Boston, MA
Bruins vs. Blues RECAP: Boston comes back in 3rd to win 3-2!
Oh my god.
1st Period, where nothing happened
While the B’s controlled the shot count, this game started kind of slow, with the. The Power Play couldn’t take advantage of the Blues’ penalties, and both sides headed to the break tied 0-0.
2nd Period, where all the bad things happened.
The Bruins took some penalties.
On those Penalty Kills, the Boston Bruins got absolutely rinsed in nearly identical ways; the defenseman in front was moved away from the net-front in a battle, Swayman committed to a shot coming from his right, and then the Blues batted home an unusual rebound.
The first Blues player to do this was Braden Schenn…
…and then, Oskar Sundqvist.
The Bruins head to the third period down 2-0 thanks to some gruesome penalty killing.
3rd Period OF THE GODS
ALRIGHT.
SO.
Things looked bad. Really bad. Coming into this period, there looked like there was going to be yet another long discussion about how the final frame was becoming a slow-burning problem for the team.
And then something funny happened.
David Pastrnak stripped the puck from Colton Parayko in the neutral zone, charged into the Blues’ end, and got Morgan Geekie an absolute rocket to fire off past Binnington to get the Bruins their first goal of the night! 2-1 Blues.
Next, Charlie McAvoy got a strong pass out of the defensive end to Justin Brazeau, where he and Brad Marchand victimized Mathieu Joseph for a few seconds, then passed the puck back off to McAvoy, who put a bunker buster of a shot straight past Binnington to tie the game off a screen! 2-2 Everybody!
Good positioning on Brazeau’s part to get in front of Binnington, too. Boston’s had their issues with that kind of thing and it’s great to see a plan come together.
Finally, the Bruins smelled blood in the water, and harangued the Blues until finally, off of a chaotic sequence where the puck bounced out into the slot to Charlie McAvoy, who let David Pastrnak rip one off on Binnington again. Binnington couldn’t keep it in his body, and it trickled into the net with less than 2 minutes to go.
Comeback complete. BOSTON WINS 3-2.
Game Notes
- Your TOI leader tonight was Charlie Mcavoy, who played 25:08 tonight. Right behind him however was David Pastrnak, who played 24:29.
- The B’s were well on their way towards making another extremely exhausting night of people venting their spleen on how the team is built for all of us here on SCoC, but man if they didn’t figure themselves out after Morgan Geekie got his goal. The 5v5 game had always been on their side tonight, it just took a distressing amount of time and a strong shift to finally get it going.
- It also doesn’t escape my notice that they hammered the net-front tonight in what was almost assuredly more of what Coach Monty wants for this team. If Boston wants to win, getting to those dangerous areas of the ice will always be a wonderful equalizer; even if they still struggle with other things. Namely…well…special teams.
- David Pastrnak had a statement game tonight; A goal, an assist on Geekie’s goal that got this whole thing rolling in the first place, accounted for a third of all shots on net from a Bruins skater, and a staggering 97.02% in xGF%. Only one giveaway too, for all those people who care about that sort of thing! Absolutely exceptional stuff from Pasta.
- Charlie McAvoy finished tonight’s game with a huge goal from distance, and one of the better nights he’s had possession-wise so far this season. Morgan Geekie probably got a goal tonight that kept him in the lineup going into the next week or so, but Charlie McAvoy needed a game like this badly, and I gotta imagine he’s gotta feel like he just stepped out of the shower with how refreshed his game was tonight. Gonna need that to continue, but this is an all important step-forward.
- Thank god the Blues’ defense is such trash that Pastrnak was able to get that puck through to Morgan Geekie. Could you imagine what this game would be like if that poke check actually worked instead of just slow it down for Geekie? I sure don’t want to.
- The Penalty Kill is still pretty bad; St. Louis got their lead from two nearly identical shots on the power play that were born of the Blues being able to find space in front of the netminder. That’s gotta be cleaned up when they head to Dallas, because they’ll make you pay for that.
- Oh yeah and the power play is still rough too. Not much I can say there except maybe get weird with it. Let’s stack five forwards. Let’s stack five defenseman. It’s already cratering towards league worst right down by St. Louis, might as well get wacky and make the other team tilt their head.
- Jeremy Swayman’s night was defined, much like Boston, by the penalty kill. He seemed completely out of sorts when he didn’t have a 5th skater in front of him, but after that? He settled down and his SV% settled at .909. If the B’s weren’t taking boneheaded penalties and leaving his left side as a yawning cage, he probably would’ve had a more impressive statline. Otherwise? I think we actually got a pretty standard Swayman performance. To me, a standard Swayman performance is that you can get two goals against him. They might even look terrible. But you will have to move heaven and earth to get goal three, and the Blues couldn’t do that.
- The Bruins lost Hampus Lindholm very early on in the game thanks to blocking a shot with his leg. Hopefully it’s just some pain and swelling, because him being out for any length of time will be painful. Someone on the Providence Bruins should be getting to the airport to make it to Dallas by Thursday night.
- STOP TAKING HIGH STICKING PENALTIES.
The Bruins continue their road trip to Dallas, Texas to take on the Stars on Thursday at the American Airlines Center. That game drops the puck at 8pm EST.
We’ll see you there!
Boston, MA
Practice Report: Bruins Have Last Skate in Boston Before Leaving for Buffalo | Boston Bruins
“It is a division team, we’ve played them enough to know kind of what they’re about. They’ve had a great season. They’re a high rush team, a lot of speed and a lot of skill. It is going to be a fun matchup,” Lindholm said. “It is a fun challenge for us, coming in a little bit as an underdog and prove people wrong.”
Lindholm has also been quarterbacking the second power-play unit, which is primed to feature James Hagens. The 19-year-old forward signed his entry-level contract on April 8 and played in the final two games of the regular season. The B’s, however, did not get on the man advantage in either game, so Sturm has yet to see Hagens on the power play outside of practice. The coach thinks it is one of Hagens’ best assets, though.
“He doesn’t have to play or make special plays. He has some really good players on that unit. As long as he’s going to play fast and keep it simple – I think that is something that might be different from college and NHL,” Sturm said. “I think it will be fine because Buffalo, they will come, they pressure hard. So you don’t want to be surprised. You want to be quick, you want to be fast. That’s something that has to be in his mind.”
Hagens has been skating on the third line with Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov, and that stayed the same in Saturday’s practice. The three youngsters will all be playing in their first NHL postseason.
“Every night you have to give it your all. You have to give everything you possibly have. This is playoff hockey – you want to win every single game like always. Nothing changes, but there are a lot higher stakes,” Hagens said. “This is something you dream of. Something you grow up watching and praying that you could be in the moment one day and be playing in. Now that it’s reality, it’s something that is really surreal.”
After having a whirlwind start to his pro career, it has been helpful for Hagens to get full practices in with the group.
“It’s been great to be able to be out there, practice with these guys. Not only to learn the systems but to be able to talk to teammates, get feedback from coaches,” Hagens said. “Just the repetition, being able to do reps, try to learn day by day.”
The energy is palpable for Boston, but the team knows the work has just begun.
“Everyone is equal in this room. We’re a tight-knit group here, we’re all good buddies…Just go out there and play with that joy that we have in the locker room,” Lindholm said. “It is a really serious time of year, but I think within this room here, just go out there and enjoy, too. Play for each other – I think that’s how you win this time of year.”
Hao-Yu Lee called up by Detroit Tigers after Zach McKinstry hits IL
Tigers call up infield prospect Hao-Yu Lee as Zach McKinstry hits 10-day IL; Lee starts at Fenway, strong vs. lefties.
Boston — Can’t lose at home. Can’t win on the road.
The Tigers are establishing a very unhealthy pattern early this season. Coming off six straight wins at Comerica Park, they rode an eight-game road losing streak into Fenway Park Friday night.
Make it nine straight road losses.
Scoreless through regulation, the Boston Red Sox scratched across a run in the bottom of the 10th inning to take the opener of a four-game series, 1-0.
“We don’t look at it like that,” said catcher Dillon Dingler of the home-road contrast. “We played a tough game tonight. Just not a ton of hitting. I left three guys out there myself.”
Dingler nearly ended the game-winning threat before it started. With speedy Jarren Duran at second as the free runner, reliever Will Vest threw a pitch in the dirt. Duran got a good break off second but Dingler pounced on the ball and threw a seed to third base.
It would have been a bang-bang play, but third baseman Hao-Yu Lee, in his big-league debut, was unable to catch the throw.
“I don’t know how that play would’ve gone,” manager AJ Hinch said.
Vest struck out Ceddanne Rafaela, then with one out, Hinch brought Javier Báez in from center field, using a five-infielder, two-outfielder alignment against Red Sox lefty-swinging pinch-hitter Masataka Yoshida.
“Our backs were against the wall,” he said. “We were hoping he hits it at somebody. He ended up chopping it over the infield.”
Yoshida’s high-bouncer went over the infielders’ heads and ended the game, leaving the Tigers to rue their two missed chances late in the game.
BOX SCORE: Red Sox 1, Tigers 0 (10)
The Tigers put runners at second and third against Aroldis Chapman with two outs in the top of the ninth. Jahmai Jones ripped a double into the left-field corner, sending rookie Kevin McGonigle (safe on a fielder’s choice) to third.
But Champman punched out Dingler with back-to-back heaters — 100 mph and 101 mph.
They stranded the free runner in the top of the 10th against right-handed reliever Garrett Whitlock, too. With Dingler at third and one out, Wenceel Perez struck out and Spencer Torkelson grounded out to short.
Hinch had left-handed hitters Kerry Carpenter and Colt Keith available on the bench.
“Obviously we were looking for contact (from Perez),” he said. “Generally, Whitlock is going to keep the ball down. (Perez) just chased at the end.”
But, as Hinch said, there was a lot more going on than just the 10th inning.
“I mean, a zero-zero game at Fenway in the 10th inning?” Hinch said. “That’s a game that’s very rare around here.”
Credit starting pitchers Casey Mize and Red Sox lefty Ranger Suarez for that. They put on a show, impressively trading outs in their own unique style.
The Tigers got two singles off Suarez in the first inning and then nothing over the next seven.
Mize, with a four-seam fastball that was hitting 96 mph that greatly enhanced the effectiveness of his splitter and slider, allowed three hits through 6.2 innings.
“Casey was incredible,” Hinch said. “I told him afterward, that was the best combination of stuff, execution and the way his body was moving. He was excellent. Unfortunately, so was their guy.”
Said Dingler: “Robin (Lund, assistant pitching coach) said Casey’s slider strike percentage was 93 percent. He was dominating that outer rail with all three of his pitches. It was fun to catch. He made my job easier.”
The third hit, a two-out infield single in the seventh, ended Mize’s night. But he was brilliant. He struck out seven with one walk. He got 14 whiffs on 42 swings and 16 called strikes.
“We had a good game plan,” said Mize, who dominated a lot of the same Red Sox hitters last September at Fenway. “I was able to execute at a pretty high clip tonight. I felt like I was moving well and the ball was coming out well. When you execute, more times than not you are going to have nights like this.”
Suarez, meanwhile, was mixing changeups, curveballs and cutters off his 91-mph sinker and getting the Tigers’ hitters to beat the ball in the ground. Nine ground ball outs and nothing but weak contact.
“There’s a reason he signed a deal with these guys,” said Mize of Suarez’s five-year, $130 million deal with the Red Sox. “He’s a really good pitcher and it made it tough on our team and on myself, knowing I was going to have to match him zero for zero.”
McGonigle singled with one out in the first and Jones followed, belting a line drive off the Green Monster in right field. McGonigle breezed into third but center fielder Rafaela played the carom expertly and threw out Jones at second base.
“Once he settled in, he was in and around the zone just enough,” Hinch said. “The ball never moved the same way twice. He’s tough.”
The Tigers’ only runner after the first against Suarez was Dingler, who drew a two-out walk in the fourth.
Suarez set down 13 straight hitters after that through the eighth.
Dingler, besides calling a smart pitch-mix for Mize, helped out with two defensive plays befitting a Gold Glove catcher. He ended the second inning by pouncing on a topper in front of the plate to retire Rafaela. Dingler ran through Rafaela to get the ball, knocking him out of the base path.
He took Rafaela off the bases again in the fifth. This time, he threw him out at second trying to steal second base. The throw was perfect, an 87-mph dart that popped into the glove of shortstop McGonigle in 1.85 seconds.
“Ding is such an influence behind the plate,” Hinch said. “It starts with the game-calling. And he threw it well tonight. We know they’re going to be aggressive. They have a ton of athleticism and speed. And Ding is a big weapon for us to stop it.”
Friday was the big-league debut for Tigers’ infielder Hao-Yu Lee. He went hitless in three at-bats against Suarez, though he did drive a ball to track in right-center field the Rafaela ran down in the fifth.
Playing third base, he ended seventh inning fielding a ground ball behind the bag at third and throwing across the diamond to retire Rafaela and stranding a runner at second. First baseman Spencer Torkelson made an outstanding scoop on Lee’s low throw.
Lee’s throwing error in the bottom of the ninth extended the inning but caused no damage.
“It’s a big stage,” Hinch said. “I think he handled himself well.”
For Mize, it was his third start this season where he allowed one run or less. The Tigers are 1-2 in those three starts.
“Yeah, you know, I feel good,” he said. “I feel fine. But we’ve got to translate them into wins. That’s what I care about the most.”
Chris.McCosky@detroitnews.com
@cmccosky
Dare we say this could be one of the deepest women’s pro fields we’ve seen assembled for the Boston Marathon? The 130th edition of the race from Hopkinton to Boylston Street gets underway on Monday, and a slew of the top racers in women’s road running currently will look to finish atop the podium at one of the toughest of the World Marathon Majors.
Defending champion and course record holder (2:17:22) Sharon Lokedi returns as one of the favorites to win yet another Boston Marathon title, and she enters coming off a notable 2025 marathon campaign that featured wins in both Boston and New York. Among some of her top challengers are fellow Kenyan Irine Cheptai, who took fourth in Boston last year, and Ethiopia’s Workenesh Edesa, who dipped under the 2:18 mark to win the 2025 Hamburg Marathon.
But perhaps the biggest storyline to follow on Patriots’ Day? The competition among the U.S. contingent. With American record holder Emily Sisson running the Boston Marathon for the first time in her career, as well as 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials winner Fiona O’Keeffe, Paris Olympian Dakota Popehn, 2025 Boston Marathon top U.S. finisher Jess McClain, and plenty of other notable names all toeing the line together, expect an entertaining battle to play out on race day.
Content hype editor Ashley Tysiac breaks down what you can expect from the women’s race on Monday. You can continue to stay in-the-know on all things Boston with our watch guide, and you can follow along with Runner’s World’s coverage of the 2026 Boston Marathon by exploring our full collection of stories. You can also dive into our preview of the men’s race here.
Ashley is Editor of Content Hype at Hearst’s Enthusiast & Wellness Group. She is a former collegiate runner at UNC Asheville where she studied mass communication. Ashley loves all things running; she has raced two marathons, plus has covered some of the sport’s top events in her career, including the Paris Olympics, U.S. Olympic Trials and multiple World Marathon Majors.
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