By: Jack Studley | Follow me on Twitter/X @jackstudley13
The Boston Bruins continued their 2025-26 preseason campaign on Tuesday night with a 7:00 PM start against the New York Rangers. The lineup featured a few NHL mainstays, like Casey Mittelstadt, Nikita Zadorov, and Henri Jokiharju, but also saw Dans Locmelis, Mikey Eyssimont, and Jordan Harris play their first game in a Boston sweater. Joonas Korpisalo got the start in goal and made 30 saves on 34 shots in a Bruins 5-4 comeback overtime victory against the New York Rangers.
Dans Locmelis, Casey Mittelstadt, and Matej Blumel made up the first line for the Bruins, and the line connected eight and a half minutes into the game. Henri Jokiharju collected a pass from Matej Blumel and turned it towards Casey Mittelstadt. Blumel cuts to the front of Igor Shesterkin’s net, and Mittelstadt perfectly places the puck on his stick, where the Czech-winger redirects it to the back of the net. The Rangers did not take long to respond, tying the game 44 seconds later.
Bruins Go Down By Three, Again
Like Sunday night’s game against Washington, the Bruins found themselves in a hole as the third period began. After Matej Blumel’s goal, the Rangers scored four straight goals to take a 4-1 lead. Poor turnovers led to scoring chances for the Rangers, and after the second period, the Bruins were outshot 29-14 and trailed 4-1. The fourth Rangers goal came shorthanded, a recurring issue for the Bruins after leading the league with 13 shorthanded goals allowed last season.
Mikey Eyssimont Emerges
The Bruins put out a third line featuring Mikey Eyssimont, Fraser Minten, and Fabian Lysell. Minten and Lysell played with each other on the third line in Sunday’s game, and Eyssimont slotted into where Tanner Jeannot was playing. Seven minutes into the third, Eyssimont picked the puck off Adam Fox’s stick and took it to the back of the net on Ranger goalie, Talyn Boyko.
Eyssimont ripped one from Boyko’s left side four minutes later, cutting the Rangers’ lead to one with just under nine minutes to go in regulation. The Bruins continued their push, peppering the new Ranger goalie with shots. With 65 seconds to go, Mikey Eyssimont found Marat Khusnutdinov in front of the net, and the game was tied. The Bruins added 16 shots in the third period, three of which were goals.
Nikita Zadorov Wins it in Overtime
After forcing their way back into their second preseason game, the Bruins and Rangers were off to overtime. The Bruins opened the fourth frame on the powerplay, which featured Matej Blumel, Casey Mittelstadt, Matthew Poitras, and Victor Soderstrom. The unit did not connect, but shortly after the game went to three-on-three, Marat Khusnutdinov connected on a long pass to (winded) defenseman Nikita Zadorov. Zadorov walked around the offensive zone before firing one home to give the Bruins the comeback win.
Final Thoughts
After what seemed like another preseason game to quickly move on from, the Bruins fought back and made this a very entertaining game. Matej Blumel finally scored the goal he has been looking for. Mikey Eyssimont and Nikita Zadorov also stepped up on the scoring front. The Bruins got key contributions throughout the night from players like Casey Mittelstadt and Marat Khusnutdinov, who each picked up two points, and Jonathan Aspirot, who had five shots from the back end.
No matter when it is, a comeback when down 4-1 will always be great to watch. Obviously, this was not nearly as memorable as a certain one, but the dialogue for the rest of the week would have been a lot different if the Bruins had lost their first two games by a couple of goals. The Bruins have an off-day tomorrow, but will return to Warrior Ice Arena for training camp on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The Bruins’ next preseason game comes on Saturday, when they will travel to Philadelphia for a 5:00 PM start.
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