The Bruins scored what was one of their best wins of the season on Saturday night in Montreal. And what was their reward for that? A short day off on Sunday before getting back on the horse for a home game against a tough Carolina team on Monday before heading out west on a four-game road trip against all the California teams – not a pushover in the bunch – before finishing up on Long Island.
Such is life in this season of a condensed schedule.
But with 20 games now under the B’s belts, here are a few leftover thoughts from Saturday night and the first quarter of the season.
• If you’re looking for a Bruins’ MVP in the first quarter of the season, leading scorer David Pastrnak (11-15-26) is a safe bet. But the contributions of Nikita Zadorov should not be underestimated. It’s no coincidence that the B’s defensive problems got under control when he was moved up to the first pairing with Charlie McAvoy. Since first being paired together in the B’s win over Colorado at the Garden on Oct. 25, the B’s are 8-1 (they were split up for the 7-2 drubbing in Ottawa and McAvoy missed the victory in Toronto).
He’s eighth in the league in hits with 68. But if they counted hits that registered on the Richter scale, he’d probably be leading the league. And it’s not like he’s been chasing them, either, pulling himself out of position to get the big pop. This is no doubt the version of Zadorov that the B’s envisioned when they signed him in the summer of 2024.
But considering how valuable Zadorov has become to his team right now, he should be a little more judicious with the bouts he takes. He gets plenty of points for dramatic flair for dropping the gloves off the opening faceoff with Montreal’s Jayden Struble on Saturday, which seemed to be the unofficial announcement that the rivalry is back on. And he was savvy enough to take a Canadiens defenseman to the box with him.
But Zadorov has become too important of a player to be taking five-minute fighting majors that don’t arise from the heat of the battle.
• Elias Lindholm should probably go back between Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie when he’s healthy, given his defensive abilities and strong faceoff work. But the fact that we can’t yet say that that is 100 percent the right move is a credit to what Marat Khusnutdinov has brought to the table.
Yes, the 23-year-old Russian has got some impressive stick skills. That’s no surprise with is pedigree. He was taken by Minnesota with the 37th overall pick in 2020.
But what we didn’t expect to see was his tenacity on pucks and ability to win battles. That was on display on the B’s first goal on Saturday. On a 4-on-4, Zadorov carried the puck into the offensive zone and, after running out of options, dumped it into the corner for what appeared to be easy Montreal possession. But Khusnutdinov simply took it away from well-compensated defenseman Noah Dobson ($9.5 million a season) a re-started the attack, resulting in his own pinball-style goal.
If coach Marco Sturm does indeed go back with Lindholm between Geekie and Pastrnak, he at least now knows he’s got an in-game option in Khusnutdinov if the offense has become stagnant.
• That was a tough break for Viktor Arvidsson. If you missed it, Arvidsson was in a race for the puck late in the game in Montreal when he had to pull up and take himself off the ice. It looked like some sort of soft tissue injury and time on the shelf for those injuries is hard to predict. Sturm did confirm that he would miss at least some time. There was no update on Sunday on the winger or Charlie McAvoy, who took a scary shot to the face.
Arvidsson had struggled out of the gate but had found his game, with all his six goals coming since Oct. 25. As a compliment, Sturm referred to him as “a weasel” in training camp and lately you could see what he meant, especially on the goal he scored in Toronto when he simply swiped the puck off the Maple Leaf defenseman’s stick and into the net.
He’s been a good, relatively cheap pick-up for the B’s and the sooner he returns the better.
• Saturday’s win in Montreal was a signature game for the B’s penalty killers. The B’s took seven minors, including four that produced two lengthy 5-on-3s, and they killed them all off. Sean Kuraly put in quite a night’s work. He skated 15:18 on the night and 6:53 of it was on the PK, with a good chunk coming on the two-man disadvantages. Helping the B’s on those 5-on-3s was the Habs’ reluctance to get the puck to the net, but the B’s discipline contributed to that as well.
The B’s PK is up to 11th in the league at a 82.1% kill rate. If not for their two trips to Ottawa, where the Senators gashed them for five goals on seven chances, the B’s placement would look much better.
• You can root for the Maple Leafs to miss the playoffs, but you don’t want them to outright stink. The B’s own Toronto’s first-round pick next June from the Brandon Carlo deal, but it’s top-five protected. If the Leafs end up in the top five, the B’s pick will most likely end up getting pushed out to 2028 because the Leafs don’t have a 2027 first-rounder, either, having used it to obtain Scott Laughton. That one is top 10-protected, though that protection disappears if they pick in the top 5 in June. If they wind up in the top 10 in 2027, the Leafs have to decide whether the B’s or Flyers get it. The one not chosen will get a 2028 unprotected first-rounder.
The Leafs no doubt will do whatever helps their divisional rival and nemesis less.
After Saturday’s games, the Leafs were sixth from the bottom of the league.
In a surprising and heart-warming announcement, Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and his family have officially unveiled a $5 ticket day at Lincoln Financial Field — a move that fans are already calling “the most generous community gesture in franchise history.”
The special event is designed to give low-income families a rare chance to attend an NFL game at a price that’s almost unheard of in modern professional sports. For thousands of people across Philadelphia, this may be their first-ever opportunity to experience the energy, noise, and atmosphere of a live Eagles home game.
Jeffrey Lurie explained the motivation behind the initiative in a team statement:
“We want to open the doors of Lincoln Financial Field to everyone. Football isn’t just for those who can afford it — it’s a shared pride of the entire Philadelphia community.”
Within minutes of the news breaking, social media erupted. Fans flooded X (formerly Twitter) with emotional reactions, calling the decision “historic,” “incredible,” and “a game-changer for the city.” One long-time supporter posted:
Sports analysts also praised the initiative, pointing out that this move goes far beyond football. It signals a powerful shift toward community engagement and accessibility at the highest level of American sports. One NFL analyst commented:
In addition to the $5 admission price, the Eagles are reportedly coordinating with local organizations to provide discounted transportation options, affordable meal packages, and a family-friendly zone inside the stadium. These added features underline the event’s community-centered purpose — turning it into more than just a game, but a genuine celebration for the city of Philadelphia.
Demand for the tickets is expected to be overwhelming, with experts predicting a complete sell-out within minutes. Many believe the atmosphere on game day could be one of the most emotional and energized crowds in the stadium’s modern history.
With this bold gesture, Jeffrey Lurie and his family aren’t just making headlines — they’re redefining what it means for an NFL franchise to give back. Their initiative positions the Philadelphia Eagles as a team committed to equity, unity, and the belief that football should be shared by everyone.