Bruins Notes: Boston Steps Up Vs. Penguins After Captain’s Injury

The shorthanded Boston Bruins held on to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins, ending a five-game winless streak that began on Feb. 5 against the New York Rangers.

Bruins captain Brad Marchand played just three shifts and 2:08 of ice time when an awkward collision with Pierre-Olivier Joseph sent the forward head first into the boards and down the tunnel.

The Black and Gold responded with a 3-2 victory and just their second road win in the last 12 games away from TD Garden.

“We wanted to keep playing the right way,” Pastrnak told Leah Hextall on the ABC broadcast. “We had a really good start, which is unusual in this building. Usually, they have a great start. We just wanted to be ready. We set ourselves up in a good spot. Surviving that second period was huge for us and our confidence. It feels good to finally get a dub.”

The Bruins took a 1-0 lead on a goal from — who else but Pastrnak just 1:32 into the game to extend his point streak to 17 games.

“Obviously, I feel good out there, confident,” Pastrnak said. “I’m making plays. My linemates, it’s a huge credit to them. We’ve been having some good chemistry together. But, obviously, we’ve got to get some wins going and that’s our focus.”

Even though Joseph was not called for a penalty on the play that injured Marchand, Boston extended their lead when Mason Lohrei found the back of the net for his fourth tally of the season.

“I thought we responded well,” interim head coach Joe Sacco told reporters in Pittsburgh. “I thought we played hard today. … I think the group can exhale. We’ve had some games lately where we could’ve come out on the other side and we haven’t. We needed that win tonight. So, it feels good for the guys. They played hard today. They gutted it out at the end. … Certainly a big win, much needed for the morale of our guys.”

More notes from Saturday’s Bruins-Penguins game:

— With a goal and an assist, Pastrnak moved into a tie for the eighth-longest point streak in franchise history and made NHL history.

According to NHL Public Relations, Pastrnak now has the longest point streak by a Czechia-born player in NHL history, passing Jaromir Jagr (16 games in 2000-01) and Robert Lang (16 games in 2003-04).

— With the win, the Bruins improved to 28-25-8 overall, 10-15-3 on the road, 7-10-1 against the Metropolitan division and 16-16-4 against Eastern Conference opponents.

The Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Detroit Red Wings, 5-3, in the 2025 Stadium Series game at Ohio Stadium. This allowed the Bruins to move within two points of a wild card spot with 21 games remaining on the regular-season schedule.

— Georgii Merkulov made his return to the Bruins lineup after being recalled from Providence on Friday.

The 24-year-old Russian center was held off the scoresheet, but registered two shots on goal across 14 shifts and 11:54 of ice time.

Sacco wasn’t disappointed by Merkulov and Jeffrey Viel’s play in their returns to Boston.

“I thought they played well today,” Sacco said. “I thought Merk did some good things offensively. I thought Viel was out there, he had a physical presence.”

— The Bruins will look to build on the win in Pittsburgh when they closeout their two-game road trip against the Minnesota Wild on Sunday. Puck drop from Xcel Energy Center is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game on NESN after an hour of pregame coverage.