The Boston Bruins collected a much-needed win at home on Tuesday night (Jan. 14) against the Tampa Bay Lightning by a score of 6-2. This win moves the Bruins into an even tie with the Lightning for third place in the Atlantic Division, and it may be the start of some momentum after a slow start to the 2025 calendar. Let’s take a look at some key takeaways from the contest.
Stars Shine
David Pastrnak continued his hot streak and was a large reason the Bruins came out on top. With a goal and an assist, he moved his point total to 10 in the seven games the Bruins have played in 2025. He put up less than a point per game over the first half of the season, a performance that is below his standard as one of the game’s elite offensive players. His production being down is one of the reasons that the Bruins’ offensive output has been down from past seasons and that their record thus far in 2024-25 is not up to their standard. If the Bruins are going to see improvement in their record and standing in the Atlantic Division, Pastrnak is going to need to stay hot down the stretch.
Brad Marchand was also able to find the back of the net on a beautiful wrist shot early in the second period in transition. This snaps a goalless streak for the Bruins’ captain in which he has failed to score since Christmas. Marchand, a player the Bruins rely heavily on for offensive production, is on pace for his lowest points per game total in ten years, and he has posted a minus-7 plus/minus in 2024-25. It is a welcome sight for Bruins fans to see him find the back of the net, as he is a player who will need to elevate his performance for the Bruins to be competitive in the playoffs.
Shots Allowed
Despite what the scoreboard may say, the Bruins struggled defensively in this matchup. They allowed 45 shots on net and iced the puck 15 times throughout the course of the contest. This game follows up a performance against the Florida Panthers in which they escaped with a win despite allowing 43 shots on goal. These 88 shots over the last two games could have been a lot worse: Jeremy Swayman has had very sound rebound control as of late. If Swayman was not an all-world goalie, there is a chance this 88 figure could be closer to 100.
Related: Bruins’ Swayman Needs to Step Up
This brings us to Swayman, who is the largest reason the Bruins won this game. Despite facing 45 shots, a meaningful share of which occurred from grade-A scoring chances, he allowed just two goals. His play is the reason that the Bruins have four points over their last two games despite being outshot by a whopping 88-42. While his numbers remain down from previous years, it seems that we are starting to see the elite play of the goalie the Bruins locked down for eight years this past offseason.
A Matchup to Watch
The Bruins have now split the season series with the Lightning with two games down and two to play. The home team has won both of these matchups. While neither game was particularly close, this is undoubtedly a matchup to watch down the stretch. Tuesday’s game was perhaps the most physical the Bruins have played all season with two fights and several skirmishes breaking out over the course of the game. These occurred pursuant to a fight between Emil Lilleberg and Mark Kastelic last week that saw the former injure the latter in what the Bruins saw to be a dirty play. On top of this bad blood, the two teams are neck and neck for third place in the Atlantic Division, as they are tied at the moment with the Lightning having two games in hand. They will face off again on March 8 and then one more time on March 15.
Looking Ahead
The Bruins have just two games over the next seven days: they will head to Ottawa for a Saturday matchup with the Senators before hosting the San Jose Sharks at home on Monday. They will look to build on their two-game win streak against these two teams who currently sit on the outside of the playoff picture (though the Senators are just two points behind the black and gold with three games in hand). This matchup will be the first of two with Ottawa over the Bruins’ next four games. With five points separating eight teams in the Eastern Conference right now and the Bruins having played as many or more games as anyone in the NHL, intra-conference matchups like these upcoming games against the Senators will begin to feel more and more important as we head into the spring.
