Eyssimont Leads Bruins to First Preseason Win in ‘Sign of a Mature Team’

NEW YORK –– The Boston Bruins were trailing the New York Rangers 4-1 with just over 12 minutes remaining in the third period.

And then, Mikey Eyssimont decided his team was not going to go down that easily.

The forward exploded for three points (two goals, one assist) to tie the game by the end of regulation and force overtime, during which Nikita Zadorov secured the 5-4 comeback win Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.

“Hopefully it just shows that we fight until the end and see games all the way through,” Eyssimont said. “We fixed a lot of things, and that’s a sign of a mature team.”

Eyssimont’s first goal came shorthanded at 7:05. The 29-year-old forced Adam Fox off the puck before driving to the net and flipping it top shelf for the 4-2 scoreline.

And then he struck again, this time with a wrist shot from the right side, down low to pull the Bruins within one, 4-3. Jordan Harris – the Haverhill, Mass native – sauced a slick seam pass to Eyssimont to set up the goal at 11:11. Marat Khusnutdinov buried the 4-4 equalizer off a net-front setup from Eyssimont at 18:55.

“It’s nice to see him get rewarded. He works extremely hard,” head coach Marco Sturm said of Eyssimont. “What I like about him, he doesn't complain. He accepts his role, whatever it is, and tries the best he can. Guys like him, you always root for because he cares. And because he has not just grit, but skill. That’s something you welcome.”

Eyssimont signed a two-year deal with Boston in July after spending the 2024-25 campaign with both the Tampa Bay Lightning and Seattle Kraken. The hard-nosed forward gave Bruins fans a glimpse of what they can expect from him this season – grinding play paired with scoring ability.

Boston was always a place he wanted to end up, and so far, it has been a good fit.

“This is where my heart was going into free agency signing day. Luckily enough, we had a conversation that day and their heart was there, too,” Eyssimont said. “That’s what I was going for the most, is opportunity. Going to a place where my wings aren’t clipped and I can kind of thrive, and I’m not just trying to tread water. This seemed like a place that has that, and I’m just looking to make the most of it.”

Before the Eyssimont-sparked comeback and Zadorov’s game-winning shot, Matěj Blümel potted his first goal of the preseason to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 8:30 of the first period.

The Rangers knotted the game at 1-1 less than a minute later with a goal from Trey Fix-Wolansky, who dashed to the net and tucked one past Joonas Korpisalo. While Michael DiPietro was in the wings if needed, Korpisalo played the full 60 minutes for the Bruins on Tuesday. He finished the night with 33 saves.

“Four goals, not too happy [about] that. But saw a lot of action, which was great for the first game and especially for the full 60 minutes,” Korpisalo said. “There are some things I have to improve for sure.”

Korpisalo kept the Bruins in the game as they worked to find their pace and scoring touch in the latter half.

“The game could’ve gone to the garbage real quick if he didn’t make those big saves,” Zadorov said. “Korpi stayed big for us and gave us a chance to get back in the game.”

Gabe Perreault – the former Boston College Eagle – put the Rangers ahead, 2-1, at 3:25 of the middle frame. Sam Carrick and Vladislav Gavrikov followed it up with goals of their own, to make it 4-1 by the 11:08 mark. Gavrikov’s tally came shorthanded on the Bruins’ first power play of the night.

“We had a clear message after the second period, that wasn’t good enough for our standards, for the Bruins' standards. We had to show up in the third,” Zadorov said.

And that the Bruins did, earning their first victory of the preseason.

Boston’s next preseason game is on Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers at 5 p.m. at Xfinity Mobile Arena.