Bruins Put Perfect Start on the Line as Senators Visit the Garden
Boston's unbeaten start meets an Ottawa team still waiting for its first result of the season.
Alright, B's fans, pour the coffee (or the Dunkin', let's be honest about where we are) because this is shaping up to be a fun one. The Bruins are 2-0-0 and sitting first in the Atlantic Division, Ottawa rolls into the Garden at 0-0-0 to open their season series, and as a guy whose own career highlight was a well-placed fair catch, I can tell you a 2-0 start still feels like Christmas morning no matter how early it is on the calendar.
Here's why I actually care about this one beyond "it's hockey and I love hockey": two storylines are doing a lot of work right now.
1. The new guy is doing new-guy things. JJ Peterka, acquired from Utah back in June in the trade that sent out the No. 23 pick in the 2026 draft and a conditional 2028 first-rounder, leads Boston in both goals and points through 2 games with 2 of each. That's a real price to pay for a player, and so far he's cashing the check early. I'm not saying I'm already measuring him for a spot on the Bruins Mount Rushmore (I am absolutely saying that, quietly, to myself, at 1 a.m.), but a hot start from the centerpiece of a trade is exactly the kind of thing that turns nervous fans into believers. Mason Lohrei pacing the team in assists with two is the other piece of that puzzle — a d-man setting the table early is the sign of a team that's moving the puck with some pep.
2. Health matters, and it's lopsided right now. Boston's lone injury concern is center Matthew Poitras, on IR with a lower-body issue. Ottawa, meanwhile, is banged up across the forward group and blue line — Andre Burakovsky is out with an upper-body injury, Blake Montgomery and Kurtis MacDermid are both on IR, and defenseman Artem Zub is out with a knee injury. That's a lot of bodies to replace on short notice, and it's a real advantage for Boston on paper.
Worth mentioning too: Fraser Minten signed a seven-year, $50.4 million extension back on September 8, after a rookie season (17 goals, 18 assists, 35 points, a +21 that led every rookie in the league) that was the best by a Bruins rookie since 2017-18. That's not a small thing for a locker room — when the organization backs a young player like that, you feel it in how everybody else carries themselves.
Recent form favors Boston too: 3 wins in their last five against a Senators group that's dropped 4 of their own last five. Not nothing heading into a home date.
How to watch: Monday, October 5th, 7:30 PM ET at TD Garden. Catch it on ESPN+ and NESN.
Our take: I think the Bruins' depth and health edge show up early, and Peterka keeps rolling. Give me Boston in this one — call it a gut feeling from a guy who's spent way too many nights yelling at a TV, but I like what I see.
