Daily Bean: Bruins Lose; Panarin Traded, Top Prospect McKenna Facing Charges

Wednesday was a busy day around the league, and it closed with a Bruins shootout loss in South Florida. 

It was a back-and-forth game for the Bruins, who suffered from a special teams collapse in the second period. They attempted the comeback and made a viable effort by bringing this game to a shootout. The old captain scored the shootout-winning goal, but the Bruins left their trip in Florida with two of four points.

Around the league is where it got busy. Yesterday, I mentioned the roster freeze that started in the afternoon. Well, two trades were made before that, including one of the big names. Besides trades, there is an injury update for a Team USA Olympian, and the league dished out a 20-game suspension to a Penguins defenseman. 

It was not just NHL news yesterday. One of the top prospects made headlines, but not for a reason he would like. He is facing felony charges in Central Pennsylvania after an altercation at a bar at Penn State. 

Happy Thursday! The Bruins will not be on for a while, but there is plenty of hockey coming up if you are looking for your fix. Here is today’s edition of the Daily Bean: 

Boston Bruins

RECAP: The Boston Bruins (32-20-5) lost in a shootout last night, 5-4, to the Florida Panthers (29-24-3). Joonas Korpisalo made 22 saves, and the Bruins only capitalized once on seven power play attempts. The game started chippy, with a high hit from Sandis Vilmanis on Charlie McAvoy and a scrap between Tanner Jeannot and AJ Greer.

Also, it is worth noting that the United States (McAvoy) plays against Latvia (Vilmanis) on February 12 at 3:10 PM. 

BREAK APART: The second period slipped away for the Bruins, especially on the special teams. Although they put up a strong effort in the third period, it was Brad Marchand who won the game in a shootout. Read more about last night’s game, including postgame reaction from Sturm and players, in the break apart. 

HockeyFights (video via YouTube): Here is Tanner Jeannot vs. AJ Greer. Just in case you missed it, or if you just want to watch it again. 

Following the game on Friday, the Bruins assigned forward Matt Poitras to Providence. He played in three games with Boston and scored a goal on Sunday night at Raymond James Stadium.

The Providence Bruins picked up a 2-1 win last night in Bridgeport, CT. It is the eighth straight win for the AHL side. Riley Tufte and Christian Wolanin scored the two Providence tallies, and Michael DiPietro made 36 saves in the win.

The P-Bruins are back in action on Friday night in Rhode Island. 

NHL News & National Hockey Now

Wednesday was a rather busy day in and around the hockey world.

Florida Hockey Now: For the other side of coverage from Wednesday’s game, check out Florida Hockey Now’s report. Brad Marchand, the old Bruins captain, was not supposed to play, but he did, and he scored the shootout-winning goal to give the Panthers a much-needed two points.

Forever Blueshirts: Rosters froze at 3:00 PM yesterday. Well, right as the clock struck three, none other than Adam Schefter broke the news that Artemi Panarin was traded to Los Angeles. The Rangers received prospect Liam Greentree, a conditional 2026 third-round pick, and a conditional 2028 fourth-rounder. Jim Cerny has the Rangers’ side of the trade analysis. 

Shortly after the trade, Panarin inked a two-year extension with a cap hit of $11 million. 

New Jersey Hockey Now: The Devils also made a move on Wednesday. Veteran center Nick Bjugstad is on his way to Newark. The Devils flipped Thomas Bordeleau and a fourth-round pick to St. Louis in return. James Nichols has the trade analysis for the Devils. 

This is the Devils’ second move of the week; earlier in the week, they traded Ondrej Palat.

New Jersey Hockey Now: Sticking with James Nichols’ work. Jack Hughes, who is on Team USA, has been out injured. He will not return for the Devils in their game today. However, Hughes is still expected to wear the red, white, and blue. Sheldon Keefe said that Hughes was “day-to-day,” and added that he will not be in because the Devils “don’t have a lot of days left.” 

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Caleb Jones has been suspended for 20 games. The 28-year-old defenseman was injured in October, then injured again on a rehab assignment with the AHL side in January. The NHL suspended Jones for using a performance-enhancing substance. Jones’ statement states his belief that his positive result was related to a substance associated with his treatment. 

Onward State: Well, this is news. Penn State forward and 2026 top prospect Gavin McKenna was charged with felony aggravated assault, misdemeanor simple assault, disorderly conduct, and harassment. If the court finds him guilty, he could face up to 20 years on the felony charge. The incident happened after Penn State’s outdoor game. 

Not long afterwards, it was reported that McKenna had a physical altercation with a member unrelated to the team who was harassing a family member. 

If true, good on McKenna. 

Eagles Insider: This one was hidden in the news yesterday. Boston College landed defenseman Carson Woodall yesterday. He is currently playing with the Windsor Spitfires, and he leads OHL defensemen in scoring (9-45–54). 

Olympics: Olympic hockey! The women’s Olympic tournament starts today. Also, there are seven members of the PWHL’s Boston Fleet playing in the women’s tournament. (3 USA, 1 Czechia, 1 Finland, 1 Germany, 1 Switzerland). 

Thursday’s Olympic schedule: 

6:10 AM: Sweden 4 vs. 1 Germany (video highlights)

8:40 AM: Italy 4 vs. 1 France (game recap)

10:40 AM: USA vs. Czechia (USA Network) – re-air on USA at 5:30 PM

(PPD because of Norovirus outbreak): Finland vs. Canada – game moved to Feb. 12

Friday’s Olympic schedule:

6:10 AM: France vs. Japan (Peacock)

8:40 AM: Czechia vs. Switzerland (Peacock)

Today’s NHL Schedule

The Bruins might be off until February 26, but the NHL still has games tonight.

Penguins at Sabres, 7:00 PM

Islanders at Devils, 7:00 PM

Hurricanes at Rangers, 7:00 PM

Senators at Flyers, 7:00 PM 

Predators at Capitals, 7:00 PM

Panthers at Lightning, 7:30 PM (ESPN+/Hulu)

Kings at Golden Knights, 10:00 PM

(All times ET)