The Boston Bruins aim to ride the high of a season-best offensive showing when they close a three-game homestand against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday afternoon.
David Pastrnak scored twice to highlight a four-point night, and four other Bruins scored their first goals of the young season in a 6-1 win Thursday against the Utah Mammoth. Boston went 3-for-4 on the power play after an 0-for-10 start to the season.
“Everyone seems to have had chances … and just couldn’t seem to put them in,” forward Morgan Geekie said. “It was nice to see everyone contribute. It was a big one, I think, for morale and one to build off, especially after a poor performance (in a 4-1 loss Monday) against Ottawa.”
The breakout came after coach Marco Sturm shook up the lines in practice on Wednesday, looking to help his team break out of a modest two-game skid.
Pastrnak and Geekie (one goal, two assists) skated alongside Pavel Zacha on the top unit. JJ Peterka slid down to play with Marat Khusnutdinov and Fraser Minten, while Elias Lindholm centered Casey Mittelstadt and James Hagens.
“It was one of those things that I had to go with my gut,” Sturm said.
A newly minted captain, Pastrnak was limited to two assists through the first four games.
“He had that flow, the rhythm in his game,” Sturm said. “You only need one (goal), just like on the power play. You get one goal, and all of a sudden, you feel it. … I’m glad (the pressure of wearing the ‘C’) is over.”
Saturday marks Boston’s final contest without top defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who is serving a six-game suspension for a slashing penalty in the first round of the playoffs in May.
As part of Sturm’s recent personnel tweaks, defenseman Frederic Brunet played the point on the first power play and recorded his first NHL point on an assist to Pastrnak.
The only winless team left in the Eastern Conference, Philadelphia arrives in Boston to complete a three-game road trip after a 2-1 loss Thursday at the Ottawa Senators.
The Flyers hung tough after surviving four straight penalty kills in a 6:30 span in the first period but got no closer than tying the score on Matvei Michkov’s power-play goal in the second.
“We didn’t get the result that we needed, but at least we got a good effort,” Philadelphia captain Sean Couturier said. “We can build on some good things that we did (in the game), at least. But yeah, we’ve got to keep grinding, finding ways to get the wins here.”
Coach Rich Tocchet echoed those sentiments, but Philly still wound up in its longest season-opening losing streak since a six-game skid (0-3-3) in 2008-09.
“We competed well. The passing was better, so yeah, there’s something to build on there,” he said.
New Flyers forward Michael Bunting hopes to get his feet under him after debuting with his new team in Ottawa. The 31-year-old, who signed a one-year contract earlier this week after going unsigned entering training camp, played 10:56 alongside Noah Cates and Noel Acciari on Philadelphia’s fourth line.
“I feel like I can come in and help this team with some energy, some offense, and a little bit of grit, too. So I’m really excited to be here,” Bunting said before Thursday’s game.
Like in Boston, Bunting’s insertion was part of a larger shuffle that also saw Couturier jump to the top line alongside Travis Konecny and Porter Martone. Trevor Zegras, who played center to start the season, shifted to the wing with Owen Tippett and center Christian Dvorak.
