James Hagens didn’t need long to make his mark in Winnipeg.
After a rocky start to Friday night’s game, the Bruins settled in, erased an early 1-0 deficit with a Hampus Lindholm goal, and then got the kind of moment that can change the tone for a young player’s season. With Boston applying pressure late in the opening period and bodies crowding the crease, Hagens found the loose puck at the side of the net and knocked it home for a 2-1 lead.
That was his first NHL goal.
For Hagens, it was a payoff after a summer and camp in which nothing was guaranteed. He had signed his entry-level deal last season and appeared in Boston’s final two regular-season games after the Bruins had already clinched a playoff spot. Marco Sturm then used him in the first three games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Buffalo Sabres, before scratching him for the final three.
This fall brought another fight for ice time. Hagens entered training camp with a roster spot far from secure, especially with so many veteran forwards still in the mix and Matthew Poitras also trying to force his way into the lineup. Poitras’ injury in camp and placement on the injured list opened the door, but Hagens made sure he kept it open by playing well in camp and the preseason.
Sturm kept the “Kid Line” together, and Hagens rewarded that faith with a goal that looked as much like relief as celebration once the puck crossed the line. For Boston, it was the first of what the club hopes will be many. For Hagens, it was the first one finally off the board.
In Other News...
Bruins Face An Early Road Test With One Big Lineup Decision
The Bruins open their first road trip of the 2026-27 season in Winnipeg on the heels of a 3-0 win over the Rangers, a clean start that gives them a little momentum before they leave home ice behind. The matchup also brings an early look at the Jets, who are set to debut their eighth overall pick, Viggo Bjrck, in Manitoba.
Boston still has one lineup question hanging over the trip, and it is the kind that can shape an entire back-to-back. The goaltending picture has not been confirmed yet, while Winnipeg comes in without Connor Hellebuyck and with Stuart Skinner expected to start, leaving both teams to navigate an early-season test with a few moving parts in net. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Are Already Showing The Late-Game Fight Fans Wanted
For a Bruins team that spent training camp and the early part of the season talking about resilience, Tuesdays 4-3 overtime win over the Winnipeg Jets offered a familiar kind of proof. Boston had to dig itself out of a late third-period hole, but the response was there, and so was the kind of push fans have been waiting to see when the game gets tight in the closing minutes. Jeremy Swayman helped keep it within reach with 31 saves, giving the Bruins a chance to turn one point into two.
The finish came in overtime, where Boston found the decisive goal to cap a comeback that felt more meaningful than a simple early-season result. The details of how the Bruins manufactured that winner only added to the sense that this group can still find bite when the stakes rise, and that is the sort of trait that tends to matter once the schedule gets heavier. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Pulled Back From The Brink In Winnipeg
Bostons trip to Winnipeg had already turned into a test of patience before the Bruins found a way through it. They fell behind in the second period, leaned on scoring from four different players and got a boost from rookie James Hagens, then kept the game alive long enough to escape Canada Life Centre with a 4-3 overtime win and a 2-0-0 start.
Elias Lindholm supplied the crucial late equalizer in the third period, a moment that changed the feel of the night and gave Boston a chance to finish the job in overtime. The Bruins then needed just one more clean finish to pull themselves back from the brink, and the result left them unbeaten while showing they can recover when the game tilts against them early. [Read more 🡒]