BOSTON – The Boston Bruins (20-18-1) returned to action on Saturday night, only to fall to the Buffalo Sabres. The losing streak lives on for another day; it is now at five games. The Bruins have four games remaining in their current road trip, and fly out to Calgary on Sunday afternoon.

For some positives, the Bruins had prospects on the ice yesterday, including two at the World Junior Championships. The two prospects playing at the World Juniors factored into the scoring and helped launch Team USA to a 2-1 win.

Around the hockey world, the Lightning handed out an eight-year extension to a left-handed defenseman before taking on the Florida Panthers in a game that saw over 130 penalty minutes. There is more coach talk in Toronto, but this report does not suggest any changes are imminent. The Flyers are looking to move on from a defenseman while keeping a center around for the future. Also, the ECHL is coming back!

Boston Bruins

The Sabres got the best of the Bruins on Saturday night and picked up a 4-1 win. The Bruins had a rough second period, where they put only two shots on net but conceded three goals. The Sabres have leapfrogged the Bruins in the standings, and still have two games in hand. The Bruins now have the worst points percentage (.526) in the Atlantic Division.

On Sunday morning, the Bruins announced that Matej Blumel and Michael Callahan have been activated and sent down to Providence. Blumel skated in four games with the Bruins this season, and Callahan skated in five. Blumel has played in 13 games for the Providence Bruins and has two goals and 11 assists.

Two Bruins prospects played in Team USA’s 2-1 win over Switzerland last night. Both of those prospects factored into the USA’s scoring; James Hagens had an assist, and Will Zellers scored the game-winning goal. There were also two who played in the Spengler Cup and skated to a 5-3 victory over the host team, HC Davos. Both Bruins’ prospects skated together on the fourth line for the US Collegiate Selects, but neither registered a point.

NHL News & National Hockey Now

ESPN: The ECHL and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association are in tentative approval of a new CBA. The strike will come to an end once the board of governors and player members ratify the deal. The Boston Bruins’ affiliate, the Maine Mariners, postponed all three of their games this weekend.

Sportsnet “Saturday Headlines”: Elliotte Friedman reported that, amidst rumors of a coaching change in Toronto, Pete DeBoer reached out to Craig Berube to let him know that the rumors are not true. DeBoer’s name had been rumored as the successor to Berube in Toronto. Berube’s job seems safe, for now, after a vote of confidence from GM Brad Treliving earlier in the week.

Philly Hockey Now: Elliotte Friedman also reported on a pair of rumors regarding the Flyers. Christian Dvorak, who landed in Philadelphia over the summer, is talking extension with the management. He signed a one-year contract and is eligible to extend after January 1. Also on the Flyers, defenseman Egor Zamula is looking to move on. Friedman floated the possibility of a contract termination, as Zamula’s agent is the same one that Alex Texier has. Philadelphia, on the other hand, would prefer a trade.

ESPN: The Tampa Bay Lightning signed J.J. Moser to an eight-year contract on Saturday. The contract is worth $54 million, with a $6.75 million AAV. The Lightning acquired the 25-year-old defenseman in the summer of 2024 and are locking him in until 2034.

Florida Hockey Now: Last night’s Panthers and Lightning game featured 136 penalty minutes. Tampa Bay would skate to a 4-2 victory, but the game saw Florida have ten power play attempts, and the Lightning had six of their own. During the preseason, the Lightning were fined $100,000 for their actions against the Panthers. The first two meetings did not feature as many fireworks, but Saturday night did.

Daily Faceoff: World Juniors wrapped up day two of tournament action on Friday. Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff takes a look at the best performers from all four of the games. Including the 2-1 Canada’s overtime win against Latvia, and the night that both James Hagens and Will Zellers had for Team USA.

World Juniors action kicks off at 2:00 PM ET today on the NHL Network:

2:00 PM: Sweden vs. Switzerland (NHLN)

4:30 PM: Finland vs. Latvia (NHLN)