By: Tom Calautti | Follow me on Twitter/X @TCalauttis
The Boston Bruins started the 2026-27 season off on the right foot last night, scoring three late third-period goals and shutting out the New York Rangers 3-0. Fraser Minten notched a goal and an assist, and Jeremy Swayman made 24 saves en route to the opening night victory.
This game carried more weight than most season openers, as newly appointed captain David Pastrnak donned the captain’s ‘C’ for the first time in front of fans. The TD Garden faithful gave the longest tenured Bruin a healthy cheer during the player introductions, and the 28th captain in team history felt the love.
“Yeah, it was beautiful,” said Pastrnak of the crowd pop he received when being introduced. “Obviously, Boston overall, and the fans mean so much to me, and like I said, I play hockey for the love of the game and the fans. The city is beautiful. This is where I grew up. So seeing and hearing that, it was definitely a special moment.”
As for the game itself, it became apparent pretty quickly that the shortened preseason had its effects. Shots were 15-14 when the buzzer sounded on the second period, and there were times when both teams seemed to be out of sync or shaking off the rust. It may not have been the most exciting 40 minutes of hockey, but in Fraser Minten’s eyes, it was the way the team needed to play to earn the victory.
“I thought it was a pretty smart game by the team,” said Minten following the victory. “I thought we defended like we wanted to for you know, most of the time. Didn’t give them too many really good looks off breakdowns, and then just a patient game.”
He continued, “We talk about that a lot, waiting for our chances and, you know, limiting theirs, and it worked out today.”
Patience was a virtue for both the team and its fans as they didn’t see the first lamp light of the season until the 16:14 mark of the third period. Mason Lohrei gloved down a puck along the boards at the red line and sauced it to Minten in the middle of the blue line. The newly signed centerman feigned a pass to Marat Khusnutdinov before snapping a wrister under the stick of Adam Fox and past goaltender Igor Shesterkin for the game’s first goal.
“He definitely had more confidence coming in (to this season),” said head coach Marco Sturm of Minten. “I told the coaches he’s just one of those guys, you look down, it’s a zero-zero hockey game, and it’s five minutes left, and he’s a young guy that wants to be out there. I can tell you, not everyone’s like that.”
The Bruins weren’t done scoring yet, either, as they notched their second goal of the game a mere 52 seconds later. JJ Peterka took a neutral zone feed from Elias Lindholm and undressed Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider before sliding the puck five-hole to beat Shesterkin.
“Oh man, he’s silky. I’m glad he’s on our team now,” said Jeremy Swayman of the goal. “Yeah, that’s a goal scorer’s goal, and, you know, just the whole way it developed. Obviously crowd’s still buzzing from the first one, and he just knew he had a job to do. So credit to him, and it shows what kind of player he can be.”
Mark Kastelic added the empty-netter less than 30 seconds later to seal the deal for Boston. When the dust settled and all was said and done, the Bruins scored three goals in 1:15 and completed the shutout, earning a 3-0 victory.
A big question heading into this season was whether the Bs would be able to defend better and ease the burden on Swayman. According to their head coach, last night was a step in the right direction.
“The only stretch I didn’t like was the start of the third period,” said Sturm. “After that, we were pretty steady. I think overall we didn’t give up too many high-danger chances. For me as a coach, it feels better because I know when we play that way, the chances will come. And I think the guys realize, especially from last year too, sometimes you just have to be patient.”
The Bruins are off the next two days before they hit the tarmac for a short two-game road trip. They’ll play the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night, then travel to Minnesota for a game on Saturday.
Game Notes
- They may not have scored, but the Zacha-Geekie-Mittelstadt line was far and away the best trio on either team. They rang two posts, got stoned on a breakaway, and out-chanced their opponents 8-6.
- Lohrei, Elias Lindholm, Hampus Lindholm, Minten, and Khusnutdinov all notched assists.
- Connor Clifton led the Bruins in ice time with 23:23.
- The Lindholm-Borgen pair was strong in their first game together. According to Natural Stat Trick, the duo skated 16:13 together at even strength and, in those minutes, the Bruins edged the Rangers in shot attempts (13-12), scoring chances (9-7), and high-danger chances (4-3
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