BOSTON — Charlie McAvoy reached a milestone by scoring his 299th career point during the second period, while Jeremy Swayman delivered an impressive performance, saving 35 shots for his third shutout of the season. The Boston Bruins secured a 3-0 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday evening.
Trent Frederic was on target as well, contributing a goal to the Bruins’ tally, with Morgan Geekie sealing the win by netting an empty-net goal in the dying moments of the game. Marc-Andre Fleury, the Wild’s goaltender, made 32 saves but faced a relentless Bruins offense that successfully thwarted his efforts to fight back. This shutout marked the second consecutive game without a goal for Minnesota, who had previously triumphed against the Bruins in both of their matchups last season.
In lineup changes, Boston welcomed back forward Mark Kastelic, who had been sidelined since January 20 due to injury. The Wild, on the other hand, saw defenseman Jonas Brodin return after 12 games out with a lower-body injury, and forward Marcus Johansson made his comeback after eight games missed due to a concussion.
The Wild entered the matchup boasting the league’s best record with 20 road wins; however, they now face two losses in a row following an auspicious start to their five-game road stretch. The Bruins, conversely, celebrated their second consecutive win and a total of three victories in their last five games, just two games remaining before the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
A pivotal moment of the night came when Swayman made a remarkable glove save on Matt Boldy’s slap shot just over a minute after Frederic extended Boston’s lead to 2-0. Notably, Swayman had struggled against Minnesota previously, with an 0-2 record in his prior two starts against them, yet he triumphed on this occasion by stopping 14 shots in both the second and third periods, achieving his 15th career shutout.
Looking ahead, the Wild will return to their home ice to face the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, while the Bruins will travel to New York for a game against the Rangers on Wednesday night.
