During his first full season with the Boston Bruins, forward Viktor Arvidsson has dealt with a couple of injuries. He was lost in November against the Montreal Canadiens and then went down again in December against the Winnipeg Jets. Injuries have been a big part of the Black and Gold's 2025-26 season, and Arvidsson hasn't been alone in the setbacks.
As is the case with all players, it takes time coming back from injuries to get their game where they would like it, and that was the case for Arvidsson. He has been getting better and better with each game, and he peaked on Sunday night in Boston's 1-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The former Edmonton Oilers forward scored the game's only goal in the first period when his backhander found its way past former teammate Stuart Skinner and just over the goal line. After the game, first-year Bruins coach Marco Sturm is seeing his veteran looking better with more games under his belt.
“For a few weeks, he was not the same,” said Sturm. “He’s found his game back. He’s hard to play against. He goes to the tough areas, even with his [small] size. That makes him so good. . . . I don’t know how many games now, he’s doing it again, so I know he’s back.”
The Bruins would benefit greatly if they could continue to get offense from Arvidsson, who is a free agent at the end of the season.
Joonas Korpisalo glad to get a win
For the second time in three games, Joonas Korpisalo got the start between the pipes against the Penguins, and he followed up his strong performance against the Calgary Flames by shutting out Pittsburgh. He turned back all 27 shots he faced, including two on Sidney Crosby in the second period, but he couldn't care less about the shutout, but more that his team won the game.
“It’s nice, but I would just rather win,” Korpisalo said.
What about the saves on Crosby, a future Hall of Famer?
“I mean he’s got one of the elite backhanders in the whole league,” said Korpisalo. “He got a couple of rebounds out of it, too, so . . . you know, just try to scramble and do something to prevent the puck from going in.”
Red Wings visit TD Garden on Tuesday night
Boston will play the fourth game of their five-game homestand on Tuesday night when the Detroit Red Wings visit, in what is a rather big Atlantic Division showdown. The Wings have solidified themselves in the top 3 of the division, while the Bruins are looking to keep pace in the wild-card race. The Seattle Kraken will visit on Thursday night to close out the homestand.