Wednesday marked the start of a new era for the Boston Bruins. Led by first-year head coach Marco Sturm, the Bruins had a chance to turn the page from last year’s disappointing campaign and enjoy a fresh start.
However, Boston kicked off the 2025-26 season with a tough road matchup against the Washington Capitals, who won the Metropolitan Division last year as one of the best teams in the NHL. As such, the Bruins were significant underdogs for their season opener in the nation’s capital.
That didn’t stop Boston from pulling off a surprising 3-1 victory over the Capitals at Capital One Arena, earning two points to begin its season.
After a scoreless opening period, the Bruins struck first midway through the second period on David Pastrnak’s first goal of the season.
Tom Wilson tied the game for Washington seven minutes into the third period, but Boston immediately grabbed the lead back 38 seconds later on a power play goal from Elias Lindholm. Morgan Geekie scored an empty-netter in the final minute to put the game away.
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As expected, Pastrnak led the way on offense with three points, contributing to all three goals with one score and two assists. Jeremy Swayman was a force in net, saving 35 of 36 shots on goal.
While the Capitals had nearly twice as many shots on goal as the Bruins, the visitors made the most of their limited scoring opportunities against Logan Thompson. Boston also played good defense, preventing all-time leading goalscorer Alex Ovechkin from finding the back of the net on his three shot attempts.
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The Bruins will try to build off their strong debut in tonight’s home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks at TD Garden. The Blackhawks are coming off a 3-2 road loss to the Florida Panthers in their season opener on Tuesday.
Featured image via Eric Canha/Imagn Images
