“I was watching [Celebrini] absolutely light it up this year, and I was like, ‘Oh boy, this is going to be interesting,’” Mittelstadt said. “Everyone has said it, and that’s okay. I love the name, and I’m happy with it. Obviously, she was pretty sold on it for a long time now.”

As for Zacha and Gaby, they narrowed their name choice down to two before Penelope was born.

​“We waited until we saw her face, and we right away decided that’s what fits the most,” Zacha said.  

​Zacha and Mittelstadt will remember this week forever. They will also likely always remember the 2025-26 season as a whole. After getting put on a line together with Viktor Arvidsson at the start of the year, the trio built chemistry and turned into one of the B’s most productive combinations.

The second line leads the Bruins with 42 goals scored 5-on-5, and a 65.63 goals-for percentage through 59 games together – meaning they are consistently outscoring opponents. At the end of the regular season, Arvidsson, Zacha and Mittelstadt were the sixth-best 5-on-5 line in the entire NHL. It has pushed Zacha towards a career year with 65 points and 30 goals. Arvidsson hit the 25-goal mark, and Mittelstadt has 42 points (15 goals, 27 assists).

Arvidsson has enjoyed watching his linemates become dads. The veteran winger has two daughters, Navy and Jamie. Does Arvidsson have any advice for Zacha and Mittelstadt?

“Try to get your sleep, and just enjoy it,” he said. “It goes fast. Mine are already five and three. It’s been really fast.”

Navy, Arvidsson’s oldest daughter, is all-in on the Bruins’ playoff run. She is at the age where she is understanding Arvidsson’s job and the highs and lows of the season, he said.

“She just wants us to win the prize, she says,” Arvidsson said. “The big prize.”​

Arvidsson was close last season. He made it to the Stanley Cup Final with the Edmonton Oilers, where they lost to the Florida Panthers in six games. The 33-year-old played in 15 postseason games with Edmonton and posted seven points (two goals, five assists). Arvidsson’s experience is an asset to the B’s locker room, which has some players making their NHL playoff debuts.

“You’ve always got to be ready for everyone, whether you’re in the lineup or out of the lineup, you’ve got to be ready to play. Take care of yourself, be positive and bring energy,” Arvidsson said. “And just enjoy, too. You never know when you’re going to be in it again, and you have to make the most of it.”

​Zacha was last in the playoffs in the 2023-24 campaign with the Bruins; it was the third showing of his career. Mittelstadt made it to the postseason that same year with the Colorado Avalanche, the only time he has competed in spring hockey. Prior to that, Mittelstadt was with the Sabres for seven years. He was Buffalo’s eighth overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. Now, nearly 10 years later, Mittelstadt returns as a difference-maker on the opposing side.