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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 \u2013 not a pushover in the bunch \u2013 before finishing up on Long Island.<\/p>\n
Such is life in this season of a condensed schedule.<\/p>\n
But with 20 games now under the B\u2019s belts, here are a few leftover thoughts from Saturday night and the first quarter of the season.<\/p>\n
\u2022 If you\u2019re looking for a Bruins\u2019 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\u2019s no coincidence that the B\u2019s 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\u2019s win over Colorado at the Garden on Oct. 25, the B\u2019s are 8-1 (they were split up for the 7-2 drubbing in Ottawa and McAvoy missed the victory in Toronto).<\/p>\n
He\u2019s eighth in the league in hits with 68. But if they counted hits that registered on the Richter scale, he\u2019d probably be leading the league. And it\u2019s not like he\u2019s 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\u2019s envisioned when they signed him in the summer of 2024.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
But Zadorov has become too important of a player to be taking five-minute fighting majors that don\u2019t arise from the heat of the battle.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Elias Lindholm should probably go back between Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie when he\u2019s healthy, given his defensive abilities and strong faceoff work. But the fact that we can\u2019t yet say that that is 100 percent the right move is a credit to what Marat Khusnutdinov has brought to the table.<\/p>\n
Yes, the 23-year-old Russian has got some impressive stick skills. That\u2019s no surprise with is pedigree. He was taken by Minnesota with the 37th overall pick in 2020.<\/p>\n
But what we didn\u2019t expect to see was his tenacity on pucks and ability to win battles. That was on display on the B\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
If coach Marco Sturm does indeed go back with Lindholm between Geekie and Pastrnak, he at least now knows he\u2019s got an in-game option in Khusnutdinov if the offense has become stagnant.<\/p>\n
\u2022 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.<\/p>\n
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 \u201ca weasel\u201d 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\u2019s stick and into the net.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s been a good, relatively cheap pick-up for the B\u2019s and the sooner he returns the better.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Saturday\u2019s win in Montreal was a signature game for the B\u2019s penalty killers. The B\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s on those 5-on-3s was the Habs\u2019 reluctance to get the puck to the net, but the B\u2019s discipline contributed to that as well.<\/p>\n
The B\u2019s 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\u2019s placement would look much better.<\/p>\n
\u2022 You can root for the Maple Leafs to miss the playoffs, but you don\u2019t want them to outright stink. The B\u2019s own Toronto\u2019s first-round pick next June from the Brandon Carlo deal, but it\u2019s top-five protected. If the Leafs end up in the top five, the B\u2019s pick will most likely end up getting pushed out to 2028 because the Leafs don\u2019t 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\u2019s or Flyers get it. The one not chosen will get a 2028 unprotected first-rounder.<\/p>\n
The Leafs no doubt will do whatever helps their divisional rival and nemesis less.<\/p>\n
After Saturday\u2019s games, the Leafs were sixth from the bottom of the league.<\/p>\n
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 \u2014 a move that fans are already calling \u201cthe most generous community gesture in franchise history.\u201d<\/p>\n
The special event is designed to give low-income families a rare chance to attend an NFL game at a price that\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Jeffrey Lurie explained the motivation behind the initiative in a team statement:
\u201cWe want to open the doors of Lincoln Financial Field to everyone. Football isn\u2019t just for those who can afford it \u2014 it\u2019s a shared pride of the entire Philadelphia community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Within minutes of the news breaking, social media erupted. Fans flooded X (formerly Twitter) with emotional reactions, calling the decision \u201chistoric,\u201d \u201cincredible,\u201d and \u201ca game-changer for the city.\u201d One long-time supporter posted:<\/p>\n
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:<\/p>\n
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\u2019s community-centered purpose \u2014 turning it into more than just a game, but a genuine celebration for the city of Philadelphia.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s modern history.<\/p>\n
With this bold gesture, Jeffrey Lurie and his family aren\u2019t just making headlines \u2014 they\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14076,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t