The Boston Bruins had multiple heroes in their comeback against the Anaheim Ducks.
Head coach Marco Sturm made it clear which one stood above the rest.
Michael DiPietro stopped 25 of 27 shots to earn the first regular-season NHL victory of his career in Boston’s 4-2 win over Anaheim on Oct. 16. Afterward, Sturm put forward a glowing evaluation of his 27-year-old goaltender.
“Everyone is so happy for him right now. He just played outstanding,” Sturm said, according to NESN’s Bridgette Proulx. “He was probably the biggest factor why we won today.”
“Everyone is so happy for him right now. He just played outstanding… He was probably the biggest factor why we won today.”
That’s considerable praise considering Boston scored three power-play goals to wipe out a 2-0 deficit on the road.
DiPietro made sure the Bruins stayed close enough for the comeback to happen.
DiPietro Makes Key Save Before Bruins Rally
Anaheim appeared to have Boston in trouble after scoring twice in a span of 21 seconds late in the first period.
Tim Washe opened the scoring with 38 seconds remaining before Beckett Sennecke made it 2-0 with 17 seconds left in the period.
DiPietro did not allow another goal.
One of his biggest moments came early in the second period. Nikita Nesterenko broke free short-handed with Anaheim holding its two-goal advantage, but DiPietro turned him away. Frederic Brunet scored Boston’s first goal shortly afterward.
The sequence proved pivotal.
NHL.com’s game recap noted that Boston went on to score four unanswered goals. David Pastrnak tied the game at 3:26 of the third period before Elias Lindholm scored another power-play goal less than five minutes later.
Matthew Poitras added the insurance goal.
Boston finished 3-for-4 on the power play after entering the game just 3-for-18 with the man advantage. Anaheim went 0-for-5 on its own opportunities.
Yet Sturm’s comments placed DiPietro at the center of the victory.
The win pushed Boston to 6-2-0 and extended its winning streak to four games.
DiPietro’s Long Road Ends With First NHL Victory
The milestone hit nicely because of how long DiPietro waited for it.
He had gone nearly four years between NHL starts before getting the net against the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 3. DiPietro made 26 saves in that game but took responsibility after Boston’s 4-1 loss.
“Obviously not the outcome we wanted or I wanted, but felt good,” DiPietro said afterward, as Heavy previously detailed. “You definitely learn from your mistakes.”
His next shot produced a much different outcome.
DiPietro originally entered the NHL as a third-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks in 2017. Boston acquired him in October 2022, and his climb through the organization included a season with Maine in the ECHL before earning the starting job in Providence.
He then won the AHL’s Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as its top goaltender in consecutive seasons. DiPietro posted a 1.91 goals-against average and .930 save percentage across 45 games last season, via a Bruins.com feature on his journey.
Boston opened a clearer path for him over the summer by trading Joonas Korpisalo to the New York Rangers.
DiPietro still had to prove he belonged behind Jeremy Swayman.
His performance in Anaheim surfaced the strongest evidence yet — and his head coach made sure everyone knew it.
Bruins HC Says 27-Year-Old Was ‘Biggest Factor’ in Comeback Win Over Ducks