Coming off a dominating win over the Utah Mammoth on Thursday night at the TD Garden, the Boston Bruins were facing a major trap game on Saturday afternoon against the winless Philadelphia Flyers.
Not only were the Flyers winless, but they were banged up and missing some key players. After Saturday's game, the Black and Gold are going to head West for a four-game road trip that begins on Tuesday night against the San Jose Sharks in Northern California. There was a certain mentality that Boston coach Marco Sturm wanted his team to have, and they delivered.
Marco Sturm explained the team's mentality before they faced a winless, hungry Flyers team:
— NESN (@NESN) October 10, 2026
"We just had to come out swinging... don't give them any hope." pic.twitter.com/EyTDk4DZpZ
Bruins deliver on head coach Marco Sturm's pregame message against Flyers
The Bruins did come out swinging with one of the best 20 minutes that they have played early in the season. Their passing was precise, and they killed the game's first penalty without allowing a shot by Philadelphia on goalie Jeremy Swayman. In fact, Boston's goalie only saw three shots in the opening period.
Down the other end, they needed some luck to take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission when Pavel Zacha's shot broke through Flyers goalie Dan Vladar. It was a goal that Boston's former prospect would like back. In the second period, the Bruins didn't give Philadelphia much life, holding them to five shots on net, and Mason Lohrei added a second goal for a 2-0 lead. However, at the end of the period, Boston dodged a major bullet when a turnover in the final seconds hit the crossbar by Philadelphia.
In the third period, the Bruins grabbed a 3-0 lead before two more goals after Porter Martone got the Flyers on the board on the power play accounted for a 5-1 final. After a dismal 4-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators last Monday night at home, the Black and Gold responded with two wins and outscored their opponents 11-2.
Now, sitting at 4-2-0, the Bruins are heading West on a big road trip, and they are getting top defenseman Charlie McAvoy back as Saturday's win was the last of his six-game suspension to begin the season for his slash on Zach Benson of the Buffalo Sabres last spring at the end of their first-round playoff series.
It's only six games into the season, but this is a big road trip coming up against the Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, and Dallas Stars. There is going to be some big tests, but their cross-country flight will be an enjoyable one after dominating the undermanned Flyers on Saturday afternoon.
Add us as a preferred source on Google