Boston’s three-game stay at TD Garden closed with a decisive result Saturday, as Fraser Minten put up a goal and two assists in a 5-1 Bruins win over the still-winless Philadelphia Flyers.
Key takeaways
- Minten’s three-point night included his second goal of the season, while JJ Peterka supplied two assists.
- Jeremy Swayman stopped 14 shots as Boston improved to 4-2-0 and finished its homestand with a 2-1-0 record.
- Philadelphia fell to 0-4-2 despite 27 saves from goaltender Dan Vladar.
- Porter Martone scored the Flyers’ lone goal, converting on the power play in the third period.
- Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen was placed on injured reserve, and Nikita Grebenkin is expected to miss at least four months after back surgery.
Boston turns transition chances into separation
Pavel Zacha opened the scoring at 12:21 of the first period for his first goal of the campaign. David Pastrnak slipped him a backhand feed in the high slot, and Zacha’s wrist shot fluttered through Vladar after the Philadelphia netminder made contact with his left pad.
The Bruins did not add to the margin until late in the second, when Mason Lohrei joined a rush following a Swayman blocker save. Boston broke out on a 4-on-2, Peterka found Lohrei in the left circle, and the defenseman beat Vladar at 17:11 to make it 2-0.
Minten helped Boston take control for good early in the third. Working behind the Flyers net, he set up Marat Khusnutdinov for a close-range finish at 1:55.
Martone gave Philadelphia a brief pushback at 6:32, scoring with the man advantage to trim the deficit to two. The Bruins answered less than three minutes later. Elias Lindholm sent a pass through the middle, and Casey Mittelstadt redirected it between Vladar’s pads at 9:21.
Minten completed the scoring at 15:59, extending the lead to 5-1. The 22-year-old is coming off a Sept. 8 agreement with Boston worth $50.4 million over seven years, carrying a $7.2 million average annual value. That contract begins next season.
Philadelphia dealing with a growing injury list
The Flyers were without forwards Travis Konecny and Cam York. Konecny is listed day to day with a lower-body injury, while York is day to day because of an upper-body issue.
Philadelphia also placed defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen on injured reserve retroactive to Oct. 3 due to an upper-body injury. Forward Nikita Grebenkin underwent back surgery and is expected to be sidelined for a minimum of four months.
