The Boston Bruins took on the Tampa Bay Lightning in a Monday matinee game at the TD Garden in Boston. The Lightning got out to a sizable early lead, and while the Bruins were able to pull within one, their early deficit proved insurmountable, as the Lightning took the game by a score of 4-3. Let’s take a look at a few takeaways from the contest.
Early Miscues Prove Costly
Over the course of the first half of the game, the Bruins made several miscues that the Lightning were able to capitalize on. Each of the first three goals came off of Bruins turnovers in their defensive zone, all of which led to layups for the visiting team. These miscues resulted in the Lightning taking a 3-0 lead early in the second period, and after the Bruins were able to get one back, a 4-1 lead shortly after.
Related: Bruins’ Early Success Signals an Identity Shift Under Marco Sturm
Careless errors were a recurring issue for the Bruins a season ago, and while they played a pretty clean brand of hockey over the course of the first three games of the season, it will be important for them to address these mistakes before they become a recurring issue. These errors and the early deficit that resulted from them took away from a very solid offensive performance up and down the lineup.
Depth Contributions
One item circled on the Bruins’ list of needs in 2025-26 was offensive contributions from depth pieces, and through four games, they have looked promising on this front. Defenseman Jordan Harris found the back of the net for the Bruins’ second goal of the day on a transition shot assisted by David Pastrnak. This goal made Harris the Bruins’ tenth different player to score through four games, an encouraging sign for a team that struggled to find offensive production outside of that from Morgan Geekie and Pastrnak a season ago.
On top of the goal from Harris, Casey Mittelstadt was able to find the back of the net in the second period as well for his second goal of the campaign. This goal was assisted by offseason acquisition Viktor Arvidsson and accounted for his first point of the season. Arvidsson getting on the board made him the 15th member of the Bruins roster to record a point through these four games, another impressive number indicative of a team that has received offensive contributions from throughout their lineup.
Faceoff Dominance
One other bright spot for the Bruins was their performance in the faceoff circle. Entering the day, they had won 54% of their faceoffs on the season, good for tenth in the NHL thus far. They improved on that number against the Lightning, winning 41 out of 60 faceoffs throughout the contest, good for a 68% win rate. Winning in this category translated into opportunities for the black and gold, which was promising to see–Geekie’s goal to cut the Lightning lead to one came on a wrist shot off the draw. For a team that will need to find offense wherever they can, continued dominance in the faceoff circle would be an encouraging sight for the Bruins.
A First Loss
Despite the outcome, the Bruins showed some positive signs in their first loss of the young campaign. They were dominant in the faceoff circle and continued to receive contributions from players not named Pastrnak or Geekie. Joonas Korpisalo did not have a pretty game on paper; however, he came up with a few key saves on high-danger chances that kept the Bruins in the game. The Bruins will look to cut out the careless mistakes that cost them against the Lightning and build on a strong start to the season as they head to the West Coast for their first extended road trip of the new campaign.
