WASHINGTON, DC – For the first time since January 17, the Bruins picked up a win on the road. 

The Boston Bruins (37-23-6) never led, but beat the Washington Capitals (33-27-8) in a shootout, 3-2, on Saturday afternoon in the nation’s capital. Charlie McAvoy scored twice, and Fraser Minten sealed the win with the game’s only shootout goal. 

“Remembered seeing a couple videos of him maybe biting on a fake in the pre-scout,” Fraser Minten said about his shootout winner. “So I just went in and tried to watch for that, and it ended up working out.”

Fraser Minten on his shootout winner:

“Remembered seeing a couple videos of him maybe biting on a fake in the pre-scout… ended up working out… I’m always ready for it.” 👏 pic.twitter.com/rRXYY5NGSn

— NESN (@NESN) March 14, 2026

Zero of the first 17 shootout attempts crossed the goal line; there were five posts. 

The nine-round shootout is tied for the longest in the NHL this season.

“Usually, it’s fun,” Marco Sturm said about the shootout. “But with our record, I don’t know, it gets me nervous sometimes. So, even today, that’s something we’ve been addressing a little bit in the past during the break, trying to get better. We still got work to do.”

The Bruins entered this game 2-3 in the shootout this season, but they lost each of their last three. 

Jeremy Swayman made 25 saves and finished with a 0.56 goals saved above expected. He stopped all six high-danger shots he faced, but allowed in two low-danger goals. 

The Capitals opened the scoring, then regained a lead with shots from the point. Jeremy Swayman said the first look he had was on the replay.

“Again, that’s an identity thing that they’re good at,” Jeremy Swayman said about the Capitals. “We saw a stat before the game; they’re the No. 1 defensive generated offense in the league. We knew that was a strength of theirs, and again, they played to their strengths tonight and gave us a good battle.”

But it was Charlie McAvoy who tied the game twice, keeping the Bruins in the game with a 55 mph shot from the point and a redirection in the net-front. 

“It was front foot, and I just was like, ‘I’m shooting this thing.’ So I got it off, and then you know, you just get lucky there. But I guess, maybe a friendly reminder to myself to just shoot the puck.”

Even with the road troubles, McAvoy has prevailed. With his two goals on Saturday, he extended his road point streak to seven games (4-6–10). 

“You always need a driver,” Marco Sturm said about McAvoy. “In the room, off the ice, on the ice. He has a little swagger now, especially after the Olympics. It’s nice to see, because you need those drivers. Especially when they get rewarded, that’s even better.”

But the power play came up empty again.

The Bruins went 0-for-4 on Saturday, bringing their post-break total to 4-for-32 (12.5%). 

The penalty kill went 3-for-3 and is now 21-for-24 (87.5%) since the break.

Jeremy Swayman and Charlie McAvoy said they did not know that their last road win was in January. Marco Sturm tried not to pay attention to it, but it was hard to avoid. 

“I don’t count,” Sturm said about the road skid. “But again, every time I talk to the media, now social media, everything comes up all the time.”

“Hopefully, the guys realize that too, and hopefully things calm down.”

The Bruins have improved to 8-0-1 in games after a loss since January 17. 

They will look to continue their newfound road success when they take on the New Jersey Devils (33-31-2) on Monday night in Newark. 

FOLLOW @JACKSTUDLEY13 ON 𝕏  | FOLLOW @BOSHockeyNow ON 𝕏