The Bruins are heading into the 2026-27 season with a few clear storylines already taking shape, and the preseason offered an early glimpse of what could be coming. Boston wrapped up exhibition play Friday night with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals, a game that ended with Hampus Lindholm in the penalty box after Justin Sourdif beat him to the outside and Lindholm pulled him down for a holding call. Washington needed only 11 seconds of overtime to score the game-winner on the power play.
Even with that finish, there were positives for Boston. David Pastrnak and JJ Peterka continued to show signs of growing chemistry, Morgan Geekie looked comfortable in his new power-play role, and both Jeremy Swayman and Michael DiPietro gave the Bruins solid looks in net. With the regular season opening Tuesday night, there’s already a sense of where the big bets are being made on this team.
One of the biggest is Peterka. The new Bruins winger is expected to skate on the top line with Pastrnak, and that pairing has already looked like it has some pop.
Peterka brings skill and creativity, and he’ll also get time on the top power-play unit to start the season. That means he’ll be on the ice with Pavel Zacha, Morgan Geekie, and Pastrnak, giving him plenty of help from Boston’s best offensive pieces.
The setup is there for a jump. Peterka’s best scoring season came in 2024-25 with the Buffalo Sabres, when he finished with 68 points.
Last season with Utah, he dropped to 47 points in a crowded forward group. The expectation here is that a bigger role, better chemistry with Pastrnak, and consistent power-play usage will push him past that old high-water mark.
The prediction is simple: Peterka reaches 70 points for the first time.
Boston’s team outlook is a little more complicated, but the forecast still lands on the positive side. The Bruins finished with 100 points last season and squeezed into the playoffs in a crowded Eastern Conference before falling to the Buffalo Sabres in six games in the first round. Buffalo’s speed and skill gave Boston problems, and once Ukko-Pekka Luukonen was replaced by Alex Lyon in net, the series swung even further.
This offseason didn’t make the path any easier. Other Eastern Conference teams that missed the playoffs made aggressive moves, and while Boston added Peterka and William Borgen, the competition for a postseason spot looks even tighter now.
Still, there’s enough reason to think the Bruins can get back in. Injuries happen, and the season is long.
If Boston collects points early and stays healthy, it should be in the mix again.
The concern is what comes late. The final 10 games of the schedule are loaded with difficulty: three against the Sabres, two against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and games against the Ottawa Senators, Washington Capitals, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Florida Panthers.
That stretch could leave the Bruins worn down, even if they do enough to qualify. The bigger issue is what comes after that.
This doesn’t look like a roster built for a deep postseason run, and the loss to Buffalo exposed how far Boston still has to go to get past the first round.
Then there’s Swayman, who remains the player most tied to Boston’s ceiling. In 2024-25, he went 22-29-7 with an .892 save percentage and a 3.11 goals-against average as the Bruins finished last in the Atlantic Division.
He responded with a strong summer, winning gold with Team USA at the IIHF Men’s World Championship, and then turned that momentum into a major bounce-back in 2025-26. He posted a 31-18-4 record with a .907 save percentage and a 2.71 goals-against average.
That season earned him third place in Vezina Trophy voting behind Andrei Vasilevskiy and Ilya Sorokin. The thinking now is that he’s positioned to go one step further. Boston added William Borgen to help stabilize the right side of the defense, and if the blue line gives Swayman steadier support, he has a real shot to win the Vezina Trophy in 2026-27.
In Other News...
Bruins Opening Night Roster Comes With Two Early Concerns
Opening night is finally set for the Bruins, and the roster theyll bring to TD Garden against the Rangers has a different look than the one fans were expecting a few weeks ago. Boston has settled on a group of 13 forwards, eight defensemen and two goaltenders, with newcomers like JJ Peterka and Will Borgen part of the mix as the club starts the 2026-27 season with some fresh pieces in place.
The early challenge, though, is obvious before the puck even drops. Charlie McAvoy will be unavailable for the first six games, and Matt Poitras is beginning the year on injured reserve, leaving Boston to sort out its lineup balance right away. For a team that wanted a stable start, those absences turn an opening-night home date into an immediate test of depth and adaptability. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Open Season Facing An Early Lineup Test Against The Rangers
The Bruins open their 2026-27 season under the bright lights, with a nationally televised date against the Rangers on ESPN giving the club an immediate measuring stick. It is also a first look at how Bostons reworked roster will hold up after a summer that brought some notable personnel movement between these two teams, setting up a matchup with a little more edge than a typical opener.
Charlie McAvoys six-game suspension leaves Boston shorthanded on the blue line, and Will Borgen is expected to slide into a major role alongside Hampus Lindholm right away. Jeremy Swayman is lined up to start in goal for the Bruins, while Igor Shesterkin is expected to go for New York, making the first night of the season as much about early stability as it is about the scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Open With A Roster Tension Fans Can't Ignore
The Bruins open their season at home against the Rangers, and the first night already carries a little extra weight beyond the usual October atmosphere. Boston spent the offseason trying to sharpen the roster with additions like JJ Peterka, Will Borgen and Connor Clifton, signaling a clear push to look more complete right away and give the new group a faster foundation.
Even with those changes, there is still a sense that the roster is not fully settled, which is part of what makes the early stretch worth watching. Peterka and rookie James Hagens are expected to help drive the scoring, but the bigger question for Boston is how the lineup holds together if the results do not come quickly, especially with several players already mentioned in trade speculation around the league. [Read more 🡒]