Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins played in the NHL Winter Classic that was held at Fenway Park on January 2, 2023. 

This isn’t the first time that the Winter Classic was played in Fenway Park. In 2010, the Boston Bruins took on the Philadelphia Flyers at Fenway Park. The Bruins went on to defeat the Flyers 2-1 in overtime. 

The NHL Winter Classic is when two NHL teams are chosen to play in a game of outdoor hockey to kick off the New Year. It is usually played on January 1st but this year it was played on the following day. The Winter Classic has been held since the 2008 season. 

The Boston Bruins have been to the Winter Classic a total of four times. They have won 3 out of the four times. The only loss came to the Montreal Canadiens in 2016. The other wins came against the Penguins this year, the Flyers in 2010 and the Chicago Blackhawks in 2019. 

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been to the Winter Classic three times. Out of the three times they have only won once. Their only win came against the Buffalo Sabers in the first Winter Classic that was held. The other losses came from the Bruins this year, and in 2011 against the Washington Capitals. 

The Boston Bruins had yet to lose a home game in regulation during the 2022-23 seasons. The only losses they have faced were in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, 3-2 shootout loss to the LA Kings, and a 4-3 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabers. 

Pittsburgh took the initial lead in the second period due to Kasperi Kapanen’s goal. Not too late into the third period Jake DeBrusk scored to tie it for the Bruins. 

With 2:24 left in the third, DeBrusk scored the game winning goal to allow the Bruins record for the Winter Classics to go to 3-1, while the Penguins record went to 1-2. This goal came from Bruins forward Taylor Hall taking the puck deep and shooting on Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith, who made the initial save. But DeBrusk was there for the rebound and put the puck in the back of the net. 

One major takeaway from this game was the goaltending. The Penguins starting goalie, Tristan Jarry, left the game with 4:30 left in the first with a lower-body injury. Penguins coach, Mike Sullivan, said after the game, “I don’t have any update on Tristan, Obviously he is being evaluated for a lower-body injury. It’s tough to lose a guy that early in the game.”

Penguins other goalie Casey DeSmith was put in to replace Jarry. DeSmith said after the game, “I think it was a little bit of uncharted territory. The last time I was playing an outdoor game was like 10 years ago. So, just kind of jumping into an outdoor game carries a few more challenges than a regular game. Overall, I was really happy with how I played.”

In case you missed the game this year, get ready for next year. The two newest teams in the league, the Seattle Krakens and the Vegas Golden Knights, will take on each other on the field at T-Mobile park, home of baseball’s Seattle Mariners.