Sometimes practice is all you need.
While I firmly believe practice time matters — and the Bruins certainly lacked it over the first week — special teams, goaltending, and line changes played a far big role in this win.
Jeremy Swayman was at his sharpest in the opening period, while the goaltending at the other end fell well below the mark. Even after Utah made a change in net, the disparity remained. Credit to the Bruins, though — they took advantage of the chances they were given and made them count.
Special teams were downright elite for Boston. The penalty kill went a perfect seven‑for‑seven, staying aggressive, clogging lanes, and keeping sticks in the right spots. And on the rare occasions Utah managed to break through, Swayman slammed the door shut.
The power play was nearly flawless at three‑for‑four. The lone blemish came on a late 1:46 opportunity with the game already in hand — and with the Bruins’ top unit barely near the ice.
At the start of the season, with Charlie McAvoy sidelined for the first six games due to suspension, a 4–2 record felt like a realistic — and frankly positive — target. Now the Bruins have a chance to hit that mark when they take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday afternoon.
With decisions looming once McAvoy returns, the line changes Marco Sturm rolled out in this one offered plenty of encouraging signs.
The line of Pavel Zacha centering Morgan Geekie and David Pastrnak looked exactly as advertised. They were dynamic on the power play, effective at five‑on‑five, and ultimately injected life into the Bruins’ offense.
The line of Elias Lindholm centering James Hagens and Casey Mittelstadt opened the scoring, and it marked Lindholm’s strongest outing of the season. Despite being leaned on heavily for defensive assignments, the trio still managed to generate sustained pressure in the offensive zone.
The trio of Marat Khusnutdinov, Fraser Minten, and JJ Peterka brought exactly what you want from a young, energy‑driven line. They generated shots, controlled possession, and — despite being on the ice for the lone goal against — were the only group to finish with more expected goals for than against. The offense will come as their chemistry continues to build.
The trio of Tanner Jeannot, Matthew Poitras, and Mark Kastelic delivered exactly what they needed to. Yes, Poitras found the back of the net — helped by a timely line change that put Pastrnak in position to set him up — but the line generated additional chances, including Poitras ringing one off the post on a rush. They played exactly how they needed to.
Before I get to the defensive pairs, I need to address the elephant in the room known as Sean Kuraly.
You and I both know there’s going to come a point when Sturm wants to get him back into the lineup. The problem is figuring out who comes out to make room. There’s a vocal segment of the fanbase insisting the Bruins need him for the penalty kill and his faceoff strength, but right now the path to slotting him in isn’t obvious.
I’ll give you the faceoffs — he’s winning 60 percent of his draws. But he’s also taken, by far, the fewest faceoffs among the four centers ahead of him, Poitras being the lone exception. And as for the penalty kill? The Bruins have snuffed out eleven straight — including seven last night against the league’s top power play — all since he was made a healthy scratch.
But with McAvoy set to return following the game against the Flyers, what about the defense?
The pairing of Frederic Brunet and Mason Lohrei has ranged from good to genuinely impressive. This might have been Lohrei’s most complete NHL game to date, and Brunet once again flashed the traits that have made him such an intriguing prospect since the Bruins drafted him. It’s almost comical how much a coaching change can reshape a player’s trajectory.
The pairing of Hampus Lindholm and Will Borgen is starting to settle in. Aside from Borgen’s run of three straight penalties, he was largely unnoticeable — which, for his style of defense, is exactly what you want. His steadiness has also freed Lindholm to lean more into the offensive side of his game. They’re the only regular duo currently carrying a positive expected‑goals‑for percentage.
The pairing of Connor Clifton and Nikita Zadorov has had its moments, but I’m still not convinced of their consistency — and their usage raises questions. One sequence stood out in particular: after an icing, Sturm sent out the top line for an offensive‑zone draw with Clifton and Zadorov behind them. It was a puzzling decision, and the fit didn’t make much sense.
With McAvoy set to return, someone from that group is coming out of the lineup. Jonathan Aspirot is clearly on the outside looking in right now, but one more defenseman still has to sit. And the bigger question looms: do the Bruins carry eight defensemen and thirteen forwards, or does someone hit waivers to make room for a fourteenth forward?
My guess is that they will carry 8 defensemen rather then use waivers and in the event of an injury up front and need to call someone up, they can use injury reserve to open up a roster spot.
But if you’re asking me which defenseman sits for McAvoy, right now I have to say it’s Clifton.
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