After three impressive wins to open the 2025-26 season over the Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and Buffalo Sabres, the Boston Bruins get another divisional test against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday afternoon at the TD Garden.
They will be without defenseman Hampus Lindholm again, meaning Jordan Harris will draw back in. He played well against the Sabres on Saturday night, picking up an assist on a Pavel Zacha goal. Before the Black and Gold begin a three-game road trip later this week, here are three questions facing them against Tampa Bay.
Are the Bruins for real?
This debate will go on for months, but aside from the Capitals, the Lightning are the second-best team on the Bruins' schedule early in the season. They still have Andrei Vasilevskiy between the pipes and a talented roster. They will provide the Black and Gold a true test of how their system is working under Marco Sturm.
A win here and then you will start to think that Boston has something. This won't be easy, and capitalizing on the power play will be a must to give them a chance.
Can the Bruins penalty kill remain perfect?
Through the first three games, the Bruins' penalty kill is a perfect 12-for-12 to begin the season. That includes a perfect 5-for-5 against Washington on Opening Night. They have killed some big penalties, including one midway through the third period against Buffalo on Saturday night. Tampa can put some serious firepower over the boards on the power play like the Capitals, which will mean staying out of the box is a must.
Will Tampa Bay be an angry team?
Not many people had the Bruins 3-0-0 through their first three games on their bingo card. Not many people had Tampa Bay 0-2-0 through their first two games on their bingo card either. Here we are. The Lightning opened the season with home losses to the Ottawa Senators and New Jersey Devils. After Monday's game, they have a quick turnaround on Tuesday night against the Capitals in Washington. Expect a desperate team ready for Boston.