Neither the Bruins nor the Penguins were at their best Sunday night at TD Garden.
With both teams on the second leg of a back-to-back, the showdown truly became a battle of who could outlast the other. And though it took just about everything they had, it was a battle ultimately won by the Bruins, by a mere 1-0 final.
Here’s a look at the 985TheSportsHub.com 3 Stars of the game…
3rd Star: Viktor Arvidsson
Jan 11, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Bruins left-winger Viktor Arvidsson (71) celebrates a score during the first period of the game against the Penguins at TD Garden. (Natalie Reid/Imagn Images)
The lone goal scorer in this one, Viktor Arvidsson stuck to his downright annoying (in a good way if you’re a Bruins fan) ways in this contest, and was all over the Penguins.
Arvidsson calls him a disturbance, Marco Sturm calls him a weasel. But no matter what you call him, it was damn effective for the Bruins in this one.
2nd Star: Nikita Zadorov
Jan 11, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov (91) before a face-off during the second period of the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at TD Garden. (Natalie Reid/Imagn Images)
On the ice for a game-high 24:53 of time on ice, Nikita Zadorov emptied the bucket for the Black and Gold in this one. All the way to the final horn.
Finishing this contest with a plus-1 rating, along with one hit and one block, Zadorov finished his night as an ironman of sorts, as he played 4:01 of the final 5:19 in this contest. Including the final 3:01 of regulation. That’s insane.
1st Star: Joonas Korpisalo
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 23: Joonas Korpisalo #70 of the Boston Bruins looks on during the second period of the game against the Anaheim Ducks at TD Garden. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
If Bruins backup Joonas Korpisalo is playing for his job these days, there’s no denying that he’s doing his part to stay in Boston. After a strong showing against the Flames last Thursday, Korpisalo kept it rolling on Sunday, this time with a 27-save shutout performance against Pittsburgh, good for the first Bruins shutout of the year.
But perhaps most importantly, it feels like Korpisalo’s recent little run here has restored the Bruins’ faith in turning to him and not running Jeremy Swayman into the ground.
“I think his last game [against Calgary] really helped,” Sturm said after the win. “I think not just for his confidence, but for our team. There is nothing bad about putting him in net and think about, ‘Who are we going to get tonight?’ I think he’s just been very good lately, and he showed it again today.”