By: Chad Jones | Follow me on Twitter/X @ShutUpChadJones
The 2025-2026 Boston Bruins have started the season on the right skate. The Black and Gold secured an opening night victory by beating the Washington Capitals 3-1. Marco Sturm earned his first win as an NHL head coach.
First Period
Throughout the game, Jeremy Swayman was tremendous. Early on, the Bruins’ goaltender made multiple stops with his pads on the penalty kill and covered the puck when it slipped off Hampus Lindholm’s stick right in front of the crease.
David Pastrnak made a slick pass to Morgan Geekie on the man advantage, but the forward could not bury the opportunity from the left faceoff circle. Boston’s top line produced many nifty passing sequences during the contest.
Despite the Bruins taking three penalties in the opening frame, including one with under a minute left in the period, the Capitals were only credited with eight shots on goal. Both teams struggled to generate scoring chances, especially when skating five on five, and the opening 20 minutes came and went without a goal from either side.
Second Period
The Capitals were given a 55-second five-on-three after Charlie McAvoy tripped up Alexander Ovechkin early in the session, but the Capitals could not produce a shot on goal. Swayman and Boston’s penalty killers stayed strong for over three consecutive minutes to keep the game scoreless.
Approaching the period’s halfway point, Swayman made an aggressive maneuver coming far out of the crease to challenge Nic Dowd on a partial breakaway. The netminder denied the attempt with his blocker before covering the puck. Right after a TV timeout, Logan Thompson stoned Viktor Arvidsson on a clean breakaway.
Despite the Capitals dictating play, the Bruins struck first. In the middle of the contest, Pastrnak found a little space away from John Carlson near the blue line. The dynamic winger then fired a seeing-eye shot through a maze of players and beat Thompson to give Boston a 1-0 lead. Pastrnak has now scored in the Bruins’ first game for four straight years.
Throughout the contest, Swayman remained calm and steady between the pipes. He was effective with his pads, blocker, and glove. The Bruins’ goalie also consistently hopped on loose pucks to avoid juicy rebounds and second chances. Even with Washington getting five cracks on the power play and outshooting Boston by 15, the Bruins took the lead into the second intermission.
Third Period
Tom Wilson finally beat Swayman just past the seven-minute mark of the final frame. The rugged forward rifled an attempt from the slot and found the back of the net, just above the goalie’s right shoulder and under the crossbar to knot the game at 1-1.
But the Bruins quickly responded. Less than a minute after the equalizer, Pastrnak zoomed into the zone on the left wing during a power play. He found his linemate Elias Lindholm in the slot, who pulled off a terrific move getting the puck quickly from his forehand to backhand to freeze Thompson and light the lamp.
The intensity bubbled through the period. With just under two minutes left, Thompson headed to the bench, and the Capitals pressured hard in the Bruins’ end with six skaters on the ice. After a timeout, Lindholm won a key defensive zone faceoff. Pastrnak then sprung Geekie, who promptly buried the empty-net goal to secure the two points for Boston.
Swayman was outstanding, frustrating Washington with solid positioning and athletic stops all night. The Capitals failed to score on any of their five power play opportunities and could not beat Swayman during their six-on-five sequence. The Bruins’ netminder ended the night by stopping 34 of the 35 shots fired his way. Pastrnak factored in on all three Boston goals by producing a tally and two helpers.
The Bruins will look to carry this momentum back to Boston on Thursday night, when they host the Chicago Blackhawks. TD Garden will be pumped to see if the Bruins can repeat their winning ways on home ice.
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