There is no better example of the Boston Bruins having a team effort than Andrew Peeke scoring the game’s opening goal less than two minutes in and Elias Lindholm finishing it off with two goals in the third period. It feels like a different Bruins player is showing up every night to get the job done, which explains why they have been the second-best team in the league in 2026. It also shows that Marco Sturm’s messaging is working.
““It was a complete 60-minute effort. Every line brought something to the table – could be a fight, could be a goal, whatever it is. Sway in net, outstanding again. That’s who we are, and that’s what I like the most.””
Marco Sturm
The Bruins are all buying into the total team effort. Charlie McAvoy talked about it earlier this week as a guest on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, and David Pastrnak echoed Sturm’s sentiments in his post-game interview after Saturday’s win.
““It is always nice playing with the lead. Overall, a great team effort. Every line contributed tonight, shift by shift, 5-on-5. It’s a good team win.””
David Pastrnak
It’s getting increasingly difficult not to believe in this team. Sports can be a bit cynical at times and make you hate your favorite team more than love them, but there’s something about the underdog mentality of this team that makes it easy to watch them night in and night out.
This time of year is when you can seperate the pretenders from the contenders. No one would’ve batted an eye if the Bruins had crumbled after losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier this week and to the Buffalo Sabres and Minnesota Wild, both of whom are Stanley Cup contenders. However, the Bruins’ back-to-back wins over those teams put them into that conversation instead.
The biggest issue in their game right now is the penalties, as we saw on Saturday when Nikita Zadorov and Marat Khusnutdinov both got minors on the same play and nearly let the Wild back into the game with their 5-on-3 powerplay goal. If Boston can get that sorted out, or bank on fewer penalties in the postseason, this team has the potential to do something special, and it starts with its tight-knit locker room.