Minten scores in OT, Bruins edge Blackhawks

BOSTON – Fraser Minten’s overtime goal helped the Boston Bruins open the season with consecutive wins on back-to-back nights after a 4-3 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks at TD Garden on Thursday.

Minten scored at 2:12, keeping the puck on a 2-on-1 and going far side from the right face-off circle.

“I was thinking pass,” Minten said. "(Morgan) Geekie has a great one-timer, so I was looking there and then I saw he was taken, so I tried to throw a little deception in.”

When asked how the game-winner felt, Minten simply said: “Great.”

Casey Mittelstadt, Tanner Jeannot and Elias Lindholm scored for the Bruins (2-0-0). Joonas Korpisalo had 21 saves, including several timely stops in overtime, in his season debut.

Bruins coach Marco Strum was pleased to see Korpisalo follow up Jeremy Swayman’s 35-save performance in the season opener against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday.

“He was excellent,” Strum said of Korpisalo. “We had no business in OT to come out as the winner, but we did because of him. He made unbelievable saves. It was nice to see both goalies were excellent and we need them. We’re coming together as a group and it’s nice to see our goalies have been, so far, our best players and hopefully it’s going to continue like that.”

Connor Bedard and Andre Burakovsky each had a goal and assist for Chicago. Arvid Soderblom made 29 saves for the Blackhawks (0-1-1), who lost their season opener 3-2 to the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Tuesday.

“I thought (Burakovsky) was really going tonight – really going actually,” Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill said. “He provided a spark a number of times. He’s got a lot of ability, so when Connor and him are playing together, there’s a lot of ability out there. He knows how to play with really good players; he’s done it before. So, he knows how to get the puck to them in the right spots. That’s a real positive.”

Viktor Arvidsson's backhand, centering pass was loose in front before Mittelstadt finished with his first goal of the season to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 3:53 of the first period.

Chicago tied the game 1-1 at 8:19 when Burakovsky made a nifty, tape-to-tape pass from the bottom of the right face-off circle to Bedard, who unleashed a one-timer from the left face-off circle.

The Blackhawks took a 2-1 lead on Louis Crevier’s goal at 2:22 of the second period. His wrist shot from the top of the right face-off circle deflected off Jeannot’s skate and over Korpisalo’s shoulder on his glove side.

Jeannot knocked in a short-side rebound off Michael Eyssimont's shot to tie it 2-2 at 9:10.

With the Bruins on a 5-on-3 power play to start the third period, Elias Lindholm scored 15 seconds in, sweeping in a loose puck in the crease for a 3-2 lead.

“At the end of the (second) period we were a little sloppy, so it was good for us to reset there,” Lindholm said. “It’s always nice to score and get momentum.”

Burakovsky tied the game 3-3 with his first goal as a Blackhawk on a snap shot from high in the slot at 2:22. The 30-year-old forward was acquired in a trade from the Seattle Kraken on June 21.

“He looked great,” Bedard said. “He’s such a smart player. He’s someone who can make plays and slow the game down, speed it up. Just someone who makes the game real easy for guys he’s playing with, just the way he thinks the game, how he competes. It’s been awesome for our team getting a guy like that. He’s going to be big for us.”

The Bruins were forced to play with only five defensemen after Hampus Lindholm exited the game with a lower-body injury late in the first period and did not return. He missed most of the 2024-25 season after he suffered a season-ending knee injury on Nov. 12, 2024.

“Just a minor injury and not related to his old injury," Sturm said. "We just wanted to make sure he’ll be OK. He’s going to get tested (Friday) and we’ll see."

Blackhawks forward Jason Dickinson did not finish the game, but there was no update afterwards.

“I’ll know more tomorrow,” Blashill said. “No real update yet. Obviously didn’t finish the game, so that’s not great. We’ll see where it goes.”