After going 1-3-1 on a five-game homestand before the Christmas Break, the Boston Bruins were facing a pivotal five-game road trip following the break to ring in the New Year. It was a disappointing homestand. The Black and Gold dropped the first two games on the trip, 4-1 to the red-hot Buffalo Sabres and 2-1 in overtime to the Calgary Flames.
Those two losses extended their winless streak to six games. They ended it with a 6-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers on New Year's Eve before beating the Vancouver Canucks in overtime, 3-2, on Saturday night on the strength of two Fraser Minten goals. After two days off, the Bruins will finish out the road trip on Tuesday night against the Seattle Kraken.
“It’s been a long trip, obviously, but with this many days off, the excitement is going to be there for the game again,” David Pastrnak said. “We’re used to playing every other day, so when you don’t, you feel the excitement and the energy in the room. You just have to make sure that we steal two points and we go home, finally.”
It would be in Boston's best interest to try and get two points, as they will be without defenseman Hampus Lindholm and will fly cross-country after the game and host the Flames at the TD Garden on Thursday night, less than 48 hours after playing the Kraken.
Bruins prospect continues AHL heater
The Providence Bruins beat the Springfield Thunderbirds, 3-1, on Sunday night in an American Hockey League (AHL) game at home. They got goals from Dan Locmelis, Frederic Brunet, and Riley Tufte. The goal from Locmelis capped off a good three-game stretch.
Locmelis' goal was this third in three games for the P-Bruins, who got 16 saves from a healthy Michael DiPietro in goal on 17 shots.
Former Bruins
- He only played for a couple of months in Boston with the Bruins after being acquired at the trade deadline in 2023 from the Detroit Red Wings, but Tyler Bertuzzi is still a former Bruin. He has been on a heater recently for the Chicago Blackhawks. In their win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, 3-2, Beruizzi scored all three goals, which gives him 22 on the season. The Bruins could use a guy like that.
- Former Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo is close to returning to the lineup for the Toronto Maple Leafs after being out since November with an injury. It's safe to say that the Black and Gold have benefited big-time from that trade with Minten.