The Boston Bruins are dealing with injuries. It feels like they are building up by the day. Currently, they are missing defenseman Charlie McAvoy and forward David Pastrnak. They are the two biggest player currently missing from the lineup. When they are going to return is anyone's guess.
As the injuries pile up, the Bruins are finding ways to hang in the Eastern Conference playoff race with depth scoring. That is something they lacked last year, but this year, head coach Marco Sturm is getting it.
One of those players who has been consistent all season long has been Fraser Minten. Acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the trade deadline in March for defenseman Brandon Carlo, he has solidified a spot in the lineup. He scored a goal in Saturday night's 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils in the first period. After the game, he gave a quote that should be music to the Bruins' fans' ears.
Fraser Minten says out loud what Bruins fans are hoping for in 2025-26
Minten opened the scoring in the first period when he buried a pass from Mark Kastelic at 17:42 before Timo Meier tied the game less than a minute later. The Bruins scored the final three goals for the win, and Minten had a message after the game.
That we’re a good hockey team,” Minten said. “We’re here to compete this season and push to be a playoff team. We have all the confidence in this room that we can do that.”
You can't deny that the Bruins are a team that can make the playoffs; it's just going to be a matter of whether they can hang around in the standings until they get healthy. They begin a three-game road trip on Tuesday night against the St. Louis Blues.
So far, Don Sweeney's offseason signings for the bottom six are contributing, and that's what Boston needs to make the postseason. They have a huge stretch before Christmas with a road trip and then a homestand, and they are going to need their depth to continue supplying production.