The Boston Bruins got the West Coast swing off to a strong start.
The Bruins beat the San Jose Sharks last night (earlier this morning), and in Charlie McAvoy’s return to the lineup, he scored and led the team in ice time. Fraser Minten scored two, and he and McAvoy were two of five Bruins to score last night. It was not smooth sailing for the Bruins, though, and they admitted it after the game, but two points are two points.
Elsewhere around the league, it was a busy day with 16 games. However, the Detroit Red Wings signed one of next summer’s top pending free agents to a max-term extension. The Flyers couldn’t close out their first win of the season, and the other Pennsylvania team is finding itself in some trouble. The Tkachuks had a good night in Columbus, Nathan MacKinnon fought, and there is plenty more from the 16 games in the NHL last night.
Only two games fill the schedule tonight.
Happy Wednesday, catch up on Bruins and league news in today’s Daily Bean:
Boston Bruins
BRUINS WIN: Make it three in a row. The Bruins beat the San Jose Sharks late last night by a score of 6-3. Fraser Minten scored twice, Charlie McAvoy scored in his return, and Matt Poitras, Pavel Zacha, and Will Borgen each added one. If you missed it, here are the highlights.
Jeremy Swayman made 35 saves in his fifth win of the season.
POSTGAME: It was not all pretty, though. The Bruins’ six goals masked some of their mistakes on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. The penalty kill had a rough showing, and the Bruins played into the Sharks’ game at times. However, the Bruins got points from 13 players in the lineup, and in his first game back, Charlie McAvoy was quick to readjust to his role.
Nikita Zadorov also dropped the gloves with Darnell Nurse. Remember those trade rumors?
NEXT UP: The Bruins have the day off today and will travel south to Anaheim. They will practice at the Ducks’ practice facility on Thursday before their game Friday night.
I can’t promise that this will work, but if you need it:
NHL News & National Hockey Now
San Jose Hockey Now: On the other side, Sheng Peng has more from the Sharks’ locker room. Ivar Stenberg spoke on scoring his first NHL goal last night, while Macklin Celebrini (1-1–2) and head coach Ryan Warsofsky believe the team is heading in the right direction.
Detroit Hockey Now: Shortly after an overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils, reports circulated that the Red Wings signed Alex DeBrincat to a 7x$13M extension. The 28-year-old has been extension-eligible since July 1, and (shockingly) the Red Wings took care of business early. Bob Duff has more on the signing.
New Jersey Hockey Now: Jack Hughes. The guy loves an overtime winner. Yesterday, he put the bow on a nine-goal game between the Devils and Red Wings at 1:19 of overtime. James Nichols has the highlights from last night’s win in Detroit.
Philly Hockey Now: Another game, another loss for the Philadelphia Flyers. The Kraken came to Xfinity Mobile Arena and picked up a 3-2 shootout win. The Flyers showed some heart, and Trevor Zegras stirred the pot when he baited Philipp Grubauer. However, work (obviously) still has to be done. Will James has more from the Flyers’ room.
Florida Hockey Now: The Tkachuks had themselves a good night. Brady scored a natural hat trick, while Matthew picked up five assists in a 7-3 rout of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Brady’s hat trick marked his first three goals with his new team.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Something’s going wrong in Pittsburgh. The Penguins lost to the Blackhawks last night, 5-3, and outshot them 27-19. Some of the veterans ripped the team, and Dan Kingerski dives into Xs and Os and what is going wrong for the other team in black and gold.
Colorado Hockey Now: Nathan MacKinnon likes a good fight now. He challenged Roope Hintz last night and was left with a bloody face after the fight. It’s MacKinnon’s second fight of the year. The Avalanche beat the Stars 3-2 last night after two goals from Martin Necas. Aarif Deen has the good and bad from the first night of the home-and-home.
Carolina Hockey Now: The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals 4-2 yesterday, but old friend Taylor Hall was ruled out of the game with an upper-body injury, and Rod Brind’Amour said that it “doesn’t look good.” Rachel Barkley has more on the game.
Sportsnet: It was a busy, busy day on the NHL schedule yesterday. For all the bad the 11:00 PM start was (and yes, it sucked), the whiparound coverage leading into the game was pretty sweet. Here is a recap of all 16 games.
Today’s NHL Schedule
Canadiens at Capitals – 7:30 PM (CA: Prime)
Stars at Avalanche – 8:30 PM (US: TNT, HBO Max)
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