🔥🏒 This is “Heated Rivalry” IRL

☕ And it’s National Coffee Day! Snag a FREE medium cup o’ joe from Dunkin’ with any purchase AND shop the new L.L. Bean collab collection, dropping TODAY at 10 a.m. We’re getting that tote like our lives depended on it.

🥳 Also, everyone sing HBD to Members Ida and Ayelet! We hope your day is complete with caffeine and retail therapy.

👀 What’s on tap today:

We’re feeling big-stick energy today. ‘Cause it’s the Bruins’ first game of the season, duh. Tune in TONIGHT at 8 p.m. to watch them play against the New York Rangers (boooo). 

Here’s what to know before they take the ice:

🤦 First of all, we’ve got a timing issue. ‘Cause the Bruins game is at the *exact* same time as the Red Sox playoff game against the Yankees (more on that later). Classic. Get your remote ready to switch your channels FAST. 

👏 OK, now let’s recap: We got to the playoffs last season!!! Which was a SHOCKER, to say the least. But first-year head coach Marco Sturm pulled through, with the team finishing fourth in the Atlantic Division before losing to the Buffalo Sabres in the first round … NGL, it sucked watching them lose every playoff game at TD Garden … But after the dumpster fire of a season the year before, we’re still calling this a win in our book. 

💪 Big news: We finally have a captain (thank god). David Pastrnak — a.k.a. “Pasta,” the longest-tenured veteran with 12 seasons under his belt — officially got the “C” stitched onto his sweater this past weekend. In case you forgot, we didn’t have a captain at all last season, which hasn’t happened since ’01.

🫣 But heads up: You won’t see Charlie McAvoy … for a while. *Sigh* Our fave defenseman is suspended for six games after he took a BIG swing at Buffalo’s Zach Benson in the playoffs (yikes). His absence will be tough for a team that needs to start off strong in a v competitive Eastern Conference. Don’t expect to see him on the ice until Oct. 13 against the San Jose Sharks.

👀 Oh, and everybody say hi to JJ Peterka! Bruins brass traded two first-round picks for Peterka, a 24-year-old wing from the Utah Mammoth who’s got a need for speed. (Here’s a highlight reel for ya.) He’s had many skating bursts at 20+ miles an hour (!) AND averaged 26.6 goals per season over the last three years. And judging by his preseason performance, he def looks like a promising addition to the Bruins’ offense. 

🙌 Keep an eye out for the youngsters. Particularly James Hagens, Fraser Minten, and Frederic Brunet. We know what to expect from seasoned players like Pasta and goalie Jeremy Swayman, but how these young guys grow as Bruins will be the real test this season. And Captain Pasta is making sure all the rookies feel welcome. <3

🏒 Wanna dig deeper? Read more about the Bruins here.

🚗 An accident can change your life in seconds. If you’ve been injured in Massachusetts, you may be entitled to financial compensation. Whether you were in a car, riding a bike, in a rideshare, or hit by a truck, you may have options. Sokolove Law offers free legal consultations to help you understand what comes next. Call 1-800-CALL-JIM or get your free consultation today.

☔ Mo’ rain, mo’ problems. As you could tell from your windows, this nor’easter raged across the state, with southeastern Mass. getting hit the hardest. Some towns got drenched in 7+ inches of rainfall, and 30+ communities clocked at least five. Sharon even got 10+ inches, one of the highest rainfall totals the region’s seen. Boston got less overall, though totals varied widely across neighborhoods: ~3 inches at Logan Airport, while JP got nearly six. The good news: All the rain will pretty much end by Tuesday.

⚖️ BREAKING: Trump, you just got served. Mayor Michelle Wu announced that the city is suing the Trump admin for withholding a whopping $20 million grant that was set to fund street-safety efforts in Roxbury (think: safer bike lanes, road maintenance, better bus service). The grant, which would’ve been used specifically for Melnea Cass Boulevard, Malcolm X Boulevard, and Warren Street, was revoked last September because the project included adding EV chargers. But the city says those chargers account for just 1% of the project’s total cost. Stay tuned …

⚾ The Red Sox are entering their revenge era. Practice your “Yankees Suck!” ‘cause the first round of the playoffs starts TONIGHT. ICYMI, the Sox lost to NY last year in the Wild Card Series. But after the comeback run they’ve had this summer, our fingers are crossed for this rematch. If we win two out of three games, we’ll secure a spot in the Division Series (the quarterfinals). Catch the games on NBC or at Fenway bars like The Bullpen, Bleacher Bar, and Game On! on Sept. 29-30 (and maybe Oct. 1).

💅 Now’s the time to glam up your bike gear. The Shiny Shop is hosting a *free* pop-up at Harvard’s Smith Campus Center, all in the name of community, micromobility (street safety for bikes, scooters, etc.), and art. On Wednesdays and Thursdays through Oct. 15, you can bring your helmet, bike basket, or any other commuter essentials that need a little love to a drop-in bedazzling sesh. Or you can learn new skills like fabric collaging on Oct. 1 and zinemaking on Oct. 8. See the full schedule here.

🍕Founded in 1926 in the North End, Regina Pizzeria was Boston's first-ever pizza parlor. Today, a CENTURY later, their pies are still cooking in that OG brick oven, and they’ve kept the same formula. In 1956, the pizzeria started expanding throughout Greater Boston, but it’s always maintained its reputation for irresistible thin-crust pies and no gimmicks. 100 years is a rare milestone in the restaurant industry, so it’s cause for celebration at your nearest Regina’s.

The Boylston Squeal wasn’t the loudest thing on the T this weekend. Enter: “The MBTA Tour.”

Lazarus, a local college rock band, hosted a three-day T concert tour across the Green, Red, and Orange Lines this past weekend. The idea started after they performed on the Red Line back in July, and went viral.

And no, they didn’t get permission from the MBTA. They just planned out which stops to perform, found a spot on each train, and set up their equipment in less than 10 minutes. So naturally, a Green Line conductor shut them down Friday night … but they still kept the party going for the rest of the weekend on the other lines.

This either sounds like the best train ride of your life … or our worst nightmare.

— Written by Kelly Chan

🫩 Thanks for reading! Commuting with this + a nor’easter might’ve been our last straw.

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, Sokolove Law, for supporting local journalism and helping people injured in an accident know their options. 

🚌 The results are in: 60% of B-Siders are Team Bus Cameras, saying they’ll make the buses go way faster. One reader thinks we should take it a step further: “Buses should be equipped with cow catchers too.” Or in other words, moo-ve over (sorry). 

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and X. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] and [email protected].