What the Bruins are doing without their best forward and their best defenseman has been truly impressive.
The B’s are a decent 5-5-0 since Charlie McAvoy took a slapper to the face in a road game against the Montreal Canadiens, and they are an impressive 3-2-0 since David Pastrnak went out of the lineup with an undisclosed injury around the Thanksgiving holiday. They won back-to-back games for the first time on Saturday night since those two major injuries with a solid 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils at TD Garden, and now sit tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for first place in the Atlantic Division.
The goals were spread out with each of the top three B’s lines getting on the board, and the defense and goaltending were exactly the level of high strength that the Bruins are going to need for a winning formula this season. Doing this without a couple of vital cogs in the hockey machine should tell everybody that the Bruins group is strong, and that there a growing identity with this Black and Gold group that goes beyond any individual players.
“It is [encouraging] and it’s a belief in this locker room,” said Jeremy Swayman, who made 29 saves in the victory. “It’s the ‘next man up’ mentality and we’re staying in the moment and we’re making sure that anyone that gets the opportunity to play in the Black and Gold earns it and can help us winning games.
“So it’s really good to see guys step up and obviously guys that have been in the lineup and are consistently stepping up, playing their roles to a ‘T’ and having success.”
It might also be a time for some head coaches to puff their chest out and take credit for the toughness through adversity and injuries, but Marco Sturm wasn’t taking the bait for any individual credit while watching his team persevere. It’s exactly the kind of team-first, eyes-on-the-prize mentality that’s making the Bruins look out for the greater good rather than personal interests.
“For is it’s all about structure. I have experienced it personally with the Kings and in the minors, and the structure we play and the system we play when everybody buys in, a lot of times it doesn’t matter who is in or out,” said Sturm. “Of course, you still need good players. Don’t get me wrong. But I have seen that movie before. There’s nothing we can do with the injuries. I think the guys know too now that they can rely on the system and it works, especially when guys are out [of the lineup].
“People who know me know that is not who I am. I am very proud of my team. I think it’s always a group effort to do that. I can have the greatest plan or system but if [the players] don’t buy into it then it’s almost useless. Those are the guys. I am directing them, guiding them and teaching them, but those are the guys that are getting it done. So it’s a group effort, and not just players the whole coaching staff, management…there is a lot to it. That’s what I am proud of…we have come a long way in a very short amount of time and having come together like a family is what I am proud of.”
It is striking just how different the vibe, the compete level and the chemistry is between this season’s team and last season’s woebegone group, and it’s perhaps never more apparent than the way this team plays right through injuries after last season’s group crumbled under the same challenging circumstances.
ONE TIMERS
• Nikita Zadorov was highly amused talking about the viral video of him shotgunning a beer on the Jumbotron during a Celtics game at TD Garden this week.
Nikita Zadorov with the jumbotron chug, sitting next to Pasta 🍝🍻
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 6, 2025
(via @justinmturpin) pic.twitter.com/ByLpehZExT
The Bruins defenseman said he’s been to a handful of C’s home games this season, but sitting next to No. 88 for Friday night’s game against the Lakers brought him a different level of attention while sitting courtside.
“I’ve [gone to] 15 [Celtics] games, probably, and the camera was never on me. But one time I went with Pasta they put a camera on me. I was like, ‘I have to do it now to Boston,” Said Zadorov. “So I feel like it was a cool moment. [You’ve got to] have a guilty game once in a while, right? Play good. So, thought I did pretty good today.”
Some truly excruciating times for Charlie McAvoy over the last month as he deals with the aftermath from a fractured jaw and a number of teeth knocked out after taking a deflected slap shot right off the mouth. McAvoy said he won’t be eating solid foods until shortly after Christmas and has lost 20 points over the last few weeks eating a liquid diet based on soups, ice creams and some failed attempts to puree chicken and vegetables.
“I don’t recommend trying to take a slapshot to the jaw. I knew right away that I was in some trouble. Just a linear fracture right here all the way down, some displacement and I lost a lot of teeth on the bottom. But I’ll save you the visual…you can just take my word for it,” said McAvoy. “The diet is the toughest part just trying to get what you need without eating any solid foods. Soups have been my go-to. Early on a lot of milkshakes and ice cream. It’s tough.
“I tied to give it a go blending up solid foods…It’s not enjoyable. I tried chicken and vegetables and it was just a non-starter. It was terrible.”
The good news is that McAvoy is back practicing with the Bruins in a red no-contact jersey and a face shield, but he’s still at least a few weeks away from a potential return as he regains strength and his conditioning after a nearly three-week layoff. McAvoy has looked good in practice and was hopeful his return would be sooner rather than later, but there are a lot of boxes to check in terms of healing from his facial surgery before he’s going to be poised for a return to game action.