It was a long time coming for Boston Bruins goalie Michael DiPietro to make his first career NHL start against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night. General manager Don Sweeney traded backup Joonas Korpisalo to the New York Rangers on July 1, which opened the door for DiPietro to finally make the jump to the NHL.
After dominating the last two seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Providence Bruins, DiPietro had nothing left to prove down there. After making the roster out of training camp, DiPietro got his first chance to start an NHL game, and despite coming out on the wrong end of the scoreboard, 4-1 against the Minnesota Wild, the 27-year-old impressed and proved he belonged.
"Obviously not the outcome we wanted or I wanted, but felt good,'' DiPietro said, per NESN. "This stings, never like giving up the first loss for the team for the season. I'm gonna wear it, but want to improve and get better for them and hopefully be better next time."
Michael DiPIetro shines in first career NHL start
DiPietro was very good in his two preseason starts, and he carried that over to the regular season against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night. He stopped 26 of the 29 shots Minnesota fired at him in the loss, but truth be told, the final score could have been a lot worse than it was if it weren't for DiPietro. Before the game, DiPietro explained what he wanted to do against the Wild.
"For me, it's just trying to be ready and be sharp and just worry about what I can control, being there for my teammates and supporting them,'' said DiPietro,
"For me it's just trying to be ready and be sharp and just worry about what I can control, being there for my teammates and supporting them." 👏 Michael DiPietro is making his first start with the #NHLBruins in net tonight 🎉 https://t.co/rFf8xcPbks
October 3, 2026 " target="_blank">per NESNHe backed that up with what turned into a tired team playing on a back-to-back. One player who was frustrated by DiPietro was Minnesota's Matt Boldy. He stopped the first one on a breakaway with a nice glove save in the first period, before he got him again later in the game on a breakaway. Then there was a huge save on Kirill Kaprizov on a second-period two-man advantage.
However, if there is one lesson that DiPietro learned in his first start, be ready for a parade to the penalty box by his teammates. In the second period, Nikita Zadorov was called for slashing, then eight seconds later, Connor Clifton was called for tripping. A two-man advantage is a nightmare against the Wild.
After killing off Zadorov's penalty, with just eight seconds remaining on Clifton's penalty, Quinn Hughes beat DiPietro for a 2-1 lead after Kaprizov tied the game earlier in the period on the power play. Penalties, penalties, penalties.
DiPietro was good, very good. He proved that Sweeney made the right decision, which is what everyone knew at the time and does now. If he continues to play the way he did against the Wild, it will get better as the season goes along.
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