Sports · NEWS EXPLAINER
Bruins score 3 in final 3:46, beat Rangers 3-0 as Swayman posts opening-night shutout
Boston stayed scoreless for more than 56 minutes, then Fraser Minten, JJ Peterka and Mark Kastelic struck in a 75-second span late in the third period. Jeremy Swayman stopped all 24 Rangers shots as the Bruins matched the NHL record with an 11th straight home-opening win.
The Boston Bruins turned a scoreless season opener into a 3-0 win over the New York Rangers with three goals inside the final 3:46 at TD Garden on Tuesday night. Fraser Minten broke the deadlock at 16:14 of the third period, JJ Peterka doubled the lead 52 seconds later, and Mark Kastelic added an empty-net goal 23 seconds after that.
Jeremy Swayman made the late surge stand up by stopping all 24 New York shots, including 10 in the third period. The result gave Boston its 11th consecutive victory in a home opener, which Reuters reports matches the NHL record.
Boston went 56:14 without a goal, then scored three in 75 seconds
Neither team scored in the first or second period, and both power plays finished 0-for-1. Shesterkin kept Boston off the board deep into the third before the Bruins converted a neutral-zone takeaway into the game's first goal.
Mason Lohrei moved the puck to Minten, who scored from the slot at 16:14. Peterka followed at 17:06 in his Boston debut, finishing an Elias Lindholm feed after maneuvering around Braden Schneider. New York then pulled Shesterkin, and Kastelic scored into the empty net at 17:29. From the first goal to the third, only 75 seconds elapsed.
Swayman kept the game level until Boston's offense arrived
The late goals changed the score quickly, but Boston needed Swayman to keep the game tied first. He made 24 saves overall and stopped 10 shots in the third period, giving the Bruins room to win without needing an early offensive lead.
Shesterkin also kept the Rangers in the game for most of the night. Reuters credits him with 20 saves; Boston's third goal came after New York had removed him for an extra skater. That distinction matters when reading the 3-0 final: Shesterkin faced the first two scoring plays, not the empty-netter.
The home-opening streak reached 11
Boston has now won 11 straight home openers. Reuters reports that the streak matches the NHL record, adding a historical note to a game that otherwise looked even until the closing minutes.
The result was also Boston's first game of the 2026-27 regular season. NHL schedule materials had placed Rangers-Bruins in the league's September 29 opening-night slate, an Original Six matchup at TD Garden.
Sullivan's 1,000th game ended on the other side of the milestone
For New York, the opener carried a separate coaching milestone. Rangers pregame notes said Mike Sullivan was coaching his 1,000th career NHL game, making him the 33rd head coach in league history to reach the mark and the third American-born coach to do so.
The milestone did not change the game story: New York generated 24 shots and stayed level for most of the night, but could not beat Swayman. Boston's three-goal burst then left the Rangers without enough time to answer.
