Penguins Prospects Edge Bruins 2-1 in Thrilling Game (2026)

• Harrison Brunicke remains a human breakout machine rushing the puck himself up the ice. The space is there so why not take it, but he looks more junior than NHL style, it’ll be interesting to see how/if that adjusts next week.
• Sergei Murashov had to make a few big saves early on former second round pick Fraser Minten
• Finn Harding attempted a low percentage breakout pass that Minten stepped into and created another chance. Learning lesson for him that this isn’t the OHL any more.
• Jordan Charron and Ryan Miller combined for the first good Pittsburgh scoring chance (mini fist pump) but couldn’t finish in tight to the net.
• Ville Koivunen scored the first goal of the game while there was a delayed penalty about to be called on Boston. Tristan Broz stopped a back pass from nearly going into the unguarded net (talk about flashbacks!) and skated the puck all the way up the ice himself. Boston was playing very passive and falling back, Broz hit Koivunen right in the middle. Koivunen glided in, had a ton of space to do so and picked his spot on a hard wrist shot. 1-0 Pens.

• Gabe Klassen always stands out to the eye as a noticeable player at these September Buffalo games. He’s 22, undrafted and spent most his time at the ECHL last year (65 games in Wheeling compared to just six in Wilkes) but he shows well in this venue with his active stick causing turnovers and getting in on the forecheck. Not that he’s got an NHL future but he seems to be one of those deep organizational players that brings a little more to the table than you might guess.
• Early in the second a Bruins player checked Ben Kindel into the boards from behind, instantly Quinn Beauchense stepped up and dropped the gloves and fed a bunch of right fists in defense of his teammate. The Bruin prospect picked up an additional minor penalty for his hit on Kindel to send the Pens to the first power play of the game.
• Kindel was out for the ensuing power play, apparently no worse for wear. It doesn’t do much and looks as disjointed as you’d expect for non-NHL players in September working it.
• The Pens getting a lot of point shots from defenders and redirections from in front but don’t score.
• With 10:38 to go in the second, Murashov’s day is done after stopping all 11 he saw (but not very many in his final 20 minuters). 2025 draftee Gabriel D’Aigle gets in the net, just in time for Boston to get a four-minute power play from a high stick penalty by Travis Hayes.
• Being short a player doesn’t stop Brunicke from jumping up on a 2-on-1. His shot is stopped.
• Pens kill the penalty, the Bruins didn’t get much going on their long power play either.
• Kindel and Kale Dach jam at a puck from in the crease. Somehow it doesn’t go in. Dach is having a nice little game too. The seventh round pick is a slippery little player, and he was only in the BCHL last season (a notch below Canadian juniors), unlike many others today is a step up in competition from what he’s used to.
• Klassen takes a tripping penalty, a few bullet points after he was praised! That active stick got a little too active in the neutral zone reaching out to get the puck.
• Charron gets robbed by point blank range by a great save against.
• Dach joins the “got robbed of a goal” list late in the second. Nice outing for some of these later 2025 draft picks.
• The Penguins look great in the third with a dominant offensive-zone shift from their first line. Several times Brunicke goes all one-man show and takes over dekeing around players and creating shots for himself. No goal but heavy pressure.
• Pickering totally drops a Bruin player trying to put the puck through him on the rush. Pickering’s had a nice game with his puck touches and first passes. Nothing flashy, as is his style but he looks the part of a sturdy defender today.
• Boston somehow gets a 2-on-0 and they don’t score. Hard to tell if the shot was on target or D’Aigle made the stop but he does get his fallen body in front of a couple of rebound chances.
• Boston scores, all the way from the wall on a spinning turnaround attempt. Strange one but it did feel like the B’s were getting closer. 1-1.
• Behind the net, D’Aigle didn’t leave the puck for Pickering and turned it over. The Bruins develop that into a great scoring look, D’Aigle makes the save.
• D’Aigle leaves a rebound and it leads to another save he has to make, Bruins with all the momentum now and the goalie is looking shaky.
• Out of no where, Avery Hayes wins it for the Pens with a late goal. Hayes snuck behind the defense, Pickering hit him with a beautiful stretch pass and Hayes lifted the puck over the Bruins goalie’s shoulder for the difference-maker, basically a walk off winner with 26 seconds left in the game. 2-1 Pens.

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