​Bruins Break Through Late As Jeremy Swayman Shuts Out Rangers In Opener originally appeared on NESN.
Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.For nearly 56 minutes Tuesday night, the Bruins and Rangers could not find a way past either goaltender. Then Boston needed just 75 seconds to settle its season opener. Fraser Minten broke the scoreless tie late in the third period, JJ Peterka quickly doubled the lead and Mark Kastelic added an empty-net goal as the Bruins defeated New York 3-0 at TD Garden.Jeremy Swayman stopped all 24 shots he faced, recording his 19th career shutout and giving Boston the time it needed to solve Igor Shesterkin. The victory extended the Bruins’ streak to 11 consecutive wins in home openers. It also gave David Pastrnak a successful first night as Boston’s captain. The forward began the season wearing the “C” as the 28th captain in franchise history, following a season in which the Bruins did not designate one.Fraser Minten Makes The DifferenceMinten, who recently signed a seven-year contract, supplied the breakthrough with just over four minutes remaining. He found space on the left side and beat Shesterkin past the glove, finally rewarding a Boston team that had spent much of the night searching for an opening. Elias Lindholm and Hampus Lindholm assisted on the goal. Peterka followed with another before Kastelic scored into the empty net 23 seconds later, turning a tense finish into a comfortable lead.AN OPENING DUB SECURED 👏 pic.twitter.com/5UEqLcqo7O— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) September 30, 2026Minten also assisted on Kastelic’s goal alongside Marat Khusnutdinov, finishing with a goal and an assist. His two-point performance earned him the game’s second star behind Swayman, while Peterka received third-star honors. Boston had come close before the decisive stretch, including a third-period shot from Pavel Zacha that hit the left post. Once Minten finally converted, the Bruins made sure New York had little time to respond.MORE: Rounding Up Expert Predictions, Power Rankings For Bruins’ 2026-27 SeasonJeremy Swayman Gives Boston A Clean StartThe final score suggested more separation than existed for most of the game. New York finished with a 24-23 advantage in shots, and both teams went scoreless on their lone power-play opportunity. Swayman kept every Rangers chance from becoming the goal that could have changed Boston’s approach. Shesterkin was similarly effective until the late surge, finishing with 20 saves.The Bruins also blocked 16 shots and committed 10 giveaways, compared with New York’s 20. Both teams won 26 faceoffs in a game that remained tightly contested through two scoreless periods. Boston earned the shutout without Charlie McAvoy, who began serving his six-game suspension for slashing Buffalo’s Zach Benson during last spring’s playoff series.After a first-round exit against the Sabres in Marco Sturm’s first season behind the bench, the Bruins opened the ne