Bruins improve to 2-0 after Minten’s overtime goal buries Blackhawks

Two games, two wins for the new-look Boston Bruins.

Boston came back from down 2-1, then later broke a 3-3 tie in overtime, to grab a 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in their home opener at TD Garden Thursday night. They're now 2-0 to start Marco Sturm's tenure as head coach.

Rookie Fraser Minten fired the puck past Blackhawks goaltender Arvid Soderblom on a rush during the 3-on-3 overtime period to lift the B's to victory, his first goal of the young season. Casey Mittelstadt also scored his first goal in the victory, while Tanner Jeannot scored his first in a Bruins uniform. Elias Lindholm scored his second goal in as many games. Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo finished the night stopping 21 of 24 shots by the Blackhawks.

The Bruins grabbed the game's first goal, and the first of the season for anyone not on the first line. Powered by an impressive dangle from winger Viktor Arvidsson and a mishandle by the Blackhawks defense in front, Mittelstadt parked himself in front of the net and cleaned up the rebound to score his first of the season.

The Blackhawks got it back later in the period, off the stick of prized young forward Connor Bedard. After linemate Andre Burakovsky disrupted the Bruins' breakout attempt along the half-wall, he beat the Bruins' Marat Khusnutdinov to another loose puck in the corner then made a clean cross-ice pass to a waiting Bedard in the left faceoff circle. Bedard ripped a rocket of a shot past Korpisalo to tie the game back up at 1-1.

The first period featured abbreviated power plays for both teams, with some overlapping four-on-four time. The score remained 1-1 after 20 minutes, as the clubs played a fairly even game overall. At five-on-five, the Bruins out-shot the Blackhawks 10-7, but Chicago had the edge in shot attempts at 16-14 (via Natural Stat Trick). That illustrated the Bruins' tight checking and coverage in the defensive end that they hope will be a big part of their identity under Sturm. They also blocked three shots as a team in the first, compared to no blocks for the Blackhawks.

It was early in the second period that the Blackhawks seized control. Shortly after the faceoff, defenseman Louis Crevier flipped the puck toward the net, and Korpisalo drifted away from the short-side post, giving the puck more than enough room to get by him and gift the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead.

Midway through the second, the Bruins willed their way back to a tie game. Sparked by deft puck protection and skating to favorable ice by winger Mikey Eyssimont, Jeannot shoveled in the near-side rebound for his first goal as a Bruin to tie it 2-2. Jeannot is looking to top seven goals in a season for the first time since 2021-22, and he's certainly off to a good pace to start.

Bruins forward Morgan Geekie had a golden opportunity to score from the slot late in the second, but goaltender Arvid Soderblom made the stop.

Khusnutdinov drew a late penalty with some tenacious board work to put the Bruins on the power play with 1:10 left in the period. In an odd twist, the Blackhawks' Nick Foligno committed a delay of game penalty right off the ensuing faceoff, giving the Bruins nearly two full minutes of a 5-on-3 advantage. They were unable to find the back of the net before the end of the period, bringing a 2-2 tie to the locker room through 40 minutes.

Then, just 15 second into the third, they cashed in. Locked in a net-front battle with Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy, Elias Lindholm got just enough of a piece of the puck to whack it past Soderblom to get the B's back into the lead at 3-2.

Unfortunately, the Bruins' fresh lead lasted just 1:16. Burakovsky scored a goal of his own off a clean opportunity in the slot, quickly knotting things back up at 3-3.

The Bruins had to play the majority of the game without defenseman Hampus Lindholm, who exited the game less than 10 minutes into the first period with what the team later reported was a lower-body injury.

Up Next: The Bruins get only one day off after completing their back-to-back to start the season. They will stay in Boston, though, as the Buffalo Sabres come to town for the Bruins' first Atlantic Division matchup of the season Saturday night.