3 Stars: Bruins get production from unlikely (and likely) sources in win over Lightning
BOSTON — The Boston Bruins are as banged up as they’ve been all season. So they couldn’t have asked for a better night to get production up and down the lineup.
Returning home and coming off a potentially galvanizing win over the Florida Panthers, the B’s had a chance to exact revenge on the Tampa Bay Lightning, in more ways than one, after losing 4-1 last Thursday at Amalie Arena. But revenge was supposed to be hard to come by, after the B’s placed both Charlie McAvoy and Mark Kastelic (both upper body) on injured reserve on Tuesday. Hampus Lindholm, already shelved with a lower body injury, was moved to long-term injured reserve as well.
Instead of flatlining without two key contributors, the Bruins rallied, and got strong contributions from both their gotta-have-it cornerstone players and more unlikely sources, scrapping out a 6-2 win over the Lightning on Tuesday night at TD Garden. The win was harder-fought than the final score indicated, as the B’s potted two late empty-net goals, and were out-shot 45-24 on the night.
They got productive and confident play at all three levels of the ice, arguably none more important than between the pipes, where Jeremy Swayman tied his career-high for saves in a single game with 43.
But the B’s got the game they needed from the net out, as their top offensive producers did their job and a shorthanded defensive corps held their own in McAvoy’s absence, as an unheralded piece ticked the box score and affected the full sheet of ice the way you’d hope to see from McAvoy.
With that, here are Tuesday night’s 3 Stars from the Bruins’ 6-2 win over the Lightning…
No. 3 Star: Andrew Peeke
All things considered, Peeke had his best game as a Bruin. He did not have to elevate from the third pairing in Tuesday’s game, but he did have to drive his duo, as he was joined up with Michael Callahan, who played his first career NHL game.
Peeke was arguably the best defenseman on the ice for either team. He skated hard and played strong on pucks in his own end, generating efficient retrievals and breakouts, particularly in the first half of the game as the B’s built their lead. And he contributed a goal and assist at the other end of the ice, the score being his first as a member of the Bruins. He finished with a team-best 55.6% on-ice shot attempt rate at five-on-five. That tracks.
You certainly can’t expect that level every night from Peeke. But if the B’s ever needed that, it was Tuesday night. It was a well-timed pop from Peeke.
No. 2 Star: David Pastrnak
Pastrnak stuffed the stat sheet, as he should do on most nights, and especially when he’s at his best. But the most encouraging number across the line for Pastrnak: zero giveaways. No. 88 certainly has a higher propensity than, well, anyone in the league that touches the puck as much as he does, to give it to the other team. Not on this night.
Taking advantage of a puck battle victory by linemate Pavel Zacha, Pastrnak whipped a short-range missile past Tampa’s Andrei Vasilevskiy for his 20th goal of the season. Tuesday marked nine straight seasons of at least 20 goals for Pastrnak, who is now on pace to score 34 this season. That would technically be his lowest output in a full season since 2016-17, but even a diminished Pastrnak is still an excellent goalscorer and easily the best one on the Bruins.
Pastrnak’s spotty puck management rightfully earns him some criticism when it gets ugly or costs the team, but there was no such result on Tuesday. He was a net positive in the win over Tampa Bay, and hopefully he can continue to be that, as the B’s look to continue to right the ship while they soldier on without several key pieces.
No. 1 Star: Jeremy Swayman
Finally, mercifully, Swayman appears to be out of his first-half funk as the calendar has turned to 2025. No. 1 has always been a bit of a streaky player, and consistency would be welcomed for a guy making $8.25 million per season. But at the moment, he’s stacking games.
Swayman’s 43-for-45 performance (.956) marked his most efficient goaltending night of the season so far. One of his goals allowed came off a deflection through heavy traffic, and while the other looked like a stoppable puck, that chance doesn’t happen if the Bruins don’t struggle to clear the puck seconds prior. Overall, Swayman was sharp, and really needed to be, despite the B’s building to a 4-0 lead in the second period.
After the win, Swayman now has a .925 save percentage over his last eight games. But there was a five-game losing streak in there, so it’s refreshing to see his performance start to translate back to the win column.
The Lightning made a hell of a push after their deficit reached four goals, and the game had a chance to teeter in Tampa’s direction after it got to 4-2 late in the second period. But Swayman ultimately shut the door, continuing his recent hot streak and securing a sigh-of-relief victory.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
