The Boston Bruins (25-19-2) hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins (21-14-9) on Sunday (Jan. 11) in their first meeting of the season. Both teams entered this contest playing well, with Pittsburgh winning six of their last seven games, and Boston victorious in four of their last five games, including a 10-2 shellacking over the New York Rangers yesterday (Jan. 10). One goal was all that was required in this one as the Bruins held on for the 1-0 victory. Here’s your game recap.
Game Recap
The Bruins thought they opened the scoring five minutes into the contest, but the puck was punched into the net, negating the goal due to a hand pass. Then, Boston eventually took the lead 11 minutes into the first period. Henri Jokiharju’s point shot was stopped, but Viktor Arvidsson won a battle in front and jumped on the rebound, beating the sprawling Stuart Skinner with the backhand. The home team took that 1-0 lead into the dressing room, with the shots tied at 10.
Related: Projected Lineups for Penguins vs Bruins – 01/11/26
There were no goals to report in the second period, despite a solid pushback by the visitors. Bruins’ netminder Joonas Korpisalo was excellent in the period, stopping all 10 shots he faced, including some point-blank looks. The Penguins had a 10-4 shot advantage in the period, and 20-14 overall.
That lone goal in the first period was all the offense needed as Boston held on for the 1-0 victory. The Bruins were 0-for-6 on the power play, while the Penguins were 0-for-2 on the man advantage. Both goalies were great, as Korpisalo stopped all 27 shots he faced for the shutout, while Skinner stopped 17 of 18 shots for a .944 save percentage in the loss.
The Bruins continue their five-game homestand on Tuesday (Jan. 13) against the Detroit Red Wings. Meanwhile, the Penguins begin a three-game homestand against the Tampa Bay Lightning the same day. These two teams meet again on March, 3 in Boston. Keep following The Hockey Writers for all your NHL content throughout the season.
