The Bruins head into Tuesday night in Dallas with their lineup back in one piece, and that includes two key names who were out of action for different reasons just one game ago.
Nikita Zadorov and Pavel Zacha are both available against the Stars, giving Boston its full complement for a matchup with a very tough Dallas team. Zadorov had been the odd man out in Los Angeles after serving as an eyebrow-raising healthy scratch, while Zacha missed that same game because of an upper body injury.
Zadorov’s scratch came after he took an undisciplined roughing penalty in the Bruins’ win in Anaheim the night before. He had been leading the B’s in icetime before sitting out against the Kings, and the move clearly stung. Still, coach Marco Sturm said after the morning skate at American Airlines Center that he views it as a step that could pay off.
“It’s always tough for me in general when you make these kinds of decisions but one of the reasons we did it is…I believe he’ll be a much better hockey player when he comes back,” Sturm told reporters in Dallas after the morning skate at American Airlines Center. “He’s just got to play his game and be rock solid and we’ll be fine.”
Zacha’s return gives Boston another boost, and he skated on the morning line with David Pastrnak and JJ Peterka. Morgan Geekie moved back onto the second line alongside Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov.
“I’m back to 100 percent. It was a quick turnaround and I’m able to feel how I felt before,” said Zacha.
For Boston, the bigger storyline may be the start. The Bruins have not opened games particularly well on this trip, and that’s something Sturm flagged as a concern heading into a night against a team that can punish slow starts fast.
“On the road trip we’ve been talking about it a little bit and for some reason we’ve been short in the first periods,” said Sturm. “That’s something we definitely need to be be better at, especially against a good team like this.
It’s a tough building. That part never changed in this building.
It feels like it doesn’t matter who’s in, who’s out. We just have to make sure we’re ready to go.”
The Bruins were shaky in both Los Angeles and Anaheim before recovering and pulling out regulation wins, but that kind of wobble can be costly against Dallas. The memory of their last visit there is still fresh too: Boston was routed 6-2, and Sturm didn’t mince words about how that night looked.
“I hope, I really hope that they remember the game here last year because we got embarrassed here and we were going home, too. So it was on us,” said Sturm.
“Hopefully we’re going to have a better result than a year ago. It’s always a tough one but we feel good right now and we’re playing against a really good hockey club over there.
We’re going to have our hands full.”
There was also some buzz around Marat Khusnutdinov, with ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reporting that the Bruins are closing in on an extension for the forward, who is scheduled to be a restricted free agent at the end of this year. The team had nothing to report yet, but a deal would not come as a surprise.
Khusnutdinov, a second-round pick of the Minnesota Wild at No. 37 overall who came to Boston in the deal for Justin Brazeau at the 2025 deadline, may not be the kind of player who piles up huge offensive totals. But he has brought work rate and a knack for getting to the dirty areas of the ice despite his 5-foot-10, 189-pound frame.
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Bruins Have A Nikita Zadorov Problem They Cant Ignore
Bostons strong start has come with a familiar trade-off on the blue line, and Nikita Zadorov sits right in the middle of it. The Bruins have long valued his size, edge and ability to disrupt opponents, because when hes on, he can change the tone of a game in ways few defensemen can. But the early-season picture has been more complicated, with his play drawing scrutiny for the kind of undisciplined mistakes that can undo a good night in a hurry.
The concern is not just the penalties themselves, but the broader impact they have had on Bostons five-on-five play. The Bruins can live with some risk if Zadorov is tilting the ice in their favor, yet there has been a growing sense that the balance has been off lately, enough to lead to disciplinary scratches and renewed questions about how much rope he should get. For a team trying to build on its strong start, the issue is no longer whether Zadorov matters, but whether the Bruins can keep tolerating the version of him they have been getting. [Read more 🡒]
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For a team trying to keep the momentum going, the goalie decision adds a little extra intrigue to a home matchup that arrives right after the travel grind. Jeremy Swayman handled most of the work on the road, so this start gives Boston a different look in a game fans will be watching closely to see how the crease lines up moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Fast Start Is Starting To Feel Like Something Bigger
A West Coast trip can tell you a lot about a hockey team, and the Bruins came home looking every bit like a group that belongs in the conversation. Boston won three of four out west, swept through the three California stops and only missed a perfect trip by dropping an overtime decision to Dallas, a run that has already started to reshape how the rest of the league sees them.
The rankings bump followed quickly, with Boston climbing in both major national power lists, but the more interesting part is what comes next. The Bruins now get to bring that momentum back home for a stretch that includes Nashville and San Jose, a chance to see whether this fast start is merely a strong opening or the beginning of something sturdier. [Read more 🡒]