The Boston Bruins took on the Tampa Bay Lightning in a matinee game on Monday at the TD Garden in Boston. The lightning struck at a big early leadand while the Bruins were able to get within one, their early deficit, like the Lightning, proved insurmountable took over the game by a score of 4-3. Let’s look at some takeaways from the match.
Early mistakes prove costly
Over the course of the first half of the game, the Bruins made several mistakes that the Lightning were able to capitalize on. Each of the first three goals came from Bruins turnovers in their defensive zone, all of which led to layups for the visiting team. These miscues resulted in the Lightning taking a 3-0 lead early in the second period, and after the Bruins were able to get one back, a 4-1 lead shortly thereafter.
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Careless mistakes were a recurring problem for the Bruins a season ago, and while they played fairly clean hockey over the course of the first three games of the season, it will be important for them to address these mistakes before they become a recurring problem. These mistakes and the early deficit that resulted took away from a very solid offensive performance across the lineup.
In-depth Contributions
One item circled on the Bruins needs list in 2025-26 was offensive contributions from depth pieces, and through four games they have looked promising on this front. Defenseman Jordan Harris found the back of the net for the Bruins’ second goal of the day on a transition shot assisted by David Pastrnak. The goal made Harris the Bruins the 10th different player to score in four games, an encouraging sign for a team that has struggled to find offensive production beyond that of Morgan Geekie and Pastrnak a season ago.
In addition to Harris’ goal, Casey Mittelstadt also found the back of the net for his second goal of the campaign in the second period. This goal was assisted by Viktor Arvidsson in the off-season and was good for his first point of the season. When Arvidsson came on the board, he became the 15th member of the Bruins roster to score a point in these four games, another impressive number that is indicative of a team that has received offensive contributions from their entire lineup.
Face-off dominance
Another bright spot for the Bruins was their performance in the faceoff circle. Entering the day, they had won 54% of their matchups on the season, good for tenth in the NHL so far. They improved on that number against the Lightning, winning 41 of 60 faceoffs during the game, good for a 68% winning percentage. Winning in this category translated into opportunities for black and gold, which was promising: Geekie’s goal to cut the Lightning lead to one came on a wrist shot from the draw. For a team that needs to create offense whenever possible, continued dominance in the faceoff circle would be an encouraging sight for the Bruins.
A first loss
Despite the outcome, the Bruins showed some positive signs in their first loss of the young campaign. They were dominant in the faceoff circle and continued to get contributions from players not named Pastrnak or Geekie. Joonas Korpisalo did not play a nice match on paper; however, he came up with a few key saves on high-risk opportunities that kept the Bruins in the game. The Bruins will look to eradicate the careless mistakes that cost them against the Lightning and build on a strong start to the season as they head to the West Coast for their first extended road trip of the new season.
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