In his scheduled pregame meeting with the media, Boston Bruins Coach Marco Sturm referenced his team’s disappointing showing in Thursday’s 4-1 loss at St. Louis (which caused Friday’s scheduled day off to become a practice), and his message was basic as in back to basics.
Defense, checking (including the forecheck) and “identity” were key words. “I have no problem losing a game,” insisted Sturm, who didn’t like the lack of engagement on his team in St. Louis, where the Blues were so noticeably heavier on the puck that they resembled their 2019 Stanley Cup run more so than just their modern-era uniform they happened to be wearing on Thursday.
Sturm was also careful to qualify today’s lineup revisions as not being reflective of individual players.
Michael DiPietro gets the start in net. Jonathan Aspirot is back in today, and so is Sean Kuraly. Matthew Poitras, whose generation of scoring chances while skating limited minutes on the fourth line, comes out. “We need everybody,” said Sturm, who would not criticize individual players.
Kuraly embodies what the Bruins’ 2025-26, short-term recovery is all about. What Poitras has to say about his own career and what it may mean for the Bruins in the longer term is entirely another question.
Takeaways from Thursday here include how, not only talented but, strong Robert Thomas is. It’s been a struggle for the Blues, but their offseason moves are paying off in the long term. As they figure things out, this is the most on-brand representation of the Blues that I’ve seen since they fell out of Cup contention with the dissolution of their Big 3 D, starting with Alex Pietrangelo to Vegas via free agency and the simultaneous end of Jay Bouwmeester’s career. Right-shot defenseman Colton Parayko, a member of that Big 3, has gracefully aged as an under-the-radar pillar of the past for the Blues. When his name came up in trade rumors last season, Rink Rap would have gone to the mattresses.
As for today’s opponent, the Chicago Blackhawks have allowed 3.69 goals per game while barely scoring two goals a game. The come into TD Garden 0-5-0 on the road. They catch the Bruins at home at the worst time, remembering yesterday’s unscheduled practice and needing to prove something.
The Blackhawks’ stunning, two-strike comeback against the Bruins in the final minute and a half of Game 6 of the 2013 Cup final, ending that series, is unsurpassed for drama in this building. Patrice Bergeron’s Game 7 comeback capper to end that year’s opening-round series in Game 7 vs. Toronto is close and, of course, the memory of choice from that run.
But, in the old Garden, situated where the escalator now carries fans into Bruins and Celtics games, two Blackhawks-related moments stand out. One was the disappearance from the rafters of the Hawks’ team banner that hung along with the other five “Original 6” teams’ banners, and then “The Friends of Eddie Coyle,” the movie shot during two Bruins-Chicago games during the 1972-73 season. Rink Rap saw the Bruins play the Blackhawks, but that was Jacques Plante’s Bruins debut much later in the season. Bruins fans from the era, including current season-ticket holder Kevin Vautour, witnessed the distracting movie lighting up in the North Station-side Balcony seats.
Pierre Pilote, a gem of a defenseman from the 1960s.
FIRST PERIOD
The troubling trend of clean faceoff losses while short-handed has yielded another result, as the Blackhawks go ahead on Anton Frondell’s powerplay goal off a sweet pass from Patrick Kane for a 1-0 lead. Will Borgen was in the penalty box for delay of game.
The Bruins answer with 6:55 left in the period on a touchdown pass from Pavel Zacha to David Pastrnak who pump-faked and shoveled a beauty stick side to the top to make it 1-1.
Morgan Geekie to the penalty box 17 seconds after the tying goal.
Elias Lindholm wins the draw against Connor Bedard, and the Bruins get the clear.
DiPietro with a big shoulder save on Bedard in the slot. Bruins kill the roughing minor on Geekie.
Aspirot (in for Connor Clifton) gets into it with Andrew Mangiapane and looks about as annoyed as I’ve ever seen him. Matching minors for roughing, but Aspirot was rag-dolling Mangiapane when the linesmen got in between them (God forbid there be a non-staged, hockey fight).
DiPietro with some excellent first-period work before Pastrnak draws a tripping penalty at the other end on Chicago defenseman Wyatt Kaiser. 4-on-3 for a short spell – Bruins hit the post. Bruins sustain pressure until Cole Smith disrupts Charlie McAvoy and the Blackhawks finally get the clear. Kaiser still has 27 seconds to serve in the second period.
Shots in the first: 13-6 Chicago.
Takeaways: The Bruins’ penalty kill is getting killed by faceoff losses at the start of these PK situations. Through a wider lens, the book seems to be out on how to play the Bruins, who clearly don’t like contact away from the puck. It’s only the first wrinkle of playoff hockey we’ve seen early in this campaign, and the Bruins’ response has been less than inspiring. Today is somewhat but only somewhat of a bounce-back from that growing concern made more evident by the loss in St. Louis. The prior loss at Carolina wasn’t a bad game as much as a ceiling-revealer and a lesson in what to shoot for in terms of style points. The champion Hurricanes have been tweaking their machine under Rod Brind’Amour ever since getting similarly schooled in the 2019 Eastern Conference Final by the Bruins. Where the Bruins fall short of Carolina goes with the territory of such an extensive roster retool. Against St. Louis, the Bruins were clearly not up to the requirements of compete level in a game against an improving team with a heavy slant reminiscent of its own Cup run in 2019.
As we’ve known all along and should not lose sight of after winning nine games before the final week of October, the Bruins have much to solve and a long way to go between here and April, much less management’s long-range vision for this team.
SECOND PERIOD
Shortly after Mark Kastelic hits the right post from the slot, Frondell tips brief Bruin Tyler Bertuzzi’s point shot past DiPietro to make it 2-1 Chicago.
If shots weren’t 17-7, a positive outcome would be anticipated, but the Blackhawks are playing determined hockey and the Bruins look frustrated.
Marat Khusnutdinov hits the near post (third for the Bruins), but the puck caroms out the other side behind Arvid Soderblom.
DiPietro takes a goal off Patrick Kane’s stick, snaring his backhand from the doorstep midway through the second period.
Hampus Lindholm spotted a soft pass to Pastrnak, who was off balance and could not reach the puck before Frondell raced away with it. DiPietro swatted Frondell’s wrister over the glass.
DiPietro is keeping the Bruins in this game the way Swayman kept them in against Carolina. House of Horrors comes home.
The Bruins go into a neutral-zone trap, Mittelstadt gets another nice look and this time he buries it. 2-2 with 7:26 left in the second period.
Interference on Fraser Minten 20 seconds after Mittelstadt’s game-tying goal.
Geekie wraps up Mangiapane on a Chicago offsides. A renewal of first-period acquaintances.
Mittelstadt gets thrown to the ice by Alex Vlasic, then shoved again on his way up ice. They wind up in a wrestling match with Mittelstadt once again getting the worse. Nikita Zadorov is the featured Bruin coming to his aid. The officials have much to sort out with 1:26 left in the second period.
THIRD PERIOD
Two notes of encouragement in the early stages of the third period came in shifts by James Hagens and Mason Lohrei.
Hagens bailed out his team with an excellent read and availability as a passing outlet, using his fluid movement to keep the play onside the puck under control. He made another alert play on the defensive side shortly thereafter.
Lohrei was caught on a line change with the Blackhawks carrying the puck up ice and Hampus Lindholm having just replaced the exited McAvoy. Lohrei did an excellent job containing the Chicago forecheck, more than neutralizing his opponents as the Bruins took over possession. Little non-scoreboard plays but big ones with the game on the line.
Pastrnak draws another penalty (on Bedard), but Tanner Jeannot joins him in the penalty box with 12:22 remaining in regulation.
4v4 is unkind as the Bruins go for the pretty connection at the goalmouth, follow up, get caught, and Chicago shoots on the ensuing 3-on-1, putting the road team in the lead, 3-2, with the halfway mark of the third period approaching.
Ryan Greene is the shooter, and Mangiapane gets the assist at 9:38.
Lightning strikes twice, as the Bruins fail to turn a scoring chance into a shot on net, and this time Bedard is in alone and beats DiPietro with the backhand deke for insurance with 7:40 remaining in regulation. 4-2.
Lohrei, one of Boston’s bright spots, pinches down deep into the right circle and scores 26 seconds later, 4-3.
With DiPietro pulled for an extra attacker, the extra attacker scores, and it’s Morgan Geekie from the left circle (his office), a scorching one-timer with 10.2 second left, and this game will go to overtime.
The Blackhawks were within inches of a possession that most certainly would have sealed the outcome in their favor, but they still have accomplished their first road point of the season. That’s no skin off the Bruins’ noses unless they get the second one. Yes, regulation wins is the first standings tiebreaker, but 84 games is a long way away, and the Bruins have to be more concerned about their checking game, puck support and sound neutral-zone positioning as they forge ahead on this home-heavy schedule.
OVERTIME
DiPietro denies Frondell a hat-trick bid and, more importantly, an OT GWG. A follow-up glove save on Bedard allows the Bruins a D-zone reset.
Khusnutdinov 2 on 1 with Lohrei, the pass bobbles and Lohrei gets under it.
Frondell alone again, save DiPietro – again.
Elias Lindholm is 1 on 1 with Kaiser, takes the body on the defenseman, shakes him off while controlling the puck and tucks it home to save the Bruins.
Final shots: 41-32 Chicago.
Please drive safely like every kid walking the streets tonight is your very own.
