Joonas Korpisalo gets the start for the home opener for the second straight year, albeit under vastly different circumstances.
Elias Lindholm opened the 2025-26 season with a goal in Washington.
The Bruins have made their grand Zamboni-gate entrance, and the TD Garden crowd boos the Chicago Blackhawks, who were waiting in the hallway but nowhere near as long as they had to wait on Tuesday night while the Florida Panthers were raising their second straight Stanley Cup banner.
The Blackhawks gave a solid account of themselves but lost on opening night.
FIRST PERIOD
Casey Mittelstadt scores on a great 1-on-1 play by Viktor Arvidsson to make it an early 1-0 Boston lead.
Korpisalo had to come up with some brilliant saves before that after Fraser Minten turned the puck over in a mistimed attempt to make a safe play to winger Tanner Jeannot. The Bruins were scrambling thereafter, but Korpisalo made two quality stops.
One adjustment Minten has to make – this was also on display in Game 1 at Washington – is the shorter time windows to make plays. But he’s a quick study, so his adventurous shifts will soon be eclipsed by better ones while skating between Jeannot and Mikey Eyssimont.
Bruins coach Marco Sturm only changed netminders for tonight, while Johnny Beecher, Jordan Harris and Jeffrey Viel are still looking for their first action of the season while sitting in the press box tonight.
The Blackhawks, coached by Jeff Blashill, are going with 11 forwards and seven defensemen with Arvid Soderblom in goal. They played their season opener on Tuesday so a day between games for the Hawks while the Bruins are starting the season 2 in 2 with a 3 in 4 coming up Saturday night at home vs. Buffalo and the Tampa Bay Lightning in Boston on Monday at 1 pm before the Bruins hit the road.
Connor Bedard is isolated in the left circle and blasts the one-timer stick side on Korpisalo, 1-1, at 8:19 of the first period. This is the shot any team wants on the powerplay, but it took a major breakdown for the Blackhawks’ best player to get that look at 5v5. The Bruins’ fourth line of Sean Kuraly, Marat Khusnutdinov and Mark Kastelic was on the ice for the goal, which also even things out for former Bruin Matt Grzelcyk, who has been on the ice for both goals in this game.
Mittelstadt’s night continues, as he wins a 50-50 from Tyler Bertuzzi. The play didn’t connect, but both lines were at the end of their respective shifts.
Charlie McAvoy goes to the net and takes a hard hit to the shoulder, then gets a second bump from behind from former teammate Nick Foligno.
The Bruins lost a powerplay when David Pastrnak went to the box for slashing Connor Murphy, who had collided with Pastrnak in an awkward but violent way that Pastrnak didn’t see but took personally. The short 4v4 expired, and the Hawks have 20 seconds left to work with but a faceoff near their own blue line.
Hampus Lindholm left the Boston bench but no word yet on why.
Shots after the first: 11-7 Boston
SECOND PERIOD
No sign of Hampus Lindholm … waiting on an update from the Bruins.
Mittelstadt out to Mason Lohrei, save Soderblom.
Tuevo Teravainen works the puck to the high slot, save Korpisalo.
Sturm’s adjusted D pairings have Nikita Zadorov with Andrew Peeke.
Hawks score next shift from 6-foot-8, 24-year-old, seventh defenseman Louis Crevier, 2-1. The high shot may have deflected off Jeannot, who was going for the block.
Bruins update: Hampus Lindholm is out for the game with a lower-body injury.
The Bruins are showing fatigue in this game, as the Blackhawks are outshooting the home team 5-1 and have the only goal of the period for the 2-1 lead.
At the end of a shift, Khustnutdinov held on in a tough puck battle until Kastelic’s support turned it in Boston’s favor.
Grind of a game-trying goal for the Minten-Jeannot-Eyssimont line with support from McAvoy and Henri Jokiharju at 9:10. Jeannot gets his first as a Bruin and celebrates hard. 2-2, and the crowd comes alive. Big goal for the Bruins.
Another solid shift for the Jeannot-Minten-Eyssimont line, but Bruins short-handed after Khusnutdinov goes out for high-sticking.
As an aside, hockey players used to pick up fallen sticks by grabbing them by the shaft, now they grab the blade, which makes sense when you consider the blade is either touching down on two points or curving upward on the end.
Morgan Geekie from the slot, save Soderblom. Pastrnak tries to sell shot and pass, but the Blackhawks watched the highlights from last night and pick it off.
At the west end, Korpisalo makes two big stops from scoring areas on Sam Rinzel and then Andre Burakovsky.
Ryan Green off for crosschecking, Bruins to the powerplay with 1:10 left in the second period.
Nick Foligno is arguing with the officials about a possible faceoff-violation call against Chicago for putting the glove onto the puck during the draw. Foligno is going only 3 seconds into Greene’s PIM, giving the Bruins a full-on 5-on-3.
Shots through two periods: 18-15 Boston
THIRD PERIOD
5-on-3 continues, and the Bruins convert 15 seconds into the period, as Elias Lindholm jams the puck home at the left post. 3-2 Bruins, still got a half minute 5-on-4.
Bruins have chances but it does not go.
This is where the Bruins have to outwork Chicago and avoid the next penalty, which is very likely considering the lengthy argument made by Foligno, the Blackhawks’ captain.
Chicago doesn’t need a powewrplay to tie the game, as Burakovsky finishes a 3-on-2 out of transition.
The Bruins get the next powerplay at 4:07 on a trip by Frank Nazar.
Khusnutdinov is skating in the third period with some of the pop we saw last night in Washington – the Russian has speed – but it’s imperative his line takes better care of the puck. They tend to get caught behind the defense and give up odd-man rushes.
Minten had a solid shift, taking two hits to make plays ultimately resulting in the Bruins batting at the Blackhawks’ doorstep. Bedard caught him off balance, but the second hit made by the right defenseman landed with a thud.
McAvoy is getting a penalty for tripping at 9:50 after wrestling his stick from a downed Bedard, who was holding the stick. Chicago powerplay, fans unhappy.
Zadorov plasters Rinzel into the halfwall on the Chicago defenseman’s cutback move. Rinzel stayed down for a few seconds but pulled himself up as Korpisalo made a save and the Boston crowd roared its approval.
Scrum at the whistle. Kuraly wants to fight, is dealing with two Blackhawks, gets his fight, then gets belly-flopped after his takedown. Is third-man-in still a penalty?
Incredibly, the penalties offset. The Bruins get the kill and McAvoy returns, but the Blackhawks had big chances for the go-ahead goal.
Minten’s line blew coverage on the backcheck, allowing a late shot from the slot, then took they off on an odd-man rush, with Minten setting up a charging Jeannot, who was turned away from Soderblom. So many things could have happened on that shift for either team.
More scrumming, this time between Bedard and Jokiharju.
Down to 5:44, Bruins get an O-zone draw with the top line out.
Close call after Soderblom loses a puck he thought he’d tied up. But the bounce favors Chicago.
Minten makes a nice move to create down low, the Hawks get pinned, then Artyom Levshunov goes to the box for high-sticking.
Bruins PP: Soderblom stops McAvoy from the slot, Zacha misses from the slot. Arvidsson cruises hard into the zone and just misses the left post – he had a block to beat – Mittelstadt puts it on net, Bruins call timeout with an O-zone draw, 29 seconds left on Levshunov’s PIM and 1:10 to go in regulation – 3-3.
Blackhawks read Korpisalo’s clearing pass, but Khusnutdinov makes a strong defensive play to cancel the opportunity.
Regulation shots: 31-21 Boston
OVERTIME
Zadorov pins his man on the 1v1, Minten collects, 2 on 1, shows pass, shoots and scores, Bruins win 3-2. (2-0-0)
Drive safely.
Rink Rap with Mick Colageo 