In Joe Sacco’s first game as Bruins interim head coach, his players responded

“The locker room had a good vibe. It was alive.”

Joe Sacco had to change up his routine on Thursday night.

After all, an opportunity to coach one’s hometown hockey team doesn’t come around very often. 

“I tried to prepare the way I normally would,” Sacco said Thursday night. “Obviously, it’s a different day for me, because I actually stayed at the rink today all day. Typically, I go home in between the morning skate and the game. 

“But I stayed at Warrior [Ice Arena] today, and I was just able to just relax and kind of get my thoughts together. I want to try to enjoy the day too, as well as the night, because I knew that this was the first one. And to make sure I remembered it.”

Sacco, 55, is no stranger to the Bruins’ bench. He’s served as an assistant under Claude Julien, Bruce Cassidy, and Jim Montgomery for 10 seasons entering the 2024-25 campaign. 

Even Tuesday’s “bittersweet” promotion as the team’s interim head coach following Montgomery’s firing doesn’t stand as Sacco’s first rodeo as an NHL bench boss.

But with his first crack as an NHL head coach coming all the way back in 2009, the Medford native was relishing the chance to start anew and try to help a slumping Bruins team find its footing. 

Thursday’s home matchup stood as a step in the right direction — with Boston earning its first win since Nov. 12 by way of a 1-0 victory over the Utah Hockey Club. 

“Pretty good. I’m not going to lie to you. Obviously felt good,” Sacco said of earning his first official win as Boston’s head coach. “To get our guys to get a win, too, was even more important — to feel better about themselves. 

“And I think how we went about the game tonight was a businesslike approach. I thought that we had a couple of individuals that really brought some energy to our group tonight, to lift the bench at certain moments during the game. And just a good effort all around from our guys. They really dug in.”

A one-goal victory against a sub-.500 team like Utah doesn’t signal that a mid-season surge is imminent for an underachieving Boston roster. 

But Boston did control a majority of Thursday’s matchup on Causeway Street — elevating their pace and battle level by way of winning foot races and scrambles to skittering pucks along the boards. 

While Joonas Korpisalo stood tall by way of a 21-save shutout, Boston limited Utah to just two high-danger scoring chances at 5-on-5 play all evening. 

“You still hate the situation that had to arise for us to respond that way,” Brad Marchand acknowledged. “It was a good game tonight, but it’s one game. Our thing has been — we’ve done this before. We have a good game, and we kind of let off. 

“So we have to continue to build and understand the importance of having the same effort every day … It’s great for Joe to get his first win as a coach and this team. And very happy for him. He’s an incredible coach, a great guy. So definitely a nice night.” 

If the Bruins want to get back on track, they’re going to need their power play and star players to find some traction. 

Thursday stood as a positive development, with Elias Lindholm converting on the power play for his first goal since Oct. 12.

Even though the Bruins’ man advantage only cashed in once across seven power-play bids — Boston did generate 18 shots on goal over 10:30 of 5-on-4 reps.

“When stuff like this happens, it’s unfortunate,” Lindholm said of Montgomery’s firing. “It’s a wake-up call for everyone. We haven’t played well enough, and obviously myself — I’m hard on myself.

“I’m probably the hardest one out there on myself, and I know when I play bad. I know when I play good. And obviously [there’s] been too many bad games for me this year. So it’s time for a reset and hopefully I can build some confidence and help the team more.”

Sacco and his reworked staff have plenty of work to do moving forward.

But two points is still two points. Sacco will take it, along with the game puck after helping Boston land in the win column. 

“The locker room had a good vibe,” Sacco said of the postgame mood. “It was alive.”