Saturday afternoon's 4-1 win over the New York Rangers closed out the preseason for the Boston Bruins and signaled an end to training camp. The win put a bow on what was a successful preseason for the Black and Gold.
In their win over the Rangers, the Bruins got something they are going to need a lot of this year: goals from their defenseman. Nikita Zadorov scored two, including an empty-netter to seal the victory. Pavel Zacha and Elias Lindholm scored the other Boston goals, which was good for them to see the puck go into the net ahead of the regular season, which begins Wednesday night against the Washington Capitals on the road.
Jeremy Swayman ready for the regular season
Against New York, Jermey Swayman got his final tune-up before facing the Capitals on Wednesday night and stopped 30 of the 31 shots he faced. He allowed a third-period Noah Laba power play goal as the only shot that got by him.
"It was nice to see some rubber and get some high-quality chances against,'' said Swayman. "I think our group is in a good spot to get started here next week."
This is a huge bounce-back season for Swayman and many other teammates. It would benefit him and the team if he could get off to a good start to build some confidence early in the season.
Fraser Minten continues to impress Marco Sturm
First-year head coach Marco Sturm has been impressed by prospect Fraser Minten in camp and the preseason. Acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the trade deadline as part of the Brandon Carlo deal, Minten is carving a nice role in Boston to begin the season. Against the Rangers, Sturm was again impressed by his young forward.
"Today, he was great, really solid,'' said Sturm. "That’s exactly the way I wanted him to play. I think it really helps, too, for him playing with a guy like Tanner Jeannot. He takes care of him."
Playing with the Bruins' biggest free agent splash, which is weird to say, will help Minten to be allowed to play his style and game.
Georgii Merkulov goes unclaimed
On Friday, the Bruins placed five players, Patrick Brown, Michael Callahan, Georgii Merkulov, Victor Soderstrom, and Riley Tufte, on waivers. There was some thought that Merkulov might have been claimed by a team looking for forward depth, and maybe a change of scenery might have been good for him. He went unclaimed and will head to the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL).