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[Boston Bruins]

Preseason Reset: David Pastrnak will have to carry the offense again this season

Editor’s note: This is the first of the new format of recap/preview content for the coming season. If you think it’s missing something or have any other suggestions, let me know in the comments.

Looking back (2024-2025)​

• 82GP, 43G-63A-106PTS

For those of you who have been around this place for a while, I did a piece a long, long time ago (12 years?!) taking a look at Marc Savard’s incredible individual season on a terrible Bruins team.

(In case you can’t tell by the infographic, I had a lot more free time back then.)

In that season, Savard recorded 22G-74A-96PTS totals on a team that was really, really, really bad.

Oddly enough, that season (2006-2007) was the last time the B’s finished last in their division — until this past season.

Those two teams weren’t the same, of course: the Savard Bruins team was supposed to be bad and they fit the bill, while last season’s Bruins were supposed to be decent, but were ultimately a disaster.

My point, if I have one, is that Pastrnak’s individual season in the midst of last season’s team-wide calamity was extremely impressive, and probably deserves more plaudits than it received.

I think there’s an argument to be made that Pastrnak should have been a Hart finalist if you truly stick to the “most important to their team” logic, but he was never going to get a shout after such a bad year for the team.

Still, tied for third in the league in points (with Leon Draisaitl, of all people) is a remarkable achievement.

Pastrnak didn’t front-load his stats before the fire sale either.

In fact, he had a somewhat slow start and a hot finish: Pastrnak recorded 11 goals and 17 assists after the trade deadline.

To save you the time and sum up the rambling above: he was the Bruins best player last season.

What’s ahead in 2025-2026?​

There are a few players who you could tab as “key contributors” to whatever success may look like for this year’s Bruins: Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, Jeremy Swayman, maybe even Elias Lindholm are among them.

But I have a hard time believing any of those guys will embody “as goes Player X, so go the Bruins” as much as Pastrnak.

If you look at the current roster, this collection of players doesn’t scream “high-octane offense.”

Aside from Morgan Geekie, Pastrnak is the only player who eclipsed 20 goals last season — and it’s worth remembering Geekie did that in a career year, so it might not be the smartest bet to count on 30+ from him again this season.

The Bruins will undoubtedly be hoping for a better year for Lindholm, some scoring punch from Viktor Arvidsson, a stronger year from Pavel Zacha, etc.

However, Pastrnak is probably the only reliable scorer on the roster. If the Bruins don’t get another “ho hum, 40-60-100” season out of him, things will probably be pretty ugly.

(Side note: it’s funny how quickly we take for granted the fact that Pastrnak has recorded 40+ goals four seasons in a row and 50+ assists three seasons in a row.)

In addition, the Bruins will need Pastrnak to continue to step up in the leadership department. In my view, he proved himself a more-than-capable leader last season, especially down the stretch.

So…yeah. No pressure, David. 40 goals (50, maybe), 60-something assists…see you in the spring.

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com...l-have-to-carry-the-offense-again-this-season

 

[Boston Bruins]

Morning Skate: Rookies

Welcome to Thursday, folks!

2025 Rookie Camp kicked off yesterday at Warrior Arena, with Bruins prospects and invitees hitting the ice for a morning practice.

Rookie Camp continues on Thursday, with a practice at 9:30 AM followed by travel to Buffalo for the 2025 Prospects Challenge.

The Rookie B’s will begin that tournament on Friday with a 3:30 PM game against the Rookie Penguins.

The full Prospects Challenge schedule can be found below:

• Friday, Sept. 12 at 3:30 PM vs. Penguins
• Saturday, Sept. 13: No game, just practice
• Sunday, Sept. 14 @ 12 PM vs. Devils

In case you missed it elsewhere, the B’s roster for Rookie Camp can be found below. Players with an asterisk are attending on an invite basis:

Forwards: Dalton Bancroft, Cole Chandler, Ty Cheveldayoff, Robert Cronin*, Riley Duran, Dylan Edwards*, Brett Harrison, Mavrick Lachance*, Dans Locmelis, Fraser Minten, Jake Schmaltz, Cooper Simpson, Emmanuel Vermette*

Defensemen: Grayson Burzynski*, Jackson Edward, Ty Gallagher, Loke Johansson, Dylan MacKinnon*, Oliver Turner*, Mitch Young*

Goaltenders: Ben Hrebik*, Simon Zajicek

Locmelis, whose photo accompanies this post, is getting plenty of press as a potential “intriguing prospect” as we move towards training camp, where he’s expected to get a shot to earn an NHL place.

Locmelis, you may remember, turned pro after last spring’s run with UMass ended in the quarterfinals of the Frozen Four.

He had a decent run with Providence, then had a very strong showing for Latvia in the 2025 IIHF World Championships, so he’s on a bit of a heater lately.

He’ll face plenty of competition for a bottom-six (or middle-six) spot on the NHL roster, as the Bruins seemingly have way too many players for a handful of spots, but we’ll see.

Regardless of whether or not he makes the NHL team out of camp, he’s one to keep an eye on going forward.

Aside from Rookie Camp and this weekend’s tournament, the start of regular training camp on Sept. 17 is the next big item on the agenda.

What’s on tap for today?

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/morning-skate-open-threads/56450/morning-skate-rookies

 

[Boston Bruins]

Public Skate: Bruins vs. Penguins Prospects Challenge

It’s not quite the full return of the NHL, but it’s something to watch on a Friday afternoon!

The Bruins will take on the Penguins in Buffalo’s Prospects Challenge this afternoon, beginning at 3:30 PM.

The game will be streamed live on the Bruins’ website — there was no direct link at the time of publishing, but click here or below to go to their homepage.

View the live stream​

This stream will feature a split broadcast, with Ryan Johnston of 98.5 The Sports Hub doing play-by-play, while Michelle Crechiolo of Penguins.com does color commentary.

If you’ll be watching, here’s your place to share your thoughts!

Per Savebyryder, here’s what the lines will look like:

• Harrison-Minten-Bancroft
• Simpson-Locmelis-Duran
• Vermette-Schmaltz-Edwards
• Cheveldayoff-Chandler-Lachance

And the defense pairs:

• Edward-Burzynski
• Johansson-Gallagher
• Young-MacKinnon

Simon Zajicek and Ben Hrebik will split time in goal.

Discuss.

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com...-skate-bruins-vs-penguins-prospects-challenge

 

[Boston Bruins]

Bruins release training camp roster and schedule

With Rookie Camp and the 2025 Prospects Challenge in the rearview mirror, it’s time for the real fun to begin!

The Bruins will kick off their 2025 Training Camp on Wednesday, with the team releasing the roster and schedule today.

There are no real surprises in the roster, as the B’s haven’t announced any PTOs (as of right now) — so it’s mostly who you’d expect.

Forwards: Joey Abate, Viktor Arvidsson, Dalton Bancroft, John Beecher, Matej Blumel, Patrick Brown, Riley Duran, Michael Eyssimont, John Farinacci, Morgan Geekie, Brett Harrison, Tanner Jeannot, Mark Kastelic, Marat Khusnutdinov, Sean Kuraly, Elias Lindholm, Dans Locmelis, Fabian Lysell, Georgii Merkulov, Fraser Minten, Casey Mittelstadt, David Pastrnak, Matt Poitras, Jake Schmaltz, Alex Steeves, Riley Tufte, Jeffrey Viel, Pavel Zacha

Defensemen: Jonathan Aspirot, Frederic Brunet, Michael Callahan, Jackson Edward, Colin Felix, Ty Gallagher, Jordan Harris, Loke Johansson, Henri Jokiharju, Hampus Lindholm, Mason Lohrei, Charlie McAvoy, Andrew Peeke, Victor Soderstrom, Billy Sweezey, Max Wanner, Nikita Zadorov

Goaltenders: Luke Cavallin, Michael DiPietro, Joonas Korpisalo, Jeremy Swayman, Simon Zajicek

When does Bruins training camp start?​

Camp will open on Wednesday, September 17, with the team generally gathering, mingling, and doing off-ice work.

Don Sweeney and Marco Sturm will both address the media, but that’s about it — don’t expect to hear too much from any of the players.

Practice starts on Thursday, with split squad practices starting that day and continuing through Saturday (with a split-squad scrimmage on that day).

The Bruins will then begin their preseason slate on Sunday, hosting the Washington Capitals at TD Garden at the “hey, the Patriots game is over” time of 5 PM.

From there, you know the drill: practice, preseason game, a day off thrown in here and there.

All training camp practices will take place at Warrior Arena in Brighton.

---

Anyone you’re particularly looking forward to seeing at camp? Predicted breakout star?

Discuss.

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com...ins-release-training-camp-roster-and-schedule

 

[Boston Bruins]

Preseason Reset: Fraser Minten could fill a need for the Bruins

Looking back (2024-2025)​

• Split between Boston and Toronto: 21GP, 3G-2A-5PTS

While the Bruins did plenty of wheeling and dealing at the 2025 trade deadline, the acquisition of Fraser Minten stood out as one of the most exciting moves.

Minten came to the Bruins as part of the trade that sent Brandon Carlo to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Reports, both at the deadline and in the months since, indicated that Minten was high on the Bruins’ list if they were going to make any deals with Toronto, and there were plenty in the Leafs fanbase who weren’t happy to see Minten go.

The kid (he just turned 21 in July) had a pretty wild 2024-2025 across the board: he played for two teams at the NHL level and two at the AHL level, so it’s fair to say he didn’t have much of a chance to put down roots.

He spent most of his Bruins tenure with Providence, putting up 3G-6A-9PTS totals across 19 games (regular season and playoffs).

He played six games with the B’s at the NHL level, recording one goal.

What’s ahead in 2025-2026?​

It might be a bit of a stretch to say that the Minten Hype Train is already gearing up to leave the station, but he’s one of the players fans seem most excited to see more of in 2025-2026.

His roster spot isn’t a given, with a glut of players in the mix to break camp with the Bruins.

However, as a center, he fits a need for the Bruins.

With Elias Lindholm penciled in at 1C and Casey Mittelstadt (or Pavel Zacha, depending on what Marco Sturm wants to do) slated to occupy the 2C spot, there’s a place for Minten on a third line that, until recently, had been steadily occupied by Charlie Coyle.

Assuming a 21-year-old kid with 21 NHL games to his name is ready to hold down 3C for a full season is probably a tall order, but Minten appears ready to take on the task.

From Fluto Shinzawa in The Athletic:

Minten fits the profile. He gained 10 pounds this offseason to be strong on his stick, bump opponents off pucks and occupy D-zone real estate, not necessarily to drive the offense.

“I’m probably not scoring 30 goals and 30 assists my rookie year in the NHL,” Minten said. “Being a guy who’s hard back, you’re first back on the back check, you’re stopping, you’re getting inside. The details, all those things that go into it. Faceoffs, penalty kill. That’s always been something I’m good at and taken pride in. I’ll continue to put emphasis on that.”

Minten has had a good start to September by impressing in the Prospects Challenge, where the consensus was that he was probably a cut above playing at that level.

Like any young player, he’ll need to earn his spot through solid performances in training camp and during preseason games.

But if nothing else, the Bruins appear to have a good one on their hands — and a player who fills a roster need as well.

Hey, it worked out pretty well last time the Bruins acquired a prospect from the Maple Leafs.

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com...raser-minten-could-fill-a-need-for-the-bruins

 

[Boston Bruins]

Preseason Reset: We need significant improvement from Mason Lohrei

This is a really weird time to be a Bruins fan.

Much like the Pats, a whole generation of fans grew up with this team being, if not actually Stanley Cup champions, then being one of the most successful teams in the NHL year over year in the 2010’s. A lot of that came at the expense of the prospect cupboard, the draft picks, the maybes, the tweeners, that sort of thing, so the Bruins have had to get creative in order to find talent, and Mason Lohrei is, or maybe more accurately was, one of those major finds; a player from NCAA hockey that clearly has some rough spots in his game, but more than enough promise to suggest that there’s a long time Bruin in this player somewhere.

…If you reaaaaaaally squint hard. Or ignore basic facts of his game.

Looking Back (2024-25)​

• Statline:
  • 5 goals
  • 28 assists
  • 33 points
  • 77 games played
  • 16 PIM
  • Average TOI of 19:32

Mason Lohrei entered the 2024-25 season with a lot of hope behind him. He was a lot of the things fans liked in a defenseman (wasn’t a turret on skates, capable of impressive shots), while being less of the things that Bruins fans didn’t really care so much for (is over 6-foot). After such an impressive playoffs, the hope was that he would take the strong finish to his Bruins debut’ season and take it into his first full season to be a genuine dual threat defender; one that the B’s both sorely needed and would benefit from tremendously with a defense that got a little older in it’s depth that needed someone who could do zone exits for them.

So! How’d he do?

Yeah, he didn’t quite rise to the occasion. At least at 5-on-5.

Lohrei’s game by the individual tools he has is definitely impressive, and to that end he was a pretty good player on the power play with strong passing and a helluva shot, but it also belies that when put together and sent through his ability to see the game, to identify plays as they’re happening, to keep the puck secure while also creating zone exits and trying to keep hockey flowing in the right direction for Boston…Lohrei falls flat when he is doing literally anything other than being an available player with and without the puck in the offensive zone. Over the course of the 2024-25 season, Lohrei frustrating fans to no end as he showed some flashes of the talent that kept him on the roster for those 2023-24 playoffs…and then settling right back down again into struggling to identify what the forecheck was trying to do and coughing up an unforgivable turnover or completely missing a play as it develops in front of his eyes.

This led to Lohrei being the youngest head in a three-headed monster of defenders with horrific rates of turnovers; the other two being Brandon Carlo and Andrew Peeke, averaging at least 4.15 per 60 minutes, and surrendering by far the most unblocked shots of any Bruins defender and the highest quality of shot surrendered of any Bruins defender; giving up 2.71 Expected Goals Against per 60 minutes. Add a player who struggles to read his opponent and his teammates position on the ice to a pairing with someone seemingly allergic to doing anything with the puck unsupervised, as he often was with Brandon Carlo? Utter disaster. Losing both Lindholm and McAvoy in the same year badly exposed both Lohrei and Carlo, though only one was bad enough to get traded away…for now.

The response to the season was either one of two things; completely writing the player off, or optimism that the positives of his game would inevitably outweigh the negatives. After all, the Bruins problems are much, much worse than just one guy, and he’s young still! Young for a defenseman, anyway! Definitely young for the Boston Bruins! He’ll improve, they said!

Well, looking at his 2024-25 season, that’s probably right, in that it can’t get much worse.

What’s ahead in 2025-26?​

If Lohrei wants to stay on this team past his contract’s second year, then we’d better see some marked improvement.

A lot of people are still high on Lohrei, and it’s hard not to see why. He’s big, he can score, he’s a decent skater, he had a really good playoffs once, did I mention he’s big? Because him being big is often a major selling point. But now it’s no longer “cute” for him to be giving up backbreaking turnovers at 24. He has the size and speed, but his game needs to mature in order for him to be taken seriously as a major option for this squad. He needs to be able to think this game at an NHL level, or he is going to be out of the NHL much quicker than maybe even he expects. Sure, defensemen maybe come into their own later than forwards do; this is a hard game to really learn and defense is a difficult position for even die-hard fans to really wrap their head around sometimes. But if he’s here, he needs to show that serious learning was done on the game of ice hockey, and critically what happens away from the end of your stick.

So let’s step away from the physical aspect of his game and set a decent goal for him: Break even on defense.

Don’t be a complete liability in your own end most nights you are on the ice for 18-20 minutes. Be a league average player defensively. Have a couple of really bad highlights, then a couple of really good ones, and then disappear into the background radiation of the season. Because if he can do that? Mason Lohrei could be a very strong player. All the things I said about his offensive game are still true; he can still pass like some of the best playmakers and he still has a cannon shot that is wicked accurate; something that a modern defenseman kind of needs in order to survive, it’s just everything else that’s dragging him into the depths.

Because there’s a non-zero chance Mason Lohrei will be asked to play that much again. He will be asked to play above-average minutes for his skillset; Lindholm and McAvoy will likely have struggles with both getting to 100% and being asked to play about 25 minutes apiece, so Lohrei, who has skills that resemble what Hampus and Mac can do, will be called upon to fill that void.

The time for Lohrei to show that he has learned something from that experience is now, because it is an increasingly long season, and any major stagnation in his game is going to get old really fast.

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com...eed-significant-improvement-from-mason-lohrei

 

[Boston Bruins]

Public Skate: Bruins vs. Devils Prospects Challenge

Happy Sunday, folks!

If you’d prefer to look away from the weekly NFL spectacle, the Bruins have you covered!

The Bruins Youths will play their last game of the 2025 Prospects Challenge on Sunday afternoon at 12:30 noon, facing the Devils prospects.

(“Devils Prospects” sounds like a good name for a band, if one doesn’t already exist by that name.)

The game will be streamed live on the Bruins’ website, if you’d like to tune in.

Watch the game live >>​

If a prospects game doesn’t scratch your itch, never fear — the first preseason game will be just one week from today!

Discuss.

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com...ic-skate-bruins-vs-devils-prospects-challenge

 

[Boston Bruins]

Preseason Reset: Is there any chance of a revival with Tanner Jeannot?

Looking Back (2024-25)​

• All stats with LA
  • 67 Games Played
  • 7 Goals
  • 6 Assists
  • 13 Points
  • 89 Penalty Minutes

Tanner Jeannot is coming into the 2025-26 season at the valley of his on-ice value. Or at least, that’s what it feels like after his 2024-25.

Jeannot was the centerpiece pickup of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s deadline in 2022-23, and from the get-go it was a headscratcher; Jeannot had only ever been a middle six player who had cracked 24 goals once in his entire career, and thus after one full season and it becoming increasingly clear that getting him had been a mistake, they traded him to the Kings in 2024 for a 4th round pick. The Kings got roughly the exact same production with slightly more games played. Over that time, Jeannot’s on-ice impact could best be described as “doesn’t embarrass himself in his own end but that’s about it”, and that’s about the most charitable description of his game that doesn’t involve the phrase “aura farming” or even more cynically, “branding genius.”

Part of what made Jeannot’s repeated moves so baffling was the continued cost that teams were willing to pay to get a player like him. While yes, being 6’2 and 220 pounds is pretty impressive, it’s clear that whatever scoring touch he had was probably not coming back, and as such Jeannot had to trade on his physicality more than anything else. Maybe good for a couple of decent fights, injuries that kept him out for long stretches of time, and being third from the bottom on the Kings in terms of possession, and 14th among regular skaters on the Kings in terms of quality chances. Repeatedly, teams have paid kings ransoms for a depth player who was good at scoring precisely once, and experiencing serious buyers remorse within six months.

He was a free agent a year later. The Boston Bruins picked him up for five years on a No Trade Clause.

What’s Ahead in 2025-26?​

Jeannot’s shine as a power forward has begun to dim considerably, and even in a market that lionizes the contact part of this contact sport, we have been burned heavily by big player after big player who talks a big game, is sold as both a physical and scoring threat, and then either inconsistently does it or does it in a way that makes people angry, or the offense never materializes. Jeannot’s 2024-25 suggests that we are in for yet more of this unless he shows up to preseason ready to kick ass in a way he hasn’t kicked ass in an increasingly long time.

However, if there is something that could work in his favor, it’s that John Beecher and Matthew Poitras, guys who have been projected to be linemates of his come the end of preseason, are defensively responsible players that could help create An Shutdown Line alongside him. Since Jeannot at least doesn’t embarrass himself in his own end, there’s a chance this could give him a second wind in his career as respectable depth being treated as respectable depth. This will of course be looped into the same dumb narratives that follow this team around, but the alternative is

The “Bruins Bump” that the team seems to be at least partially aware of is a little more selective than it has been in recent years, but if you must hang onto this player who has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he will probably disappoint you, then he can at least be a grizzled veteran that teaches two promising talents how to be a strong 4th line in 2030.

The player from 2021 may not return, but there is An Role for this player if the Bruins are willing to be intelligent about it. And maybe have a list together of teams they might have to call if he disappoints again. Buyers remorse seems to follow Jeannot around these days, and handing him an NTC made getting something for him that much harder.

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com...e-any-chance-of-a-revival-with-tanner-jeannot

 

[Boston Bruins]

Preseason Preview: Start it off right

Just the Facts​

• The Time: 5pm EST
• The Place: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Place to Watch: NESN, Monument Sports Network, ESPN I think
• Place to Listen: 98.5 The Sports Hub
• An Opposing Viewpoint: Japers’ Rink

Game Preview​

Welcome friends…to Preseason.

It’s finally here. Hockey is back.

The NHL finally cracks its back, stretches itself out, and is starting to get itself back up after a long wait.

The Bruins will be lining up with their roster still as full as the beginning of camp. Like all beginnings of preseasons, one can kind of expect this game to be Providence and Maine-heavy in terms of roster construction for the B’s, and pretty Hershey/South Carolina-heavy for the Caps. If Ovie shows up here, it is almost certainly for moral support.

As for what to expect? Hard to say. The Bruins’ prospect pool is, as has been talked to death lately, thin. Boston needs to take stock of what they have and see if anyone aside from Fraser Minten and Jimmy Hagen can surpass some pretty low expectations; there’s been plenty of eyes turned from Fabian Lysell, but how does he look against a moving target? Simon Zajicek picked up a lot of interest through his heroic performance at the Prospect Challenge, but what about in a full 60 minute NHL hockey game…ish?

And what of the Caps prospect pool? The Caps have been able to pull together a very intriguing prospect pool; staying consistently in the top ten. Will that hold up to any scrutiny, and will they even be able to keep all of that talent if they continue to be as successful as they tend to be? Will this be a chance for them to join the Caps full time? Or the start of showing themselves off for the benefit of another team?

We find out this evening!

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/bruins-gameday/56521/preseason-preview-start-it-off-right

 

[Boston Bruins]

Preseason Reset: Can Viktor Arvidsson rediscover his scoring form?

Looking back (2024-2025)​

• 15G-12A-27PTS in 62 regular season games for Edmonton; 2G-5A-7PTS in 15 playoff games

Viktor Arvidsson entered last season, his first with the Oilers, coming off of a nightmare year in Los Angeles, where he missed more than 50 games due to a combination of injuries and surgeries.

Through that lens, reaching 15 goals and playing in 60+ games should be considered a win.

However, it was an up-and-down season overall for Arvidsson, who managed to provide some offense but still dealt with injuries and wound up in and out of the lineup as Edmonton went to the Stanley Cup Final again.

His trade to the Bruins was largely viewed as a salary dump through an Edmonton lens, while the Bruins will be hoping Arvidsson can be a bit of a reclamation project.

What’s ahead in 2025-2026?​

The Bruins did not acquire Arvidsson thinking they’re getting the guy he was during his Nashville days, where he once scored 31, 29, and 34 goals over three seasons.

A reasonable goal for Arvidsson would be for him to eclipse his Edmonton production and maybe hit the 20-goal mark, which he did in his first two seasons in Los Angeles.

He’ll likely start the season on the second line, giving him plenty of opportunities to contribute.

The problem, of course, will be staying healthy.

As mentioned above, Arvidsson dealt with a few injuries in Edmonton last year, plus some serious injuries in Los Angeles during the 2023-2024 season.

He played 77 games for the Kings in 2022-2023, but before that? 58, 57, 50, and 66 from 2018 through 2022, split between Nashville and Los Angeles.

Assuming, for the sake of argument, he can stay on the ice, he should be a good fit for the Bruins’ top six.

He shoots the puck a lot, something the Bruins have lacked in recent years, and can be counted on to score 15+ goals if he has an average season.

On a team that isn’t exactly rich with offensive resources, Arvidsson should fill a need.

It’s also worth pointing out that Arvidsson almost certainly won’t spend the entire season with the Bruins: he’s a pending UFA, meaning he should be a decent asset for the Bruins at the trade deadline (even moreso if he has a bounce-back year).

Considering it only cost the B’s a fifth-round pick to acquire Arvidsson, they’re getting good value: some skill, a good shot, and value at the trade deadline.

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com...-viktor-arvidsson-rediscover-his-scoring-form

 

[Boston Bruins]

Preseason Game RECAP: Bruins ring in preseason with 5-2 LOSS

It’s just preseason, it’s just preseason, it’s just preseaso-

1st Period​

Things got started with Morgan Geekie being the recipient of a baubled attempt to leave the zone by the Capitals and hammering it home with gusto! 1-0 Bruins!

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And then…the rest of the first period happened.

First, Sonny Milano was the recipient of an unprotected slot as he caught Mike DiPietro looking on a broken up possession, and evened things up. 1-1 Everybody…

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Then the man who assisted on Milano’s goal, Hendrix Lapierre, got the puck off a quick little passing play behind the net, and the Caps took the lead. 2-1 Caps.

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Washington would add to it’s lead with a Sonny Milano breakout, as the save on Victor Soderstrom went all the way out to the blueline and to Ethen Frank, who sprung Milano. 3-1 Caps.

Finally, to end things out, Ivan Miroschnichenko stripped the puck from Mason Lohrei, and he set up Bogdan Trinyev to tip the puck in at point blank range. 4-1 Caps.

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Thus ends the first.

2nd Period​

The Bruins did make some progress on unraveling this boondoggle early on! Jeffrey Viel won a puck battle and threw it out in front, and Patrick Brown put a missile past Logan Thompson in order to cut the lead in half! 4-2 Caps.

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The Caps however, answered back. Sonny Milano and Hendrix Lapierre led the charge out of the zone, and the only person back for it was Mason Lohrei; who couldn’t stop them from setting up Ryan Chesley to put the game’s scoring away. 5-2 Caps.

Third Period​

There was nothing much worth mentioning here, and the Bruins took their L and went home, though not after a brief shootout. Simon Zajicek did what he could…

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…it just wasn’t enough for the Moral victory.

Bruins lose 5-2.

Game Notes​

• Charlie McAvoy was the leader in ice time, with 21:01 logged.
• While saying in earnest that it is in fact still preseason and thus none of these results should be counted as anything more than noise…
  • Most of the young guns had a pretty quiet night, and their on-ice impact reflects that. Matthew Poitras had the most impact of any of the young players, and that was largely due to being the target of some comical levels of violence against him through almost no fault of his own. The B’s youth needs to be better going forward of course, but I do feel there’s hope for some. Lysell was extremely active all night, and goshdarnit, he was trying so hard to get something to happen…he just happened to send the puck flying in space between Bruins. We shouldn’t get overconcerned about this one, but we do need to start seeing some progress here.
  • If there was an area of the game Boston still has a lot of work to do, it’s speed in the neutral zone and in the defensive end, and that’s across all players. Washington was able to get the breaks they did because multiple players were already well behind the play by the time the scoring player had their shot. The Bruins surrendered a lot of the slot and high slot to Washington, and a part of it was that Washington was just able to get there before Boston was; they had better mobility through open ice, and were able to stay on the attack longer because they could shake their man without having to commit too much physically. Hopefully adding more of the main roster to this will improve it. If not? Oh dear.
  • Mike DiPietro finished his night with a resounding .762 SV% on 21 shots, and while I don’t necessarily blame him for about half of the shots he faced, given that the Caps could’ve been shooting a collective 90% on expected goals, I do think that he struggled a bit with getting set for saves and that did kill him down the stretch, not that he was getting much help. Simon Zajicek meanwhile only saw 6 shots and then played out the shootout, but he did what was expected of him and didn’t make the problem worse. I freely admit to being a fan of his work on account of his aggression and big yellow-jacket pads, but he did put in the work to get noticed because he went out of his way to make his saves look good, especially in the shootout…with the exception of that last shot. That was pretty weak.
  • David Pastrnak is gonna have a 80+ point season and he’s gonna have almost no help because oh my god the Bruins had all sorts of great chances and just could not stuff them behind Thompson enough for it to matter. Just endlessly frustrating.
  • Andrew Peeke playing almost 19 minutes cannot happen again. Full stop. Even Charlie McAvoy being about even on impact…he just can’t do that. I don’t care if you have to bring up a college guy. Don’t do that.
• Whatever, man. It’s preseason. They get another shot at this on Tuesday against a slightly lesser prospect pool. If they still look like this in December? Then I’m worried.

---

Boston plays their next preseason game against the New York Rangers in Manhattan. That game starts at 7pm EST.

See you then!

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com...-recap-bruins-ring-in-preseason-with-5-2-loss

 

[Boston Bruins]

Preseason Gamethread 9/21/25: vs. WSH

We back!

This is going to be one of our first real tests of this system’s comment section, so please bare with us as we get acclimated!

What’s on tap, everybody?

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/bruins-gameday/56525/preseason-gamethread-9-21-25-vs-wsh

 

[Boston Bruins]

Preseason Game RECAP: Eyssimont makes a statement in 5-4 OT WIN!

Magical stuff.

The Highlights, because it’s Preseason.​

Game Notes:​

• Your TOI Leader was Nikita Zadorov, who logged 23:57 last night.
• In spite of scoring the opening goal on as easy and simple a passing play as you’re gonna get, the Bruins looked as cooked as they did on Sunday night with how miserable their effort was in the opening periods.
• MICHAEL. EYSSIMONT. IS A BOSTON. BRUIN. Absolutely phenomenal night by him; 2 goals and an assist to nearly single-handedly propel this team back into a win. Exceptional stuff, well done.
• An underrated part of this was of course the clutch work of one Marat Khusnutdinov, who got the game tying goal, and then sent the softest little pass through the neutral zone to Nikita Zadorov to win the game. It was comical how much open space the Rangers left for him to send that pass so silkily and so harmlessly. Also a major net-positive in on-ice impact, which I would love to see more of from him!
• Simple passing plays to the front of the net were what killed the Rangers just about all night, and it’s kind of wild that they didn’t just hammer that over and over again, because Manhattan’s blue line didn’t seem terribly interested in actually removing too many Bruins from the slot. Can’t imagine that’ll carry over into the regular season, but it’s something to keep an eye on.
• From an on-ice perspective, a lot of the Bruins didn’t do super hot; they let up a ton of shots and a lot of those shots were in quality areas. That said, the guy behind them all…wasn’t much better. There’s a non-zero chance that the Rangers insistence on switching out goalies may have bailed the B’s out, because otherwise Igor Sheshterkin was working circles around Joonas Korpisalo, who finished the night with a .892 SV%. Gonna need more from him if he really wants to be the backup of today.

---

Boston gets a couple of days off for training and probably making some of their first cuts, and then will hit the road to play the Flyers on Saturday. That game starts at 5pm EST.

We’ll see you there!

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com...cap-eyssimont-makes-a-statement-in-5-4-ot-win

 

[Boston Bruins]

Preseason Public Skate: Bruins vs. Rangers

The Bruins will continue their preseason tonight with a visit to Manhattan to face the New York Rangers.

Tonight’s game starts at 7 PM and will be broadcast on 98.5 The Sports Hub and NESN+.

Playing tonight for the B’s will be:

Forwards​

Casey Mittelstadt, Matej Blumel, Johnny Beecher, Alex Steeves, Fabian Lysell, John Farinacci, Mark Kastelic, Matt Poitras, Dans Locmelis, Dalton Bancroft, Michael Eyssimont, Marat Khusnutdinov, and Fraser Minten

Defensemen​

Henri Jokiharju, Victor Soderstrom, Jordan Harris, Jonathan Aspirot, Michael Callahan, Loke Johansson, and Nikita Zadorov

Goalies​

Joonas Korpisalo, Michael DiPietro, and Simon Zajicek

---

As you can see, not exactly an NHL-heavy lineup for the Bruins tonight.

The Rangers will ice a similarly non-NHL lineup, though Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox are in the mix.

We also have an Anton Blidh sighting!

On tonight: pic.twitter.com/IqelIt5DBv

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) September 23, 2025

Anyways, preseason game #2!

Discuss.

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com...6545/preseason-public-skate-bruins-vs-rangers

 

[Boston Bruins]

Morning Skate: Onward

A Jeff Gorton and Dave Lewis sighting to start your day?! That’s how you know you’re going to have a great Friday.

Welcome to the end of the week, folks, as the first week of preseason action wraps up.

The Bruins were completely off on Wednesday before returning to practice yesterday. Friday brings another day of split-squad practices, with groups set to take the ice at 10 AM and 11:45 AM at Warrior Arena.

We’re still in that early period of training camp where there haven’t been any cuts, but it’s getting to be about that time — Saturday’s game against the Flyers will mark the midway point of the preseason, around which you expect to see rosters start to get pared down.

That game will be in Philadelphia at 5 PM, and will be followed by the Flyers returning the favor and visiting TD Garden on Monday for a 7 PM puck drop.

We likely won’t have a full preview for Saturday’s game, but will get an open thread together. The game will air on NESN+ and 98.5 The Sports Hub.

(Monday’s game is currently scheduled for regular NESN, as are the last two preseason games on October 2 & 4; that could change if the Red Sox make the playoffs.)

Other than that, the big(ish) news is the reason for the image at the top of this post: no, not a blatant nostalgia play — Zdeno Chara is back!

After being around the team in an unofficial capacity in recent years, the B’s announced Thursday that Chara is officially back in the fold as “Hockey Operations Advisor and Mentor.”

Per the team:

In his new role, Chara will work closely with both players and staff to advise the organization in key areas. His primary responsibilities will include building relationships and strengthening communication between players and coaches, attending practices and home games, and providing off-ice development support to defensemen. He will also serve as a resource for the team’s development staff and make periodic visits to connect with prospects at the AHL level.

If you’re looking for a guy for young players to emulate, you’d be hard pressed to find someone better than Chara.

He’ll speak to the media at training camp on Friday as well.

Anyways, what’s on tap for today and the weekend?

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/morning-skate-open-threads/56582/morning-skate-onward

 

[Boston Bruins]

Preseason RECAP: Another Come from Behind W for Boston!

Marco’s teams sure love the drama, don’t they?

1st Period​

Things didn’t start great, as the Bruins gave up a power play to the Flyers, and while they are a team with deep, crushing flaws, there is a lot of very talented players on it. Travis Sanheim being one of them. This is noteworthy primarily because the Bruins apparently missed him as he glided effectively unmarked into the slot and potted home the opening goal. 1-0 Flyers.

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Then, Boston slowly tried to claw their way back into the game, putting a number of achingly long sequences of attempting chance after chance on net, until they finally broke through at the last second with Johnny Beecher taking a puck right away from Alex Bump, and then tucking it neatly behind Sam Ersson! 1-1 Everybody!

As that was the literal last second of the period, we move on to the 2nd!

2nd Period​

Things looked like they were gonna stay better as the B’s got an early power play, and Dalton Bancroft got a couple of really nice looks; eventually slamming the puck home on the rebound of his own shot! 2-1 Bruins!

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Then things got a little squirrely. The Bruins attempted to leave their own zone and failed, and the Flyers moved the puck down towards the net. Michkov popped the puck up and over DiPietro’s head, and Nikita Grebenkin batted it home to tie the game again. 2-2 Everybody.

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Then, the Flyers got another Power Play. Trevor Zegras is on the Flyers.

Don’t do that! 3-2 Flyers.

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Mercifully, the Bruins did get things evened up before the end of the period, with Dalton Bancroft and Georgii Merkulov going on a quick break from a stretch pass to power to the net and even things up! 3-3 Everybody!

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Great pass by Frederic Brunet on this one. Just caught the Flyers asleep at the wheel.

No further scoring, and we head to the final frame.

3rd Period​

The Bruins held their own for a good portion of this period, which frustrated Philly to no end, and it finally paid off as another stretch pass got to Jeffrey Viel, who was able to get it around a Flyers defender, power to the net, get Sam Ersson to flop down, and he would score the game-winner in spectacular fashion!

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Bruins win 4-3!

Game Notes​

• Your TOI Leader was Henri Jokiharju, who just beat out Hampus Lindholm for this spot by playing 21:43.
• Once again the Bruins struggled out of the gate. The Flyers definitely have a bunch of really fun and interesting talents on their roster, and one could even expect to see half of them out here for Game 1 of the regular season once we get there, and it created a pretty early 1-0 situation. To their credit, Boston absolutely began peppering Sam Ersson with chances; leaving the Flyers effectively under siege for a good portion of the first period, and was finally able to break through before the buzzer. From there, the B’s kind of rode the waves of momentum as they took the lead, lost it again, and then slowly built themselves back up from that point, ending in the Viel go-ahead. It was not pretty at any point, the offense at times looked like an armadillo trying to mate with a rock, but they got it done in the end.
• Have a game there, Dalton Bancroft. Two goals; one on the power play, and one from a Merkulov stretch pass that gave him a quick break. Excellent work by that young man tonight.
• Jeffrey Viel had himself a real chance at redemption and he took it; starting the game with the first penalty of the night that the Flyers scored on, and then got the game winner. Duality of man, I suppose, but his power move to the net was fantastic. Loved that he forced the Flyers D to scramble like that.
• Boy, Hampus Lindholm sure doesn’t seem like he’s been recovering from a major injury; he played a good long game, was the 2nd best player on the team from on-ice impact (and probably the best if we’re taking out players with sheltered deployment), and man he was moving like he was never injured in the first place. That’s a major weight off the shoulders of Bruins’ fans seeing him at what is hopefully 100%. We are going to Need That.
• I told you all that Mikey Eyssimont is a helluva bottom six forward, I went and told you. And now here he is, being a little thing king. Decent little game from him; physical in the right way, kept himself useful all night. It’d be nice if he got a couple of points out of the deal, but hey; can’t expect it every game.
• I wrote the Preseason check in for Mason Lohrei, and again, I swear to god I am trying with him. I can see where his game has strengths! It is just so hard to see them clearly when he’s doing something unimaginably stupid at least once a period; stupid things like throwing his broken stick at a player with the puck! You’re a big boy who can knock people down! Get in the way! You’re lucky DiPietro made that save on a penalty shot or you would be the focal point of this piece! As the B’s defensive depth is pretty thin at the moment, we are increasingly coming up on this no longer being cute!
• I’m not gonna be super harsh on DiPietro, because at this point I think I know where we are on him. He can handle himself for a good portion of the game, he is very swim-y in his crease; trying to keep up with pucks seems to be a real point of concern for him, and he loses the puck a lot more often than he probably should. But you wanna know who he was better than tonight? Sam Ersson, and that’s what mattered; especially in the third period. Decent ending to his night, .889 SV% which is understandable, and a feeling that Providence calls for this young man.

---

B’s take the rest of the weekend off, and then get right back to it with a game on Monday evening against the Flyers at TD Garden. That game starts at 7pm EST.

We’ll see you there!

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com...n-recap-another-come-from-behind-w-for-boston

 

[Boston Bruins]

Preseason Public Skate: Bruins vs. Flyers

The Bruins will play their third game of the preseason tonight, facing the Flyers in Philadelphia.

Get your basic details below:

• When: Today, 5 PM
• Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena – Philadelphia, PA
• How to follow: NESN+, 98.5 The Sports Hub
• Opposing perspective: Broad Street Hockey

As far as a lineup goes, both Pavel Zacha and Hampus Lindholm will be making their preseason debuts.

It’s a pretty big moment for Lindholm, who hasn’t played in a game since mid-November of last year.

The reset of the lineup for the Bruins:

For a face-off with Philly. pic.twitter.com/aezPSci8nF

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) September 27, 2025

The Flyers will be icing a lineup with plenty of NHL regulars, including Matvei Michkov, Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny, Travis Sanheim, and Samuel Ersson.

You can view Philly’s full lineup here.

Other than that, it’s a nice, sunny Saturday in the Boston area! Get out there and enjoy it, then come back around 5 PM to discuss.

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com...56590/public-skate-bruins-vs-flyers-preseason

 

[Boston Bruins]

Bruins make first round of training camp cuts

With three preseason games in the books, you knew a round of training camp cuts was coming soon — and it turns out those cuts came down today.

Training camp (at the NHL level) came to an end for a handful of guys today, as the Bruins released 10 players from training camp.

The players cut were Joey Abate, Luke Cavallin, Ty Cheveldayoff, Jackson Edward, Colin Felix, Ty Gallagher, Loke Johansson, Jake Schmaltz, Max Wanner, and Simon Zajicek.

All 10 will report to Providence Bruins training camp, where they’ll hope to make the AHL roster.

None of these cuts is a surprise, as these were all players who weren’t expected to crack the NHL roster this year.

Of the 10 cuts, Zajicek probably stands out as the most noteworthy performer in the preseason, as he had some pretty impressive saves, particularly in the first game against Washington.

The Bruins will be back in preseason action tomorrow night, hosting the Flyers at TD Garden.

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/latest-news/56619/bruins-make-first-round-of-training-camp-cuts