When Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney made a trade shortly before the beginning of the NHL Entry Draft back in June for JJ Peterka of the Utah Mammoth, the return caught some by surprise. Sweeney sent two first-round picks to Utah for Peterka, hoping to get the best out of him with David Pastrnak.
In the season-opener against the New York Rangers at TD Garden on Tuesday night, Paterka and Pastrnak were flying around all night long, while center Elias Lindholm was out there with them. It was a rough night for Boston's $7.75 million pivot.
Fraser Minten broke a scoreless tie late in the third period, which turned out to be the game-winning goal in the Black and Gold's 3-0 victory. However, as much of a snipe Minten's goal was, the goal that happened to give the Bruins some cushion at 2-0 was from Peterka. He made a move around Braden Schneider of the Rangers that allowed him to break in alone against Igor Shesterkin, and he beat him to double the lead. What did Minten think of his new teammate's goal?
Bruins Fraser Minten drops honest take on JJ Peterka's first goal as a Bruin
The Bruins X account slowed down Peterka's move around Schneider and showed his slick finish that had Boston's fans going nuts on social media.
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) September 30, 2026
“That was nasty,” said Minten, per NESN. “Really nice goal. He’s got sick hands, sick skill.”
That was nasty. That was the type of move from a forward other than David Pastrnak that the Bruins have been looking for for years. The ability to make that move and finish is not something that is not easily done.
It was just one game, but the connections that Peterka and Pastrnak had were something that was good to see, but also surprising given how short training camp was this season compared to years past. The time to work on that was limited, and to have it look as good as it did in the first game was encouraging. You can see why there are high expectations for Peterka in his ability to be a 30-or-more-goal scorer.
What's going to be hanging over that line is the play of Lindholm. It's early in the season, and Marco Sturm is going to give it time to work itself out; however, how long can he wait if things go on like this for a couple of weeks? Pavel Zacha or Fraser Minten might be better options that could really allow Peterka and Pastrnak to gel together and be dangerous. However, Peterka's first gaem not only impressed fans, but also Minten.
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