ANAHEIM - A night that began with the Boston Bruins chasing the game ended with two milestones in the same building, on the same team, for two players who spent last season grinding away in Providence.
Frederic Brunet scored his first NHL goal, and Michael DiPietro picked up his first NHL win as the Bruins rallied past the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 on Friday night at Honda Center.
For both players, the moment carried the weight of a long climb. Brunet was still with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League a year ago, trying to push his way into the picture. DiPietro’s route was even longer, with one season in the ECHL and six in the AHL before Boston gave him his chance.
DiPietro was steady once the first period passed, finishing with 25 saves in his second start of the season. Anaheim jumped ahead 2-0 after Tim Washe and Beckett Sennecke scored in the final minute of the opening period, but the Bruins’ goaltender settled in and helped keep the game within reach.
“Definitely a dramatic way to get the first one; didn’t make it easy on myself,” DiPietro said with a chuckle. “I think for me, I’m sure I will have more time to debrief and kind of sit with it and see how long the road really was.
Obviously it is just one, and obviously you want to build on it. But definitely going to enjoy this moment, and really looking forward to calling my dad and my wife and just talking with them.”
Brunet helped turn the tide early in the second period. At 3:15, on the power play, the 23-year-old defenseman took a pass from James Hagens and sent a shot from the point through Anaheim goalie Lukas Dostal to trim the deficit to 2-1.
“Probably the worst shot of my career. No, it was great.
Everyone just coming to congratulate me after, which was awesome. It was such a special night for me, and I think just getting the win was even better,” Brunet said.
“It was a burger, so I was like, ‘There’s no way that went in…’ But it went in, so I’m happy about it.”
Brunet’s goal fit the role head coach Marco Sturm has already handed him. He has been getting power-play time early, and on the second unit he has looked comfortable running things from the back end.
“For me, his feet are elite. The way he drags and even across the blue line and comes with the hands, too, a little bit.
It’s just fun to watch,” Sturm said. “He’s showing a lot of good stuff.”
The Bruins completed the comeback from there, with Brunet’s breakthrough and DiPietro’s first win standing out as the night’s biggest takeaways.
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Bruins Prospects Showed Life But Providence Still Has A Bigger Problem
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David Pastrnak helped drive the offense, Marat Khusnutdinov chipped in, and Boston continued to look like a team growing more comfortable in Sturms structure. Even with the recent success, the message from the bench was clear: no spot is guaranteed, and the standard is not changing just because the results have improved. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Suddenly Face A Lineup Shakeup With Top Center Out
Bostons center depth is getting tested again, and this time its Pavel Zacha who will be out of the lineup against the Los Angeles Kings. Marco Sturm said Zacha is dealing with an upper-body injury and is considered day-to-day, a frustrating development after a recent hit in Fridays win over Anaheim left him banged up.
The Bruins will shuffle the middle of the ice to fill the gap, with Sean Kuraly moving into the fourth line and Matt Poitras and Fraser Minten taking over at center for the second and first lines, respectively. Its the kind of adjustment that can ripple through the entire forward group, especially when a player as important as Zacha is suddenly unavailable and the team has to react on the fly. [Read more 🡒]