The Bruins snapped their own two-game losing streak as well as the Penguins' six-game winning streak Tuesday night, as Dan Vladar stopped 34 of the 35 shots he faced in his first NHL start to lead the Bruins to 2-1 victory.
Here are three key takeaways from the game:
1. Vladar impressive in regular season debut
With Tuukka Rask still nursing an injury and Jaroslav Halak getting the night off, Dan Vladar got his first career NHL start Tuesday night in Pittsburgh.
Considering the Bruins' losing record over the last month and continuous offensive struggles, there was definitely added pressure on Vladar to perform well and maybe even steal a game for his slumping teammates.
Vladar was excellent and his 34-save performance was highlighted by a stick save on Colton Sceviour, depriving the Pittsburgh forward of a sure goal on a wide-open net.
Goaltending and defense has seldom been an issue for the Bruins this season. However, Halak’s struggles on Monday were made up for by Vladar’s success on Tuesday.
2. Jarred Tinordi injured
During the latter half of the second period, Jarred Tinordi was injured on a clean, hard, yet controversial hit by Brandon Tanev.
Gaining the red line before dumping the puck deep into the Penguins zone, Tinordi was hit on a shoulder-to-chest check by an approaching Tanev -- while the hit was clean, Tinordi’s distance away from the boards at the time of impact resulted in a hard, awkward collision.
Tinordi, who was playing his best game as a Bruin, left the game and did not return. Bruce Cassidy didn't have any update after the game other than it was "upper body" and "not great."
Tanev was given a five minute major and game misconduct for the hit, which to be impartial, was a tough call to go against Pittsburgh -- and it was a power play the Bruins didn’t take advantage of.
With Tinordi out of the lineup, the Bruins' defensive depth will once again be put to the test -- fortunately, Kevan Miller's return appears to be on the horizon.
3. Trent Frederic steps up
Though rookie agitator Trent Frederic has received headlines this season for his extracurricular antics, it should be noted that he consistently plays with effort and compete and is starting to display his offensive potential.
Heading into the third period against the Penguins, the Bruins had gone eight straight periods without an even-strength goal -- eerily similar to the start of the season where the Bruins went 11 periods without an even-strength goal.
The Bruins have been in dire need of someone other than Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak to step up and score -- Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, Frederic stepped up with the eventual game-winning goal.
Frederic received a pass from Jakub Zboril at the top of the left circle and simply fired a wrist shot on net and through traffic. The result was a 2-1 lead for the Bruins and their first even-strength goal since their 4-0 win over the Rangers last Thursday.
Frederic also played well before the goal was scored, drawing a penalty in the first period by driving hard to the net as well as chirping the Penguins bench after the Tanev hit on Tinordi.
There’s no doubt that Frederic is an emotional leader for the Bruins, which is incredibly impressive for a rookie.