Pastrnak Leads the Way in Bruins 6-1 Victory Over Mammoth
Written by Josie Dinonsie
BOSTON — TD Garden got a show on Thursday night as the Boston Bruins earned a 6-1 victory over the Utah Mammoth. Captain David Pastrnak recorded four points (2G, 2A), including his first goal of the season.
Alongside Pastrnak, Casey Mittelstadt, Morgan Geekie, Matthew Poitras, and Mason Lohrei also scored their first goals of the season. The dominant performance featured strong special teams play, including three power-play goals, and a solid defensive effort. Contributions throughout the lineup helped the Bruins secure a convincing win.
“Everyone has had opportunities to score and just can't seem to see them go in. So it was nice to see everybody kind of contribute tonight you know up and down the lineup. So it was a big one I think for morale and one to build off of,” Geekie said postgame.
Mittelstadt opened the scoring midway through the first period. After receiving a pass from James Hagens near the left faceoff dot, Mittelstadt collected the puck and quickly fired it past Mammoth goaltender Sebastian Cossa. His first goal of the season gave the Bruins an early lead and energized both the bench and the crowd.
The Bruins continued to build momentum when they earned their first power play of the game at 5:44 of the opening period. Just four seconds into the man advantage, Pastrnak beat Cossa five-hole, with Frederic Brunet recording his first NHL point on the assist. The goal marked Pastrnak’s first of the season and the Bruins’ first power-play goal of the year, extending their lead to 2-0 with just over five minutes remaining in the period.
A little over a minute later, Lohrei made it 3-0. After controlling the puck in the offensive zone and skating past two Mammoth players, he fired a wrist shot over the goal line, ending Cossa’s night in net.
The Bruins’ offensive success continued in the second period, particularly on the power play. At 4:40, Pastrnak scored his second goal of the night to make it 4-0, giving Boston a 2-for-2 record on the man advantage. Geekie assisted on the goal, recording his second point of the game.
At 7:57, the pair reversed roles as Geekie scored the Bruins’ third power-play goal of the night, with Pastrnak picking up the assist. Boston extended its lead to 5-0 before the halfway point of the game.
Pastrnak continued to make his presence felt at 14:08, recording his fourth point of the night with an assist on Poitras’ goal. During a 2-on-1 rush, Pastrnak fed Poitras, who buried the puck in the net for his first goal of the season and second point of the night. The Bruins carried a commanding 6-0 lead into the third period.
Jeremy Swayman turned in a strong performance between the pipes, making 36 saves. However, Mammoth forward Jack McBain ended his shutout bid with a goal at 9:48 of the third period. The Bruins held off Utah for the remainder of the game, securing a 6-1 victory when the final buzzer sounded.
It was a productive night for Boston, with several players finally finding the back of the net after opportunities had gone unconverted earlier in the season. For Pastrnak, getting that first goal was particularly significant.
“One went in and after that then all of a sudden he was loose, and happy… all of a sudden he had that flow, the rhythm in his game,” Bruins head coach Marco Sturm said about Pastrnak.
“That’s just how the brain works sometimes, especially in sports and in hockey… he’s very excited, he's very honored, but you know there's also a little bit of pressure to having the C on your jersey so it's a little different. I'm glad that is over (his first goal of the season)… it was a big night for him,” Sturm said.
Beyond his four-point performance, Pastrnak reached another career milestone, tying Brad Marchand on the Bruins’ all-time goals leaderboard for fourth place and ranking seventh in franchise history in assists.
Pastrnak and the Bruins will look to carry that momentum into Saturday’s matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden before beginning a four-game road trip out west.
