Bruins
“It’s always a weight lifted off your shoulder. Good on him.”
In his 11th game in the NHL ranks, Bruins prospect Fabian Lysell finally lit the lamp Sunday afternoon.
The 22-year-old winger scored his first career NHL goal in Boston’s 4-1 win over the Penguins at PPG Paints Arena, finding the back of the net on the power play at 8:42 in the second period.
While lurking near the crease on the tail end of the man advantage, Lysell received a slick feed from Pavel Zacha and wristed the offering past Tristan Jarry to make it a 2-0 contest at the time.
“It was just a break in on the power play, and Pav did a really nice move, and was able to find me their back door,” Lysell said in a team-provided video. “And I was just trying to get it on net and I was fortunate enough to see it go in.”
It was a welcome development for the Bruins prospect, who had struggled to generate tangible results since getting recalled by Boston in mid-March.
Initially drafted in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft, Lysell’s profile as an uber-skilled scoring forward makes him an appealing asset in Boston’s revamped forward corps — especially one that has been hampered all season long by a lack of scoring touch.
Even if it took Lysell some time to generate tangible results, the Swedish forward had made a concerted effort over the last few weeks to try to generate scoring chances at the NHL ranks.
Since Lysell was recalled on March 22, he has ranked second on the Bruins in 5-on-5 shots per 60 minutes (9.73), third in shot attempts per 60 minutes (17.03), and tied for fourth in scoring chances per 60 minutes (7.79).
“I think it means a lot for a guy like him,” Bruins interim head coach Joe Sacco told reporters postgame. “He sees himself a little bit more as an offensive player and certainly when you’re in that position, you want to produce offensively. And I think especially getting your first one in the National Hockey League, it’s always a weight lifted off your shoulder. Good on him.
“He’s doing some good things with the puck at times offensively. He’s attacking. He’s attacking through the neutral zone, he’s attacking the offensive zone. There’s some things to like in his game, that’s for sure.”
It hasn’t been a seamless transition for Lysell since turning pro in Boston’s organization. The winger’s point production with Providence dipped from 50 points in 2023-24 to 34 in 2024-25.
Even with the free-agent departure of Jake DeBrusk last summer, Lysell was unable to crack Boston’s lineup during training camp, eventually spending most of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL before earning this latest call-up over the final weeks of this season.
But after some expected growing pains up in the NHL ranks, Lysell seems to be settling in at hockey’s highest level — with the forward now recording two points in his last three games.
“You just gotta play a very detailed game, because, you know, they’re some of the most skilled players in the world,” Lysell said on the TNT broadcast of the challenges adjusting to the NHL game. “So if you turn it over, or if you’re not in the right position there, they’re going to make you pay. So that’s probably the biggest transition.”
As the Bruins brace themselves for a long offseason, Lysell could be in line for a larger role in 2025-26 as a scoring threat. It hasn’t been a perfect stretch of games for the 2021 first-rounder, but Sunday stood as a step in the right direction for the talented prospect.
“They’ve been really good for the past couple years and obviously hard to crack the roster,” Lysell said of the Bruins. “But I’m just trying to enjoy it out there and work hard when I’ve been able to come up.”
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.