Frederic Brunet and Boston’s young wave helped drag the Bruins’ offense out of its early-season fog on Thursday night, and David Pastrnak was happy to ride along for the surge.
After managing just two total goals in back-to-back losses to the Wild and Senators, the Bruins finally found their rhythm in a 6-1 win over the Mammoth at TD Garden. Pastrnak led the way with four points - two goals and two assists - while Boston’s power play shook off a rough start and the penalty kill held Utah in check all night.
The Bruins had opened the season 0-for-10 on the power play, but they broke through with a 3-for-4 showing. On the other side, Utah came in having scored on eight of its first 13 power-play chances, only to run into a Boston PK that went a perfect 7-for-7.
“That’s the beauty of hockey, right,” Pastrnak - who tied Brad Marchand for the fourth-most goals in Bruins franchise history on Thursday - noted. “One night, it doesn’t go your way. Next night, you are nearly perfect.”
The biggest difference, though, may have been the energy Boston got from its younger players. The Bruins’ first three goals all came in a 5:45 burst in the opening period, and the primary assists on those scores came from 19-year-old James Hagens, 23-year-old Frederic Brunet, and 22-year-old Matt Poitras.
Brunet’s night stood out in particular. Given a role on the power play, he picked up his first NHL point by setting up Pastrnak’s first goal of the game. The sequence started with Brunet keeping the puck alive at the blue line, then drawing Nick Schmaltz toward Pastrnak before sliding it back to Boston’s star for a clean look.
“It was great,” Sturm said of Brunet’s power-play contributions. “[He] made that one play there on the power play when David scored.
It was pretty impressive, actually, [being] under pressure on the blue line from a young kid who’s been on that unit for a few days. It was nice to see.
But overall, what a great game again from him - and we’re happy too that he had his first NHL point as a Bruin.”
Boston’s first goal came out of a turnover forced by third-line center Elias Lindholm as Utah tried to exit its zone. Hagens recovered the puck and found Mittelstadt to open the scoring. Hagens now has three points, with two goals and one assist, in his first five games of the season.
Poitras also made a strong impression in his second game as Boston’s fourth-line center. He set up Mason Lohrei before Lohrei’s goal, then added one of his own in the second period. On a rush with Pastrnak, Poitras buried the winger’s pass past Karel Vejmelka to make it 6-0.
The rookie’s night came with a little pain, too. A bouncing puck hit him square in the jaw and left him needing five stitches across his lip during the opening period.
Still, Poitras was eager to talk about the chance to skate with Pastrnak.
“Obviously he’s just an unbelievable player, and when you get the opportunity, just gotta be ready,” Poitras said. “Because I feel like he just sees everything out there. … He’ll always always find you.”
Pastrnak, meanwhile, wasted no time cashing in on the kind of break that had gone missing in Boston’s first few games. Whether it was a tipped puck, a rebound, or a bounce off the opposing goalie, the Bruins were finally getting the bounces they needed - and Pastrnak took full advantage.
He finished with two goals and two assists, and Geekie added three points of his own as the offense finally opened up. Eleven different Bruins recorded at least one point in the win.
Geekie had shrugged off the team’s early scoring drought before the game, pointing to all the chances that had already come and gone.
“Everyone seems to have had chances in this room and just can’t seem to put them in,” Geekie acknowledged. “I mean, Pav has had three posts in the last two games, and just everyone’s had opportunities to score and just can’t seem to see them go in.”
That frustration didn’t linger long on Thursday. Boston got production from the top end, from the special teams units, and from a young group that looks ready to carry a real share of the load.
The Bruins will try to keep it going Saturday in a matinee against a Flyers team that enters at 0-3-2.
For Pastrnak, the message was clear after the final horn: the veterans can set the tone, but the young players have to be part of the push.
“Bruno made a heck of a play on my goal,” Pastrnak said. “Beat two guys with a nice move and pass.
Potsy - great shot. James is having nice touches and good looks.
So it’s fun. It’s important.
They’re a big part of our team, and we need them.
“Us older guys need to be there for them and give them as much experience as we can, so they can elevate their game every single day. They’re great kids and great hockey players. So we need to make sure we help them and keep getting better.”
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Now comes the part that will tell a lot more about what this start really means: a four-game road trip beginning in San Jose. Early-season home wins can cover over a few things, but the Bruins are heading west with some momentum and a deeper scoring mix than expected, which makes the trip a useful early test of whether this group can carry those contributions away from Boston. [Read more 🡒]