The penalty kill of the Boston Bruins has remained perfect for the first three games of the young 2025-26 season. They have been on the kill 12 times, five of those coming on opening night.
Why is this Important?
The Bruins were 24th in the league for penalty kill percentage last season, sitting at 76.3% of penalties killed. This did not bode well for the team that committed 317 penalties all season.
The Bruins this year have killed all 12, leaving them perfect through the first three games they have played. They are tied with five other teams that also have perfect penalty kills.
They killed five against the Washington Capitals, three against the Chicago Blackhawks, and four against the Buffalo Sabres. All three games were one-goal games, which made the kills even more poignant at the end of the game.
Each of the three games has been one-goal games, which means having an effective penalty kill means everything. If they had not killed any of the five kills they faced against the Capitals, it would have been a 6-3 loss instead of a 3-1 win for the Bruins.
Last season, anytime the penalty kill would come out onto the ice, it was not the most wonderful memory. It was a cause for concern and even more when the team lost Brad Marchand and his 36 shorthanded goals. Even though the penalty kill wasn't perfect, last season, there was at least a small threat of a shooter that would make a mistake pay.
The Bruins do not currently have that, but they do not need it as the aggressive, in their face style of play has made it nearly impossible for their opponents to get anything off of their power plays.
Obviously, it is only game three of the season, and they are about to enter a difficult road trip, but the penalty kill has been a great aspect of the season, and it will be interesting to see where it will go from here.