It’s very important hockey for the Boston Bruins this week, as in indicative as to whether the empty-tank loss Tuesday night in Dallas was an off night for a team playing smartly and to its identity or whether it’s only the beginning of the next in the season-long series of mood swings that plague so many teams in this 2025-26 NHL season.
Akira Schmid starts for Vegas against Joonas Korpisalo (so Jeremy Swayman will be back inside the pipes for the arch-rival clash with Montreal on Saturday).
Rasmus Andersson, the Swedish right-shot defenseman whom the Bruins were a contact extension away from acquiring in a trade, was not in the lineup for what would have been his Vegas debut due to a delay getting his via. Andersson played for the Calgary Flames (as had Elias Lindholm before the Bruins signed him as a free agent on July 1, 2024.
On the Boston blue line, Henri Jokiharju returned from a brief personal leave of absence but was held out of the lineup in favor of a third pairing featuring Hampus Lindholm on the left and Mason Lohrei on the right.
FIRST PERIOD
The Bruins managed to deny the Golden Knights on Pavel Zacha’s high-sticking penalty, but Boston’s powerplay was ready to click after Tomas Hertl clipped Alex Steeves for a double-minor for high sticking.
Charlie McAvoy (point) and Elias Lindholm (directly in front) beat Schmid on the two halves of the powerplay, and then at even strength Tanner Jeannot drove from the left circle and scored to make it a 3-0 game only 10:06 into the game. McAvoy’s goal came only 11 seconds after the Hertl penalty and Lindholm’s a half minute later, making it a whopping 41 seconds served by Hertl out of a scheduled 240 seconds.
Vegas hadn’t played since losing Monday night to Philadelphia in Nevada. The Bruins had only the one day in between their loss at Dallas and tonight’s game.
Mark Kastelic ran down Shea Theodore on a puck retrieval, and moments after he shrugged off Cole Reinhardt’s attempt to fight him, former Bruin Jeremy Lauzon stepped up and Kastelic obliged. The fight failed to become the latest in the series of this season’s rock-em, sock-em events, as Kastelic slipped and fell, Lauzon held off and, by the time Kastelic could regain his fight the officials had called it off and stepped in between the combatants. Maybe they’ll fight later. The two heavyweights nonetheless got five for fighting.
First period’s a crowd pleaser for the enthusiastic, TD Garden crowd, as the Bruins lead 3-0 at intermission. First-period shots were 15-4 for Boston. Joonas Korpisalo’s best stop was an early chance for Ivan Barbashev at the right post. Thought he had it – nope.
Little scrum at the siren results in matching unsportsmanlike minors on Reinhardt and Morgan Geekie.
SECOND PERIOD
Theodore takes another big thump, this one coming out of his zone with the puck by … wait for it … David Pastrnak. Pastrnak doesn’t hit with the force that Kastelic does, but it was an excellent step-up-and-meet/greet by No. 88. Morgan Geekie followed up with a hit on Jack Eichel, as the Bruins try to discourage Vegas’ uptick in effort to get back in this game with two periods of hockey left to play.
More magic from Pastrnak, who gathers the puck, goes blue line to blue line and, just as he runs into traffic, lays a beautiful spot pass where he knows Nikita Zadorov has a lane to intercept the puck. Zadorov then twists Hertl into a “pretzl” and finds Pastrnak for the finish at 7:25 of the second period – 4-0 Boston. Elias Lindholm with the other assist.
Korpisalo makes a nice save.
Reilly Smith can still dangle, but he’s not playing at the level he did when he helped Vegas win the Stanley Cup in 2023.
Kastelic cuts off an accelerating Eichel coming up the left wing.
Theodore had a look from the high slot, but his attempt got deflected after Eichel stopped Casey Mittelstadt trying to make a play out of the Boston D-zone. Mark Stone factored in the set-up that ensued.
The Bruins kill a Zadorov hooking penalty (on Mitch Marner, who is skating at center tonight).
The Golden Knights made a little push, but the Bruins did a nice job – once again – making Vegas do it the hard way, and it seems the visitors are not up to the task.
20 minutes to go.
Shots were officially 8-8 in the second period (23-12 Boston through two periods).
THIRD PERIOD
The Bruins give up two great looks, and the second of those situations is an easy tap-in by hometown boy Jack Eichel, and the Golden Knights are on the board at 31 seconds, 4-1 Bruins. Another local (once coveted by the Bruins), Norwood’s Noah Hanifin, had the primary assist.
Marat Khusnutdinov goes to the box for roughing Lauzon, and suddenly the Bruins’ outcome in this game looks slightly dicey. And now it’s 4-2 with 16:59 remaining in regulation after the bang-bang, powerplay goal by Hertl.
Jonathan Aspirot goes for interference on Keegan Kolesar at 3:46, and the Bruins’ penalty kill is suddenly in a stressful situation.
Korpisalo on Eichel’s wrister from the left shoulder. Kastelic almost had a turnover but couldn’t gain control to make the clear.
Units 2 get 1:08 to play. Bruins get a much-needed clear. Stone tries for Pavel Dorofeyev, who whiffs at the right post (hard pass from Stone), then it’s Eichel’s right shot from the left circle – save Korpisalo.
Bruins get the kill.
Third-period shots are 9-2 Vegas.
Alex Steeves steals from VGK defenseman Dylan Coghlan but cannot control his fake to the backhand, and his chance goes by the boards.
Coghlan winds up in the box for hooking on a subsequent play, and the Bruins get a powerplay with 13:02 remaining.
Pastrnak stays out with the second unit and gets the puck in front where Viktor Arvidsson whacks away to no avail.
Lohrei takes a big hit behind the Boston net, but he keeps cool and continues making solid plays with the puck.
Sign of end of all hockey things: Meantime, the Bruins are embroiled in a crucial game coming off a loss, needing to re-establish momentum with Montreal coming in here on Saturday. Their 4-2 feel-good lead has been halved, and the Golden Knights are looking confident in their ability to take at least a point out of here. It’s Thursday night, hockey night in Boston, and the fans have started doing the wave.
Hertl gets a look from low left circle, but it’s a tumbling muffin into Korpisalo’s crest.
The Bruins, with Charlie McAvoy high and Pastrnak and Khusnutdinov low, extend possession in the Vegas zone at even strength – we hadn’t seen that in forever – but the puck deflects over the glass with 4:54 remaining. O[zone faceoff after the last TV timeout of the game.
Bruins ice the puck, Bruce Cassidy pulls Schmid, and Dorofeyev scores to make it 4-3 with 2:35 remaining. Schmid goes back in.
Another close call, Korpisalo finds it underneath.
Third-period shots 17-5 Vegas with two minutes left.
Schmid back to the bench.
Bruins ice it with 53.1 seconds remaining.
Big faceoff win for Pavel Zacha, but the Bruins ice it again. No change allowed.
McAvoy in pain after blocking another Eichel shot. He gets up slowly.
Cassidy uses his timeout with an O-zone draw coming and 25.2 seconds on the clock.
That Vegas came on was a given, that the Bruins’ offense dried up and never really got going again except for that one, third-period shift., that’s got to be a focal point of preparation for Saturday night’s tilt against the Canadiens.
McAvoy stays out, Stone runs over Korpisalo inside the goal crease. Bruins ice it with 1.2. Time for a clean win and a shot – where’s Tyler Toffoli when you need him?
Elias Lindholm drawing forehand to the corner against Hertl – successfully!
Bruins hang on, 4-3 winners.
Drive safely.
Rink Rap with Mick Colageo 