BOSTON — In their final dress rehearsal for the 2025-26 regular season, the Bruins looked a lot like they’ll hope to look during the regular season.
Boston got solid play from its middle two lines, which were a question coming into the preseason and a strong effort from Jeremy Swayman in a 4-1 win over the Rangers at TD Garden.
In the Bruins matinee against the Rangers, both teams used lineups that could be at least similar to the ones they’ll employ on Wednesday in Washington. The result mattered less than some of the boxes their play checked.
1. Jeremy Swayman was solid —Swayman, who didn’t participate in the preseason at all last year, made 30 saves and looked sharp. A strong Swayman would give the Bruins a huge boost as they get used to a new system and a new roster.
2. The Bruins were better early. — Boston dominated the first period and took a 2-0 lead into intermission.
“The first 20 minutes was probably the best I’ve seen from our group,” Marco Sturm said.
The Rangers outshot the Bruins 31-17. Using a defensive structure that Boston is counting on to help counteract its lack of high-end offensive weapons, they did a good job of limiting high-danger chances for the Rangers, who didn’t score until a power play with 3:37 left in the game. But Sturm left wanting more.
“Defensively, it was OK. We get into trouble sometimes for no reason. Turnovers. Not shooting. No playing behind them. That’s something we have to correct.
3. The second line showed promise — Casey Mittelstadt, Pavel Zacha and Viktor Arvidsson displayed the chemistry Sturm was hoping for when he put them together. They created the second goal with some sharp puck movement in tight space, with Mittelstadt finding Zacha in front of the net.
“That’s why I was not in a rush to change anything. These guys need some reps, too,” Sturm said. “They’ve got to get to know each other better and feel comfortable. Today was much better. I’m hoping they’re going to continue like that and give us some scoring threat.”
4. The power play connected —The Bruins’ man-advantage, which never found cohesion last year, scored a pretty goal when Elias Lindholm redirected a McAvoy shot past Igor Shesterkin.
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