After building up some good vibes through the first three games of the season, the realities of being a middling NHL team, one that is going to need maximum effort on a nightly basis from all corners of the lineup for success, came to the forefront on a just-concluded West Coast swing for the Bruins where they dropped all three games.
The final blow came on Sunday night as the B’s lost a tight, well-played 3-2 decision to the Utah Mammoth at the Delta Center that could have portended better things if they had played that way on the first two games of the road trip.
In the end it was too many penalties taken once again, one too many defensive breakdowns and just not enough offensive finish outside of their best forward.
So now the Bruins limp back to Boston under .500 after losing each of their last four games, including three one-goal game defeats, with the back-to-back Stanley Cup champ Florida Panthers waiting for them at home.
More on that later, but the present is that the Black and Gold fell just a little short in a game where their only offensive output was a pair of goals from David Pastrnak. This came after Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha were benched for the second half of the third period in Saturday night’s loss to the Avalanche, and there were plenty of meetings and discussions to elicit the effort level that everybody saw on Sunday in Utah.
“Our guys gave everything they had from the first minute to the last minute and that’s exactly what we wanted. We didn’t deserve to go home empty,” said Marco Sturm. “[The top-6] guys were much better today and they were more involved.
“I’m not saying that [Pastrnak] needs to score two goals every game, but that [level of effort and involvement] is what we need from those guys. I’m glad they responded. We’re still in an okay spot. Four losses in a row, of course, it doesn’t sound great. But we played some really good hockey games and you come out West and that is not easy to do. But now we go home, we reset and keep working on those things that we’re trying to do.”
The story in Sunday’s game was Pastrnak responding to a clear attempt by the coaching staff to get his attention, a move that was highlighted by Casey Mittelstadt also being a healthy scratch for Sunday’s road finale. It wasn’t just the two goals for Pastrnak, but it was the 11 shot attempts and four hits that showed he was much more engaged than the previous evening where didn’t register even a single shot on net.
David Pastrnak cashes in on the power play.
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) October 19, 2025
1-1 game. pic.twitter.com/pMmVcE0CGr
“I thought our five-on-five game was pretty good and obviously much better than the previous two games on the road trip,” said Pastrnak. “A tough road trip for us. We’ll have to go back home and get in front of our fans, regroup and [get ready] for some important games coming up.
“[The loss in Colorado] was a tough game for us. You flip the page and get focused on [the next game]. It was tough, obviously. You all saw it.”
Zacha intoned a similar message after returning to second line center with Viktor Arvidsson and Khusnutdinov Sunday night while Mittelstadt was out of the lineup.
“We had a meeting with Marco, personal and some guys had to, and we also knew that it wasn’t good enough, and especially for our team we really needed to step up our game,” said Zacha. “The last two games were not good enough. We took a little step toward being more effective today, but there is a lot of room for improvement for us for sure.”
After the first couple of weeks of the NHL regular season, the Bruins are settling into exactly what many thought they would be. The B’s sit one point out of a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference and they actually have the exact same record as a Panthers team readying for a Tuesday night showdown against Boston at TD Garden that will also represent Brad Marchand’s homecoming to the Hub.
#TimeToHunt F Brad Marchand has been fined $5,000 (max allowable under CBA) for unsportsmanlike conduct during yesterday’s game vs #Sabrehood.
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) October 19, 2025
pic.twitter.com/zjf21aQ2Ho
Given the situation and where the team stands having lost four games in a row, there should be zero lack of energy, emotion and urgency for the Black and Gold headed into their next game.
“It is definitely gonna be weird probably when we get home to start thinking [about]…it’s been a long-time brewing. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be special and at the same time hard for him,” said Pastrnak. “But for us we have other stuff to worry about. It will definitely be good to see him back, but at the same time we to maintain our focus.
“He’s going to run his mouth. I can’t wait for the matchup. Maybe he will be too nice? We will definitely see.”
A game against Florida will also be a good barometer for exactly where this Bruins team stands after just one quality win, over the Capitals, amongst their three wins on the season, and a couple of pretty subpar performances against strong teams in Vegas and Colorado during the road trip.
“We are in all these games, so there are positives to be had. But it was a tough trip. There were pockets [of good play] but we didn’t get the results. It’s still very early and we’re still getting better every day and rounding into our form,” said Charlie McAvoy. “I don’t think we need to get discouraged yet. We have a chance to go home, play a good team and get back on track. Every day in this league is an opportunity and that’s how we need to look at it.
“We have a great group in here, which is first and foremost what we need. We are tight. We’re not going to splinter. We’re going to get back on the horse on Tuesday.”