Michael DiPietro didn’t just win Thursday night - he slammed the door.
The Bruins goaltender turned aside 28 shots for his first career shutout, and Boston backed him up with a nonstop offensive burst in a 6-0 rout of the Nashville Predators. David Pastrnak led the way with two goals and two assists, while Charlie McAvoy piled up a career-best four helpers in a game that got away from Nashville early and never came back.
Boston also got goals from Casey Mittelstadt, Elias Lindholm, JJ Peterka and Mark Kastelic. The win pushed the Bruins to 6-0-1 over their last seven, with the lone blemish coming Tuesday in overtime at Dallas at the end of a four-game trip.
Pastrnak’s night kept building as the goals piled up. He now tops the Bruins with six goals and 10 assists. His first contribution came on Boston’s opening strike, when he sent a cross-ice feed to Mittelstadt, who buried it past Justus Annunen’s right shoulder just 3:49 into the game.
That early punch set the tone. Lindholm followed with a power-play goal later in the first period to make it 2-0, and the Bruins kept stretching the gap from there. Pastrnak redirected McAvoy’s shot midway through the second period for his first goal of the night, then McAvoy set up Peterka late in the frame.
Pastrnak finished the scoring with five minutes left, and the goal put him in rare company: he became the eighth player in Bruins history with 20 career four-point games.
Annunen stopped 25 shots in his first start for Nashville since last season, but the Predators couldn’t find a way through. They’ve now dropped four of their last five.
Boston’s six-goal outburst was its third game with six goals this season, tied with the Golden Knights, Kraken, Avalanche and Hurricanes for the most in 2026-27.
McAvoy’s four-assist night also landed in the record book. He became the fourth defenseman in Bruins history with 10 career games of three assists or more, joining Ray Bourque, Bobby Orr and Brad Park.
In Other News...
James Hagens Is Giving Bruins Fans A Very Different Reason For Hope
James Hagens arrived in Boston with the reputation of a high-end offensive prospect, the kind of young forward Bruins fans naturally expected to eventually tilt the ice with his skill. Early this season, though, the seventh overall pick in the 2025 NHL draft has been turning heads for a very different reason. The 19-year-old has fit into a checking-line assignment and impressed teammates by leaning into the dirty work, showing a willingness to adapt as he faces top competition and learns the pro game from a defensive angle.
The shift has been especially noticeable in the way Hagens has attacked his role away from the puck. Known more as a point producer, he has embraced playing wing and focusing on defense, and his early work has already stood out across the league. For a Bruins team looking for reasons to believe in its next wave of talent, Hagens is offering one built on effort, maturity and a readiness to do whatever the coaches ask. [Read more 🡒]
Morgan Geekie's Bruins Drought Is Becoming Hard To Ignore
Morgan Geekie was one of the Bruins most productive finishers a year ago, leading the club with 39 goals and quickly becoming one of the more reliable sources of offense in the lineup. This season has looked very different so far, though, with the winger still contributing in other ways through seven assists while his goal total has lagged behind what Boston expected from him.
Geekie has been measured about the dry spell, sticking to a selective shooting approach while also acknowledging the need to be more active in generating offense. The next step is finding more of those chances on his own, particularly when turnovers open the ice, because the Bruins would like their top scorer from last season to start turning looks into goals again. [Read more 🡒]
Casey Mittelstadt Is Giving Bruins A Bigger Boost Than Expected
Casey Mittelstadt came into this season with a clear focus after spending the offseason working on his skating, and the early returns have made him look like a more dynamic fit than Boston probably expected. Drafted eighth overall by Buffalo in 2017, Mittelstadt has shown improved speed and a steadier game, the kind of progress that can change how a player is used and how much trust a staff is willing to place in him.
Marco Sturm has noticed the difference, praising Mittelstadts pace and consistency while crediting the work he put in over the summer. Mittelstadt has sounded pleased with where his game is headed, too, and the growing chemistry hes building with James Hagens and Elias Lindholm gives the Bruins another useful layer as they continue sorting out their lineup options. [Read more 🡒]