Boston Extends Winning Streak With Road Victory
The Boston Bruins defeated the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 on Friday night at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., extending their win streak to four games. The victory marks a continuation of momentum for Boston, which entered the contest with a 5-2 record after opening its current stretch with a 6-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night.
For Anaheim (4-2), the loss snapped a two-game winning streak that had been ended by a 4-2 defeat to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night. The Ducks will look to rebound in their next scheduled contest.
Goaltenders and Lineup Decisions
Bruins head coach Marco Sturm revealed on Friday afternoon prior to the game that Michael DiPietro would start in net for Boston. Sturm cited a combination of factors for the decision, noting that the team had not played for a while and wanted to get DiPietro into action as soon as possible.
"A few things [went into the decision]," Sturm said. "First of all, we didn't play for a while, so want to get him in as soon as possible. And I think the rotation kicked in."
DiPietro has started one game this season against the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 3. In that contest, he recorded 26 saves on 29 shots for an .897 save percentage before the Wild defeated the Bruins 4-1. DiPietro was credited with the loss in that outing.
On the opposing side, Anaheim will be going with Lukas Dostal in net. Dostal has started five games for Anaheim in the 2026-27 season, tallying a 2.98 goals against average, an .892 save percentage, and a 3-2 record.
Historical Context and Early Game Flow
This contest marked the 48th all-time meeting between the two franchises. The Bruins hold a 19-23-2-3 record against the Ducks in their head-to-head history, including a 9-12-2-0 record when playing in Anaheim.
The game featured several penalty exchanges that influenced the flow of play. Anaheim's Nikita Klepov was called for hooking early in the contest. In a significant sequence, Anaheim's second power play off Zadorov's double minors turned into a 4-on-4 situation after Roger McQueen headed into the box for interference.
Special Teams and Scoring Highlights
The Bruins capitalized on special teams opportunities to build their lead. Elias Lindholm gave Boston the lead with a power-play goal. David Pastrnak tied things up at 2 with another power-play goal, extending his points streak to four games. The goal also moved Pastrnak into sole possession of fourth place on the Bruins' all-time goals list with 423.
Matthew Poitras provided additional support for Boston with his third goal of the season. Later in the game, defenseman Frederic Brunet capitalized on a power play to get on the board with his first career goal.
Anaheim had opportunities to respond but struggled to convert. The Ducks headed back onto the power play after Bruins defenseman Will Borgen got called for tripping. Additionally, Anaheim's Tyson Hinds was called for holding during the contest.
Third Period Penalties and Final Outcome
Anaheim will end the period and start the third on a long power play after Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov got two minor penalties, the first for elbowing and the other for roughing. Despite the extended advantage, the Ducks were unable to capitalize, as the Bruins killed off both power plays for Anaheim.
The final score of 4-2 secured the fourth consecutive win for Boston, while Anaheim remains focused on correcting their defensive lapses in upcoming games.