strong first look, and in their second game as a unit they helped drive a 5-1 win with the kind of pace and layered attack the Bruins have been searching for up front. The way the trio moved the puck and found space suggested real chemistry, not just a hot night.
Coach Marco Sturm kept the group intact after the earlier 6-1 win, when Bostons first line and power play did much of the heavy lifting, and the decision looks increasingly justified. The players have talked about feeling more comfortable with each shift together, and that growing confidence matters for a team trying to build offensive depth beyond the top unit. For Boston, the question now is whether this alignment can keep creating problems for opponents once the league has more time to adjust. [Read more 🡒]