BOSTON — December can be a magical month for many, full of wonderment and surprises.
For those who love the Boston Bruins, finding their favorite team sitting in second place in the Atlantic Division as the 2025 calendar flips to its last page has been no less surprising than finding out your normally stingy boss will be doling out generous holiday bonuses.
Minus both their best player (David Pastrnak) and top defenseman (Charlie McAvoy) to injuries and coming off of a poor home showing Friday afternoon, the Bruins responded with a 3-2 shootout victory over the Red Wings Saturday night at TD Garden.
“When we play our systems, it doesn’t really matter who’s in the lineup,” said Mark Kastelic, the bottom six winger who helped swing the momentum in his team’s favor with a fight near the end of the first period. “Honestly, everyone can play that way, and I don’t think it’s very fun to play against for the other team. When we play with structure, it really limits their chances.”
Six times in their first 30 games have the Bruins had to go beyond three periods to determine a winner. Four times they’ve prevailed in overtime, the other two in shootouts. That’s a far cry from the abysmal campaign that was 2024-25, which included 10 OT/shootout defeats.
In a condensed November schedule, the Bruins were triumphant in nine of 14 games in a 30-day stretch. A big part of that, said rookie head coach Marco Sturm, is that the players believe in the system the coaches have taught them.
“We’re (almost) 30 games in now and you can see the guys are buying in, what guys are giving me every night,” said Sturm. “They play the right way.”
Holding a 1-0 lead after two periods Saturday and up 2-1 as the third period wound down — both goals courtesy of the NHL’s surprise co-leader in tallies, Morgan Geekie — the Bruins of a year ago would have folded like a poorly constructed gingerbread house after Detroit’s Michael Rasmussen knocked in a pretty cross-crease backhand from Patrick Kane with less than two minutes left in regulation.
Instead, they warded off a Red Wings power play in overtime, got four stops from Jeremy Swayman in the extra session, then watched as he blanked all three Detroiters in the shootout while Casey Middlestadt connected for the hosts, giving them the two points.
“In key moments, guys are stepping up and that’s the biggest thing, whether it’s one shootout attempt we’re getting and capitalizing on,” said Kastelic. “Obviously we’d like to close out that game in regulation, but the biggest thing is that next shift mentality, or next moment mentality.”
Swayman (24 saves) is still very much trying to play his way onto the U.S Olympic team for next February’s Winter Olympics in Italy. He played like someone who wants be wearing a Red, White and Blue sweater when OT rolled around.
“This could’ve gone one of two ways, and we knew that,” he said. “We don’t like losing at home. The fans deserved a win tonight, and that was something we all had to dig in, whatever came out way keep pushing, and make sure we come out of it with two points.”
Having hit the 30-goal mark for the first time a year ago but now on a torrid pace to double that (!), the humble Geekie — tied atop the NHL leaderboard in lamplighters with MVP candidate Nathan MacKinnon of the Avalanche — talked about taking pride in scoring dirty goals, such as the two he tipped in Saturday.
“It’s a skill I’ve tried to develop over the last couple of years,” he admitted. “I think it’s important to find those quiet spots and tendencies that guys you play with have.”
Kastelic, thoughtful and soft spoken off the ice but with a pugilistic steak on it, was surprised when Detroit defenseman Morris Seider dropped the gloves with him late in the first period after the former finished a check in the corner boards. Although Seider stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 210 pounds, the former Rookie of the Year was taking part in only his second NHL fight … and probably regretted that decision afterwards.
To be fair, the young German held is own at first before Kastelic, a 6-foot-4, 235-pound seasoned scrapper, got his arms free and popped the Detroit blueliner four straight times in the head and face, the last of those felling him to the ice.
“We were just playing hard and physical, and that was a result of that,” said Kastelic, who later drew matching roughing penalties with Ben Chiarot in a dust-up that carried over into the Detroit bench in the third period.
December brings another 14 games for Boston, half of those on Garden ice. If they find themselves in a similar spot in the standings once 2026 officially arrives, then dreaming of a playoff spot come springtime might actually be within reach.
###
Phil Stacey, the Executive Sports Editor at The Salem News, covers the Boston Bruins for CNHI Sports Boston. Contact him at pstacey@salemnews.com and follow him on X @PhilStacey_SN