January 11, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Jonathan Aspirott (45) watches the puck in the air during the third quarter of the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Natalie Reid-Imagn Images Marat Khusnutdinov and Casey Mittelstadt equalized 50 seconds into the first quarter to give the Boston Bruins a 2-1 victory over the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night.
After Mittelstadt scored the decisive score at 6:00 of the first, Jeremy Swayman helped lead the way with 34 saves to earn Team USA its first win since helping them to an Olympic gold medal. The Bruins netminder stopped 15 shots in the second quarter.
Boston improved to 6-1-3 in its last 10 games and has won 11 straight at home.
Pittsburgh has scored in its first three games since the Olympics (2-0-1), with Erik Karlsson scoring the lone goal and Stuart Skinner making 26 saves.
Pittsburgh was outscored 35-28 in shots but finished 0-for-4 on the power play.
After Skinner had several good chances saved in the first draw, Karlsson went the other way and gave the visitors a 1-0 lead just 42 seconds into the game. Bryan Rust forced a turnover behind the net and fed a defender for a point shot that beat Swayman through traffic.
Boston attempted to score the opening score due to goalie interference, but saved the ensuing game penalty and tied the score with two quick goals. Swayman made his first save on an Anthony Mantha breakaway to highlight the kill.
Khusnutdinov tied the game with 5:10 to go, forcing a turnover near the corner and finishing off Michael Eyssimont’s pass with Skinner’s wrister on the blocker’s side.
The go-ahead goal came off Mittelstadt’s stick. After Pavel Zacha won a corner puck battle, Nikita Zadorov caught an open wrister from the top of the left circle and set up a rebound that bounced toward Middelstadt on the other side.
A pair of power plays helped Pittsburgh make 15 shots during a scoreless second quarter for both teams. One of the most dangerous chances was Kris Letang’s one-timer with 6:06 left as the second man advantage expired.
The visitors continued their surge to three with their first seven straight shots, including a close-range opportunity from Ben Kindel that swept Swayman’s crease by defender Andrew Peeke at 5:53. Swayman also made a one-on-one stop on Karlsson a few minutes later.
–Field level media
