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Boston Bruins Michael DiPietro shows up no matter when he starts

Boston's backup netminder picked up his second straight win.
ByJulianna DeGray
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Oct 22, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins goaltender Michael DiPietro (30) makes a save during the second period against the Nashville Predators at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
Oct 22, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins goaltender Michael DiPietro (30) makes a save during the second period against the Nashville Predators at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It took Michael DiPietro nine years to get his first NHL win, but it took him just six days after that to notch his next first career stat.

On Thursday's game against the Nashville Predators, DiPietro shut the door, securing a 28-save shutout and notching his first career shutout in the process.

Michael DiPietro is ready whenever his name is called

The Boston Bruins have played 11 games as of Thursday night. DiPetro has started just three of those 11 games. He got his first start of the season against the Minnesota Wild, where he allowed three goals on 29 saves. He got his next start in the first half of the back-to-back in the California sweep, almost two weeks after his first start.

He let in just two goals in that second start before shutting the door in his most recent.

While most people may be like why is he only starting three games, or panicking about the time between starts. He is used to this type of schedule.

The AHL schedule

In the American Hockey League, all the games occurred mostly on the weekends, with a few mid-week games sprinkled in throughout the season. So when it comes to sitting around waiting for a start, that is how DiPietro runs.

He would typically sit two to four days between games before playing back-to-back games just because he was the starting goaltender. However, in the NHL, he is not the starter, so he waits a little bit longer between starts.

Nothing was getting past him

DiPietro looked like his AHL self during this start against the Predators. Nothing was getting past him, and he was just another bright spot of the game.

Even with the Bruins' fast start, DiPietro stayed in the game. He could have easily checked out of the game once the team went up 4-0 or even 5-0; however, he stayed engaged through the final buzzer.

Could we see s Swayman/Ullmark dupe?

While right now, Swayman will more than likely get most of the starts this season, just because the schedule is not as condensed as it was last year due to the Olympics, Swayman is the more experienced NHL goalie.

However, as the season goes on, if the team continues this path, there may be a chance that fans see more of DiPietro, and there may be a chance that fans see what they saw in the tandem of Linus Ullmark and Swayman back in 2023.

Obviously there is nothing replacing those two, but if there is a chance once again for the Bruins to get the best tandem for goaltending, then there is a chance with Swayman and DiPietro.

DiPietro is showing off what won him the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award. The award for the best goaltender in the AHL in both 2025 and 2026. It also won him the Most Valuable Player in the AHL in 2026.

DiPietro is a valuable asset to the Bruins, and he will continue to grow as he learns from Swayman and the other veterans on the team.

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