The Boston Bruins made sure their three-game homestand ended on the right note Saturday, rolling past the Philadelphia Flyers 5-1 at TD Garden and keeping the visitors winless on the season.
Boston got goals from Pavel Zacha, Mason Lohrei, Marat Khusnutdinov, Casey Mittelstadt, and Fraser Minten, while Jeremy Swayman stopped 14 of 15 shots for his fourth win. The Bruins improved to 4-2-0, and the Flyers fell to 0-4-2.
The opening period belonged to Boston from the start. Zacha also helped set the tone by taking the game’s first penalty, going off for tripping David Jiricek midway through the first. Philadelphia’s power play never got going, and Swayman wasn’t forced to make a save on the kill.
Soon after, David Pastrnak stayed on the attack after being turned away from the slot. He slipped the puck to Zacha, who fired on ex-Bruin Dan Vladar.
Vladar got a stick on it, but the puck still slipped behind him and across the line for a 1-0 Bruins lead 12 minutes into the game. It was Zacha’s first goal of the season.
Boston carried that edge through the first 20 minutes, outshooting Philadelphia 12-3 and holding a 19-10 advantage in 5-on-5 shot attempts, according to Natural Stat Trick.
The Bruins kept the pressure on in the second period, even if the game stayed quiet for stretches. By the 14:24 mark, the Flyers had only two shots on goal, and they finished the period with five.
Then Boston struck again on a 4-on-2 rush. Fraser Minten worked the puck to JJ Peterka on the left side, and after Peterka pulled it back, Mason Lohrei stepped into a shot from the trailing spot and made it 2-0.
Lohrei has now scored in back-to-back games, and he leads Bruins defensemen with 2-2-4 through six games. Peterka’s assist also gave him his 200th career NHL point.
The Bruins wasted little time padding the lead in the third. Minten set up behind Vladar’s net, took a pass from Will Borgen, and fed Marat Khusnutdinov for a blocker-side finish that made it 3-0.
Philadelphia got one back at 6:30 of the third, when Porter Martone beat Swayman high on the power play to cut it to 3-1 and spoil the shutout bid.
Boston answered quickly. The new-look third line of Casey Mittelstadt, Elias Lindholm, and James Hagens connected again, just as it had in the previous game. Hagens collected his rebound and sent the puck to Lindholm, who found Mittelstadt waiting outside the crease for his second goal of the season and a 4-1 cushion.
Minten finished off the scoring with four minutes left, taking a pass from JJ Peterka and beating Vladar five-hole for his second goal.
The Bruins now head out on a four-game road trip that begins Tuesday night at 11:00 PM in San Jose. After that, they’ll visit Anaheim, Los Angeles, and Dallas before returning home.
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 Face One Big Pregame Decision As Flyers Come To Boston
The Bruins wrap up their three-game homestand Thursday night against the Flyers at TD Garden, riding the lift of a recent win that featured production from multiple scorers and a strong special teams showing. It has been a useful early stretch for Boston, which has already seen enough balance in its lineup to feel like there is more than one way to win on a given night.
Philadelphia arrives in Boston still looking for answers, having had a rough first handful of games offensively and on special teams. The bigger Bruins question is still a pregame one, with the lineup and goaltending picture not yet fully settled, and the decision in net carrying a little extra weight as Boston tries to close the homestand on a clean note. [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 🡒]