Quiet night for the Bruins’ top talents – 4 lessons from the preseason defeat

Fabian Lysell still has six exhibition games and a lot of training camp ahead of him to make a positive impression for the Bruins this preseason, but the first preseason game was a missed opportunity for the 21-year-old winger to improve his chances of making the team.

Lysell, who the Bruins hope will eventually develop into a top-six offensive-impact forward, entered this year as one of the players with a chance at the open spot alongside Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle.

But in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Rangers, Lysell did not shine in 14:56 minutes of ice time, including 2:20 minutes on the power play. He played with John Farinacci and Cole Koepke and did not have a single shot on goal, as two of his attempts were blocked and one was missed.

Jim Montgomery felt that the game was not suitable for a crisp offense.

“It seemed like the ice wasn't rolling. It didn't seem like there were a lot of plays in a row, from line to line,” he said. “I thought he worked hard and played with a lot of speed.”

Georgii Merkulov, another rookie with high hopes, provided an assist for the first goal but was otherwise rather quiet.

Both the Bruins and Rangers have loaded their rosters with young players who are more likely to end up in the AHL at the start of the 2024-25 season, which should have created a familiar environment for both players who spent all of last year in Providence.

Meanwhile, Trevor Kuntar, a bottom-six player and promising physical checker, scored a goal.

Bruins honor Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau before game — The Bruins, like many other teams in the NHL, aired a memorial video for Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, both of whom were killed by a drunk driver while riding bicycles in New Jersey, followed by a 13-second moment of silence (13 was Johnny Gaudreau's jersey number).

goalkeeper debut —Brandon Bussi and Michael DiPietro split time in goal. Bussi stopped 10 of 12 shots in 30:14 of ice time, while DiPietro stopped nine of 10 shots in 27:09. Neither stood out. Both are trying to find their place in the pecking order of Bruins goalies with Jeremy Swaymon out.

Who will wear letters if Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy are out? — The Bruins had no one from their leading trio on the roster for Sunday's game, including no one who had spent even two seasons with Boston.

No one received a “C”, but Andrew Peeke, Patrick Brown and Vinni Lettieri each wore “A” as alternate captains