Fraser Minten didn’t waste any time making his presence felt in Boston.
The Bruins’ 22-year-old center, handed a seven-year deal worth $7.2 million a season in the offseason, delivered the biggest swing of opening night with 3:46 left in the third period. In a scoreless game, he buried a wrist shot from distance to send the Bruins on their way to a 3-0 win over the New York Rangers at TD Garden on Tuesday.
The goal came off a strong play by Mason Lohrei at center ice, where he gloved down a puck and fed Minten in the middle of the ice. Minten crossed the blue line, wound up from far out and beat Igor Shesterkin blocker-side for the 1-0 lead.
From there, the Bruins finished the job. JJ Peterka, another of Boston’s major offseason additions, followed with a slick finish at 2:52 remaining, shaking free and sliding the puck between Shesterkin’s pads. Mark Kastelic then added an empty-net goal with 2:31 left to seal the season-opening victory.
Jeremy Swayman handled the rest, stopping 24 shots for the shutout.
The night had looked like it might stay tight deep into the third. Shesterkin was excellent through the second period, and Swayman had to come up with two straight stops midway through the third after Connor Clifton’s stick broke at the offensive blue line.
That opened the door for Pavel Dorofeyev to break in alone, and Swayman then robbed J.T. Miller on the rebound chance.
Boston nearly extended the lead before Peterka’s goal, too. Pavel Zacha rang a shot off the post, the second time the Bruins hit iron on the night.
The first period was a grind, with both teams trading one power play apiece and neither side finding much rhythm. The Bruins held a slight edge in chances and a 7-5 shot advantage, but Shesterkin turned aside the looks that mattered. Boston’s best opportunity in the opening frame came when new captain David Pastrnak got a partial break, only for the play to fizzle before he could get a shot off.
The period’s most jarring moment came along the boards, where Nikita Zadorov delivered a heavy hit on Oliver Bjorkstrand. Bjorkstrand stayed down for a bit before getting back up and shaking it off. By the end of two periods, Zadorov had a game-high seven hits, while former Ranger and new Bruin Will Borgen had four.
Boston’s best hockey came in the second period, even if the puck didn’t go in. Morgan Geekie clanged a shot off the crossbar on a partial break.
Shesterkin then stopped Zacha on a breakaway, and Pastrnak danced Vladislav Gavrikov before a backdoor pass failed to connect. Later, Marat Khusnutdinov made a sharp pass in tight to Minten off the rush, but Minten couldn’t lift the puck over Shesterkin’s blocker.
The Rangers also had their moments, using a few Bruins turnovers to spend time in the offensive zone and matching Boston shot for shot in the period, 8-7.
Still, the game belonged to the Bruins once Minten broke the deadlock. One goal opened the floodgates, and Boston made the most of it.
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Dean Malkoc also has a new role after spending four years as associate director of amateur scouting, and Kyle Chauvette has taken on a particularly unusual combination of responsibilities within the organization. Those changes, along with the rest of the front-office additions, show Boston continuing to fine-tune the infrastructure around the roster before the new season gets going. [Read more 🡒]
Peterka Already Changes How Dangerous Bostons Top Six Feels
JJ Peterka did not need long to show why the Bruins wanted his skill in the mix. In their latest game, he scored and helped drive the kind of quick, attack-minded shifts Boston has been looking for, a welcome jolt for a lineup that has often had to grind for offense. The Bruins still won 3-0 behind Jeremy Swaymans strong goaltending and a defense that held up without Charlie McAvoy, but Peterkas presence added a different layer to the forward group.
What makes the early return even more intriguing is where Peterka might fit as Boston keeps sorting out its best combinations. The Bruins are clearly trying to build chemistry that can make their top six feel more dangerous, and Peterka gives them a new piece to work with alongside established talent and a rookie still finding his place. If that alignment clicks, it could change the way opposing teams have to defend Boston every night. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Opening Night Puts Bostons New Identity Under Immediate Pressure
The Bruins begin their season at TD Garden against the Rangers, and the night already carries the feel of a reset. Marco Sturm has his group lined up for an opening test that will double as an early read on the clubs new look, with recent comments from Sturm, Will Borgen and Hampus Lindholm underscoring how much of the focus has been on preparation, structure and settling into roles before the first puck drop.
There is also immediate curiosity baked into the matchup because Boston will see Borgen in a debut that comes with extra familiarity, and the spotlight on the leadership group only adds to it. David Pastrnak is stepping into a different kind of responsibility this season after being named the 28th captain in franchise history, and how the Bruins handle that first game under the new identity will say plenty about the tone they are trying to set. [Read more 🡒]