The Boston Bruins wrapped a successful road trip Tuesday night with an overtime defeat to the Dallas Stars. They went 3-0-1 on the trip and entered Wednesday sitting atop the Atlantic Division and in second place in the Eastern Conference with a 7-2-1 record.

The B's rank seventh in goals scored per game and fourth in goals allowed per game. The notable offseason additions (JJ Peterka, Will Borgen) and most of the young players have made a positive impact.

The schedule has been a little soft, but the Bruins, to their credit, have taken full advantage of it. They have scored four or more goals in six of their 10 games. They've led for almost 238 minutes -- ninth-best in the league.

Let's look at six key takeaways from the Bruins' first 10 games of the 2026-27 NHL season.

The kids are alright

The Bruins have fully committed to giving their young players a chance to not only prove they belong in the NHL full time, but also be important contributors.

So far, the kids have played fantastic.

Six of the Bruins' top 11 scorers are age 25 or younger. Nineteen of the team's 35 goals have been scored by players 25 years old or younger.

Fraser Minten and Matthew Poitras are tied with David Pastrnak for the team lead in goals with four. Minten's eight points are tied for second on the B's. He's on pace to shatter his career high of 35 points set last season. James Hagens has seven points (three goals, four assists) in 10 games. No rookie in the entire league has more points than him.

Hagens and Poitras both scored in Tuesday night's overtime loss to the Dallas Stars.

James Hagens continues his hot start to the season with a goal 🚨

7 Points in 10 Games 🔥 pic.twitter.com/tRyDzrZEEt

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 21, 2026

Frederic Brunet has been a steady, reliable presence on the blue line and ranks fourth among rookies in blocked shots. Mason Lohrei has made an impact offensively with five points to lead all Bruins defensemen.

The most encouraging part of the Bruins' early-season success has been the performance of their young players. There will be ups and downs throughout the campaign, but the returns so far have been very impressive.

Elite goaltending

Jeremy Swayman was a Vezina Trophy finalist last season and he's well on his way to repeating that feat. His .928 save percentage is the second-highest in the league, and his 7.7 goals saved above expected is tied for the third-best, per MoneyPuck. He also ranks fourth-best in wins above replacement (1.28) for goalies.

JEREMY SWAYMAN KEEPS BOSTON IN IT 😱

Bruins-Stars in OT on ESPN and the ESPN App NOW 🔥 pic.twitter.com/SHW8bOEm7h

— ESPN (@espn) October 21, 2026

Michael DiPietro has played only two games in the backup goalie role, but he's posted a solid .912 save percentage and a positive goals saved above expected. He made 26 saves against the Ducks last week for his first career NHL win.

Overall, the Bruins have allowed 7.13 fewer goals than expected -- the best mark in the league and proof that Swayman and DiPietro are consistently erasing the mistakes in front of them.

Swayman is on pace to exceed the career-high 55 starts he made last season. That's fine, especially if he continues to play at an elite level. But at some point, DiPietro needs to get in a few more games. The Bruins need Swayman to be fresh for the playoff race and any postseason matchups the team earns.

Elias Lindholm bounce back?

The Elias Lindholm signing -- a seven-year, $54.25 million contract in 2024 free agency -- has not delivered the desired results so far.

However, the veteran center has made much more of an impact this season.

Lindholm has seven points (three goals, four assists) in 10 games. He picked up the primary assist on David Pastrnak's tying goal in the third period against the Ducks last weekend, and five minutes later he scored the game-winner.

Lindholm has taken the fourth-most faceoffs (190) in the league and has won an impressive 58.9 percent of them. He's also played well defensively and has proven to be a good fit with Hagens on the third line.

It's unlikely Lindholm will perform at the level of a typical top-six center. But could he be a very good No. 3 center who makes a positive impact in all situations? For sure.

Power play must improve

The Bruins have the 15th-ranked power play with a 21.1 percent success rate. On paper, that doesn't seem too bad. But all six of their power-play goals have come in two games -- three against the Utah Mammoth on Oct. 8 and three against the Ducks on Oct. 16.

In the other eight games, the B's have not found the back of the net a single time with the man advantage.

The Bruins have generated only two shots in their last six minutes on the power play over the last two games.

Not only are the Bruins failing to score on the power play, they aren't earning many chances, either. The B's rank 23rd in total power-play opportunities and 30th in power-play ice time per game.

The Bruins had the ninth-best power play last season. This year's roster is better. There's no reason why the power play should be so inconsistent.

Balanced scoring

The Bruins have relied on David Pastrnak far too much in recent seasons. He's delivered on his end with four straight 100-point seasons, but no one else on the Bruins has tallied more than 68 points during that span.

The scoring depth has been far better for Boston this season. Six players have scored three or more goals. Ten players have at least two goals. Eleven players have tallied five or more points.

Sturm wanted more offense from his defensemen this season. That group already has six goals.

The Bruins are getting meaningful scoring contributions up and down the lineup. That is perhaps the most important aspect of the team's hot start and why it ranks seventh among 32 teams in goals scored per game.

Bruins need more goals from Pastrnak, Geekie

James Guillory-Imagn Images

James Guillory-Imagn Images

David Pastrnak tallied 100 points last season, but his 29 goals were the fewest in any season in which he's played 55-plus games. Three of his four goals this year have come on the power play. The B's need much better offensive production from him at 5-on-5.

Morgan Geekie scored a career-high 39 goals last season. He has one goal this year, and it came on the power play. Geekie also has tallied just 10 shots on net in 10 games. He has one game with multiple shots.

For a player with such a great shot, one per game is nowhere near acceptable. Geekie has never been a huge shot quantity player, but he still needs to be much more aggressive in looking for his own offense.

The Bruins have not suffered much from Pastrnak and Geekie's lack of 5-on-5 goals because the young players have exceeded expectations offensively. But for this team to reach its maximum potential, veterans like Pastrnak and Geekie must lead the attack.