The Bruins keep finding different ways to win, and that’s the clearest sign yet that their hot start is more than a flash in the pan. Boston enters the week at 9-2-1 and sitting atop the Atlantic Division, with an eight-game point streak still intact after Saturday night’s 6-4 comeback over the San Jose Sharks at TD Garden.
That latest win had a little bit of everything. Boston trailed 3-2 before exploding for four goals in the third period, showing off the kind of depth and late-game punch that has defined this opening month. It was also a reminder that the Bruins can survive when the game gets loose, even if that’s not the script they want to keep following.
The bigger picture is straightforward: Boston has banked points in eight straight games, and the only blemish in that stretch was an overtime loss to the Dallas Stars on Oct. 20.
Along the way, the Bruins rolled to a 6-0 shutout of Nashville on Oct. 22 and then had to dig in against San Jose two nights later. That mix of performances says a lot about where they are right now - productive, adaptable and still searching for a cleaner 60-minute formula.
David Pastrnak remains at the center of it all. Against the Sharks, he scored a key third-period goal that helped swing the game back Boston’s way.
But the real strength of this team has been the support around him. Fraser Minten scored the game-winner, James Hagens and Casey Mittelstadt each posted a goal and an assist, and Will Borgen also found the net.
That kind of spread makes Boston harder to game-plan against, because opponents can’t simply lock onto Pastrnak and hope that solves the problem.
The Bruins’ goaltending has been just as important. Jeremy Swayman turned aside 23 shots against San Jose to help finish off the rally, while Michael DiPietro earned the shutout in the win over Nashville on Oct.
- Having both goalies producing gives Marco Sturm options, especially with three games on tap this week and two of them coming on the road.
There’s still a clear area Boston has to clean up. The Sharks managed four goals, and the Bruins’ coaching staff will want less drama going forward.
The offense is clearly capable of bailing them out, but relying on a third-period rescue act every night is not a sustainable plan. Strong starts and tighter defensive work will matter just as much as the goals.
For now, though, the roster looks healthy. The latest injury report on Oct. 24 listed no Bruins players as injured, which is a clean bill of health Boston will be happy to carry into a tough week. Charlie McAvoy is back after serving a six-game suspension, and his return gives the blue line another experienced presence who can move the puck, handle difficult matchups and chip in offensively.
The schedule ahead offers a real test of how far this early surge can go. Boston visits the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, Oct. 27, then heads to the St.
Louis Blues on Thursday, Oct. 29, before coming home to face the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, Oct. 31.
The first two games are on the road and both come at 8:00 p.m. ET, while the matchup with Chicago is a 1:00 p.m.
ET matinee at TD Garden.
Carolina and St. Louis will ask plenty of questions of Boston’s defensive structure, and the quick turnaround between those games means the Bruins will have to manage energy and line usage carefully. Chicago closes the week at home, giving Boston a chance to finish on its own ice.
Three games in seven days will tell a lot about this team’s next step. If the Bruins keep stacking points while tightening up defensively, they’ll go into November with a strong foundation and a record that looks very real.
In Other News...
Oilers Blue Line Just Lost A Key Piece At The Worst Time
The injury news around the Pacific Division keeps stacking up, and for San Jose the latest update touches a player who had been trying to carve out a bigger role. Igor Chernyshov is now dealing with an upper-body injury, adding another name to a list of absences that has already forced the Sharks to keep adjusting their lineup as the stretch run approaches.
The timing is especially frustrating because Chernyshov had been building toward more consistent NHL opportunity, and any extended absence interrupts that momentum. With Calgary monitoring Mikael Backlunds return and Jonathan Huberdeau still working back from offseason hip-resurfacing surgery, the division is already full of lingering health questions, but for the Sharks the immediate concern is simply replacing another forward for the coming weeks. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks Linked To A Young Defenseman Worth Fighting For
Simon Edvinssons contract situation in Detroit has become one of the more interesting young-defenseman stories around the league, and the Sharks are now in the mix. The 23-year-old restricted free agent has drawn interest from as many as 10 NHL teams, including San Jose and Boston, after carving out a reputation as a shutdown defender while logging meaningful minutes over the past two seasons.
For a Sharks club still trying to steady its blue line, a player like Edvinsson would make obvious sense. The wrinkle is that the standoff has reportedly gone on long enough that a move may be more appealing to him than waiting it out, which only adds another layer to a situation already being watched closely across the league. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks Hot Start Comes With One Problem Fans Cant Ignore
The early returns have been encouraging for a San Jose team that spent the summer trying to prove last seasons promise was real. After finishing a six-game road trip with a 3-2-1 mark, the Sharks sit at 6-5-1, their second-best start in five years, and theyve gotten real help from the crease with Yaroslav Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic providing steady work behind them. The power play has also been a difference-maker, giving this group enough edge to stay in games and cash in when chances have opened up.
Still, theres a familiar source of unease hanging over the strong start, and it keeps showing up when games should be getting closed out. San Jose has been dragged back late far too often, and the third-period issues have already turned what should have been comfortable nights into stressful ones for both the bench and the fan base. For a team trying to build credibility, that kind of habit can erase a lot of good work in a hurry, even when the overall record looks respectable. [Read more 🡒]