Bruins Close Out Road Trip, Fall 4-1 to Wild

ST. PAUL –– The Boston Bruins fell 4-1 to the Minnesota Wild Friday night at Grand Casino Arena, closing out their two-game road trip.

Michael DiPietro made his first start as a Bruin and posted 26 saves on 29 shots.

“Really good,” Connor Clifton said of DiPietro. “Kept us in it; even in the third, we have a chance”

Tanner Jeannot gave the Bruins an early 1-0 lead with his first of the season at 1:53 of the opening frame. After winning the offensive-zone draw, Mark Kastelic eventually chipped it up to Clifton at the point, whose shot caromed off the boards and back to Kastelic in front. The forward redirected the puck through his legs and over to Jeannot on the left for the wrister. Kastelic extended his point streak to three games with the nifty assist.

​“He’s been playing unreal. I told him before the game, ‘Just keep doing what you’re doing,’” Jeannot said of Kastelic. “He’s a heart-and-soul guy. He’s the heartbeat of this team. He’s doing everything – he’s putting his body on the line, he’s getting points right now. It’s been a lot of fun playing with him.”

The Wild pushed back in the second period and converted on both of their power-play opportunities. Kirill Kaprizov’s snapshot goal at 6:11 made it 1-1 before Quinn Hughes put Minnesota ahead 2-1 at 12:28 while on the man advantage.

“Special teams – probably that was the difference today. Both ways. I really liked our 5-on-5 game tonight,” head coach Marco Sturm said. “We didn’t really give them much. Our first period was outstanding. A lot of good things happened today…Guys battled hard. They really did.”​

DiPietro made a flurry of key and steady saves in the second to keep the game close heading into the third period.

​Jared Spurgeon extended the gap to 3-1 at 3:24 of the third period, wiring one in off the rush. Kaprizov potted his second of the night, this time an empty-netter at 18:59, to bring the matchup to its final 4-1 scoreline.

“Obviously not the outcome we wanted or I wanted, but felt good,” DiPietro said. “You definitely learn from your mistakes. Like I said, obviously not the outcome that I wanted, and I own that. I just have to be better and continue to work and try my best.”

The Bruins will take two out of four points back home with them after beating the Winnipeg Jets on Friday, and will be back in action on Monday to take on the Ottawa Senators at TD Garden.