How the newest Bruins performed in their debuts vs. Lightning

Whether they were ready for it or not, Saturday marked the start of a new era for the Bruins.

The Bruins began it with a bang on the scoreboard, too, with a 4-0 win over the Lightning at Amalie Arena. The victory snapped what was a three-game losing skid for the Bruins, and was also good for Boston's first four-goal victory over an opponent since a Jan. 14 win over, you guessed it, the Lightning.

It also came with four of the newest Bruins skaters making their debut following either one practice (or in the case of two players) no practices with the Black and Gold.

Up front, the player with the most to show for their Bruins debut was indeed Casey Mittelstadt.

Acquired in the trade that sent Charlie Coyle to Colorado, the 26-year-old Mittelstadt made his debut centering a line featuring Cole Koepke and Vinni Lettieri in what was an All-Minnesotan line for the club, and finished this contest with an assist and plus-2 rating in 17:55 of time on ice.

One thing you had to look about Mittelstadt's Bruins debut was his puck pursuit and determination on 50-50 pucks. It never felt like the 6-foot-1 left stick was too far away from the puck to attack it and/or make a positive play, with his defensive-zone close-out to deny 30-goal Brandon Hagel scorer a second-chance opportunity on a first-period look standing out as an obvious plus for the Bruins.

It also felt like Mittelstadt used that stick and his speed to extend possession at the other end of the rink, providing the Bruins with some much-needed support below the Geekie-Zacha-Pastrnak line.

Considering the fact that he's skating with one player who's spent the majority of his season on the fourth line and another who's played in Providence for all but 10 games this season, the sustainability of this line's production and success will remain a question until proven otherwise. But it's clear that the Bruins are going to lean on Mittelstadt to drive his line, and Saturday was a good first impression there.

Down the lineup, Marat Khusnutdinov made his debut skating to the left of Elias Lindholm on the Black and Gold's third line, and had a few plays that stood out. In the attacking zone, the 22-year-old Khusnutdinov had a few nifty plays that showed off his offensive abilities, and had one dish that led to a great net-front scoring chance for the B's in the opening period, along with an in-tight dish back to the point. One thing that stuck out: It felt like the Bruins made it a point to get Khusnutdinov legitimate offensive-zone minutes and opportunities, which is something he rarely got in Minnesota.

Khusnutdinov finished the victory with three hits and two blocks in 13:15 of time on ice.

And while he's not new to the B's, having spent the first 83 games of his NHL career here, Jakub Lauko skated to the right of Khusnutdinov and Lindholm on the B's third line. Lauko brought his familiar brand of pace and energy to the line, and finished with two hits, two blocks, and a shot in over 12 minutes.

On the backend, meanwhile, it was from Buffalo right to the Bruins' top pairing for Henri Jokiharju.

Deployed for 18:38 of time on ice, Jokiharju finished Saturday's contest with one block, one shot, and a plus-1 rating, and actually formed a solid connection opposite Nikita Zadorov. In fact, the Bruins downright dominated the puck with the Zadorov-Jokiharju pairing out there.

A pending unrestricted free agent, Jokiharju is honestly a supremely interesting player to watch down the stretch here. His game is not going to pop off the ice most nights, but this is a right-shot defenseman who is comfortable handling the puck, whether that's with controlled exits out of his own end or making safe-but-effective plays in the attacking zone. The Bruins need some of that on their right side in the now with Charlie McAvoy out of action, and they even needed it before they traded Brandon Carlo, with Carlo and/or Andrew Peeke asked to do more with the puck on their stick. That's never been their game.

Ultimately, this feels like an end-of-year, see-where-it-goes almost tryout for Jokiharju and the Bruins, but after he posted career-highs with the Sabres a year ago (including a team-leading plus-14... for Buffalo), this is a player that the Bruins should look at as more than end-of-season filler.

Especially with the right side seemingly always being a slight concern for the Bruins, and without a bonafide right-side defensive prospect knocking down the door in the minor-league ranks.

When you win a game by four goals and shut out the opposition, it's hard to find much to complain about, you gotta admit. And it's entirely possible that the Lightning (who were on their third game in four nights) took a look at the B's roster and thought they could simply throw the pucks out and dominate.

But for the new guys, it was a strong start all the same, and you can only analyze what's in front of you. Now, however, comes what will ultimately be the toughest challenge for all four of these players, and that's keeping it up for a Black and Gold squad still trying to figure out what's next.