Think back on the second half of the 2024-25 Boston Bruins season and imagine what would've happened if they went into a 2-0 hole in the first period. That group of players would've packed it in for the night, escaping the game without any fight or push back, just to do it all over again the next game. However, that isn't the case for the 2025-26 edition of this team, and win or lose, they are going to play some exciting hockey for the fans this season.
While Nikita Zadorov has been the poster child for the team's physical play this season, it also comes from the bottom-six formed by Don Sweeney and Cam Neely. I'm not trying to say that I believed in the philosophy, but I'm willing to admit that I was wrong about the outlook for this season. Who knows where the Bruins finish in the standings when it's all said and done, but this group of players is going to be the culture changer that the organization needed.
The line of Tanner Jeannot, Mark Kastelic, and Fraser Minten was a difference maker in Thursday night's loss to the Ottawa Senators. With the team in a 2-0 hole, they started the second period and made contact with every black jersey on the ice on that first shift. It started a snowball of momentum that made everyone watching believe the Bruins weren't going down without a fight.
The team fought hard to tie this game. Morgan Geekie closed the lead to 2-1 with another nice goal from the new first line, giving the team hope that there was a comeback on the way, but a sloppy line change leading to a goal to begin the third period nearly iced the game for the Senators. Again, last year's group would've crumbled in that situation, but the Bruins rallied with two goals in less than two minutes to tie the game at 3.
Win or lose, the 2025-26 Boston Bruins are different
It would've been nice to salvage at least a point out of the comeback bid, but another sloppy play in the defensive zone led to a go-ahead goal by Tim Stutzle. It wasn't meant to be for the Bruins on Thursday night, but the fight they showed to even be in this game was something special. While it's not how you want to end a seven-game winning streak, the Bruins' self-inflicted wounds are meaningful considering it's something they can clean up, and it wasn't that they weren't good enough to compete.
The good news is that the Montreal Canadiens also lost tonight, which means the Bruins remain tied for first in the Atlantic with 22 points. The bad news is the Senators also earned their 22nd point with this win, creating a logjam at the top of the division. However, the Bruins get to play the Canadiens on Saturday night with first place on the line, a sentence both fanbases have been waiting to hear for a long time.
Bruins fans will have to ride the wave of wins and losses all year, given the make-up of this team, but I'd caution not to lose hope in what this group can accomplish. While it definitely won't always be pretty, and it might not end with as many wins as we'd like at the end of the year, this brotherhood of players might do something special this season.