Bruins Postgame: James Hagens Is Giving Marco Sturm More Reasons to Trust Him

October 25, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Boston Bruins are getting more out of James Hagens than what shows up on the scoresheet.

The Bruins (9-2-1) extended their point streak to eight with a 6-4 win over the San Jose Sharks (6-5-1) on Saturday night at TD Garden. Hagens, Casey Mittelstadt, Marat Khusnutdinov, David Pastrnak, Fraser Minten, and Will Borgen all scored, while Jeremy Swayman made 21 saves on the other end of the ice.

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Also Read:Bruins Score Four in Third, Extend Point Streak to Eight Games

Hagens recorded his fourth goal of the season and his NHL career on Saturday night. He buried an Elias Lindholm rebound past Alex Nedeljkovic to give the Bruins a 4-3 lead halfway through the third.

Three of Hagens’ four goals have come directly in front of the net, with the other one coming from behind the goal line.

“We’re pushing him pretty hard,” head coach Marco Sturm said postgame. “Getting more to the paint, more to the inside is where you score the goals. And so good for him that he realized that, and look at the four goals he scored, right? So, good for him, but just listening and also taking it really seriously, and I’m glad it worked out.”

Hagens assisted on the game’s opening goal, good for his second multi-point night in the NHL. He is up to nine points (4-5–9) on the season and is tied for the lead among rookies in both points and goals. The rookie is producing offensively, and his linemate has been just as impressed with what Hagens does to create those opportunities.

“As a player, I think obviously you see the skill and the shot definitely stands out to me,” Casey Mittelstadt said of Hagens. “But, I feel like he’s done a heck of a job on the forecheck. I feel like he’s taking pucks away all the time and that’s not easy to do as a young kid.”

Hagens has also been making his presence felt in the defensive zone. He did not block a shot on Saturday, but he still leads all forwards in the league with 16 blocked shots, something he said he takes pride in ahead of the game.

James Hagens currently leads all NHL forwards with 16 blocked shots.

“It’s definitely something that I try to take pride in. It’s just the d-zone, and when a guy is getting ready to shoot, if that’s your guy, you’re going to make sure that you’re in the shooting lane.”

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— Jack Studley (@jackstudley13) October 24, 2026

Marco Sturm has shown plenty of trust in the Bruins’ younger players this season, and Saturday night was another example. Sturm sent Elias Lindholm’s line, with Hagens and Mittelstadt, out for the opening faceoff against Ryan Warsofsky’s top line of Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, and Collin Graf.

That was not their only matchup against each other. The Bruins’ third line played over eight minutes against San Jose’s top line at 5-on-5.

“Yeah, I thought they did pretty good. Again, it was just a weird game today, a lot of ups and downs. But 5-on-5, I thought it was actually pretty good,” Sturm said. “Celebrini is a special player. He will be a special player; he already is, but he’s just going to grow, and it’s hard to defend him every time he’s on the ice because he wants to be the difference. We need all three of them, pretty much, including our defensive pair, so we need five guys to just be alert. But overall, I thought the guys did a good job, and they got a lot of trust, and they scored a few goals, so good for them.”

According to Natural Stat Trick, the Bruins outattempted the Sharks 16-6 and held a 9-4 advantage in shots on goal during Hagens’ 5-on-5 minutes against Celebrini. They also outscored San Jose 2-0 and generated 2.46 expected goals compared to just 0.57 for the Sharks.

Hagens said they “had an idea” of the matchup before the game and credited his ability to fall back on his teammates to help him play at his best. Elias Lindholm and his two-way game played a big part in making the matchup work, something Mittelstadt quickly pointed to after the game.

“I mean, obviously, [Celebrini’s] a heck of a player. I think we all know that, and he has good players around him as well, but I think a lot of that credit goes to Lindy,” Mittelstadt said postgame. “Lindy does a heck of a job in all three zones. So, you know, me and (Hagens) are there to support him and help him when he needs it. But thankfully, I don’t think he needs it that often.”

Also Read:Bruins’ Elias Lindholm Feels Healthy, Sturm Talks ‘Target on His Back’

The matchup was another big responsibility for Hagens, but it was one he handled well. Hagens skated for 9:57 at even strength, with 8:03 of that time against Celebrini and San Jose’s top line. Hagens, 19, was at Boston College last year watching players like Celebrini play in the NHL. One year later, he is keeping them off the scoresheet.

“It’s special. It’s a great feeling to be able to be out there and, you know, trying to stop those guys from scoring,” Hagens said. “You want to do your best, and you want to win games, and if that’s your role, then you got to be able to go out there and do it. It’s definitely cool being able to, you know, these players I grew up watching and especially last year, being in college, I was watching these guys. Now you’re out there trying to stop them all night long.”

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