Matt Boldy, Wild come in hot against Bruins

The Boston Bruins have little time to regroup following a season-worst loss as the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Wild visit Saturday night for the teams' second and final meeting of the regular season.

Boston lost the top spot in the Atlantic Division standings Thursday with a 5-2 home loss to the Montreal Canadiens, the first time the Bruins have allowed five goals in a game this season. The defeat snapped winning streaks of four games overall and seven at home.

"Hopefully, a good lesson," said Bruins coach Marco Sturm, whose team fell into a 5-0 hole before showing some life late in the game. "There was nothing going on. I thought David (Pastrnak's) line was the only line (generating offense) early on. ... But overall, it was just very, very flat."

Casey Mittelstadt scored both Boston goals, with primary assists from Elias Lindholm, who has recorded points in each of his last five games (three goals, three assists).

The Bruins will be looking for a bounce-back performance from goaltender Jeremy Swayman, who allowed four goals on 17 shots before Michael DiPietro entered in relief. It was the first time Sturm had pulled his starting goalie early this season.

"You never want to (get pulled) and you care so much, especially when you're feeling good, which I was," Swayman said. "Whatever it takes for us to get that push is what we needed."

Like Montreal (9-0-3 in its last 12 games), Minnesota brings a lengthy hot streak into Boston. The Wild are unbeaten in their last 10 games (8-0-2) and have won seven straight on the road.

"I think it's always good to have a few games in here against really, really good opponents," Sturm said. "I think the three or four days off was a long stretch (and we) got out of our rhythm a little bit. ... The biggest thing for us is to get back to our game."

Matt Boldy's sixth career hat trick, and second of the season, propelled the Wild to a 5-2 win over the host Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday. The Massachusetts native's 10 goals trail only Kirill Kaprizov's 17 for the team lead.

"(Boldy is) another engine that runs the team," Wild forward Michael McCarron said. "Feels like we got five or six of those guys on our team. You can always expect them to have their best, and they're just true pros."

Minnesota could have defenseman Brock Faber in the lineup for his regular-season debut.

"There's a possibility for Saturday, but no guarantees," coach John Hynes said before Thursday's game in Toronto. "I would say within the next couple of games."

The 24-year-old Faber, who recorded a career-best 51 points during the 2025-26 campaign and won a gold medal with the U.S. Olympic team, suffered a skull fracture after being struck in the ear by a deflected puck during a Sept. 25 preseason game. He underwent surgery and is on injured reserve.

"He's such a warrior and a guy you knew was going to want to get back on the ice as soon as possible, so I'm not surprised he's already a little ahead of schedule," said Minnesota forward Nick Foligno, who played for the Bruins from 2021-23. "It'll be a big boost when that time comes."

Boldy's linemate and top-line center Joel Eriksson Ek did not return to Thursday's game after taking a high hit from Toronto defenseman Jake McCabe in the second period. Hynes did not expect the injury to be long-term.

Kaprizov (six goals, 12 assists) and defenseman Quinn Hughes (four goals, 11 assists) have recorded points in all 10 games of Minnesota's point streak. Kaprizov had three assists, including two on Boldy goals, against the Maple Leafs.

The Wild will try to complete a season-series sweep after handing the Bruins their first loss of the season with a 4-1 victory Oct. 3 in Saint Paul, Minn.