The Boston Bruins' loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday afternoon felt like a bizarro world compared to how everyone viewed the team entering this season. The defense struggled early and allowed the Lightning some comically easy tap-ins, which didn't impress starter Joonas Korpisalo. However, the offense clawed its way back into the game with production up and down the lineup.
It isn't just a one-game sample size of the offense showing up in a season where everyone expected that to be the Bruins' downfall. Through four games, the offense has been the team's strength, with some of the defensive breakdowns being front and center as the team's biggest issue. If Jeremy Swayman and Korpisalo hadn't saved the defense on multiple occasions, it'd be a much bigger story.
Through 4 games, the #NHLBruins have scored 13 goals…that currently ranks as T-1st in the league w Colorado
— Michael Sullivan (@_MikeSullivan) October 13, 2025
Only 3 players on the team have not recorded a point yet…Lohrei, Khustnudinov & Hampus Lindholm…Lindholm has missed the past two games
Production by committee pic.twitter.com/cOeSVmXMU6
Eleven of the forwards who played in every game have contributed a point, with Marat Khusnutdinov being the only one held off the board. Khusnutdinov being pointless is more bad luck than anything else, as the feisty forward has been all over the puck at times and has been a factor on that fourth line. He hasn't been able to get on the board, but that doesn't mean he has been terrible.
Hampus Lindholm has only played for a game and a period, which explains his being pointless, and Mason Lohrei hasn't had the greatest start to the season. He looked a bit more confident with the puck in the game against the Lightning, but the Bruins are going to have to see a bit more from him to continue rolling him out alongside Charlie McAvoy.
Maybe the Bruins' balanced offensive output won't last, but it also shows that you can't always go by how a team looks on paper. Many "experts" wrote the offense off before the season began, but with the right system and culture, any team can succeed.
The loss to the Lightning was disappointing, but if the offense can continue to click and some of the defensive issues can get cleaned up, this 2025-26 season won't be as much of a disaster as some expected.