Speaking after Thursday’s loss to the Sharks, Bruins head coach Marco Sturm did not want to talk about the Bruins’ road struggles.
Unfortunately for Sturm, though, it was going to remain a talking point about his team until the Bruins found a way to get over the hump away from TD Garden. Especially with the B’s in a tight-as-can-be playoff race and with an obvious uptick in road games to close out the regular season. In fact, the only way to truly silence it was to get back in the win column on the road, which the Bruins did with a 3-2 shootout win over the Capitals down in D.C. on Saturday.
For the Bruins, the victory snapped what was a seven-game road losing streak, and should help set the tone for what’s a massive three-game road trip that’ll continue (and end) with a back-to-back in New Jersey and then Montreal.
Here’s a look at the 985TheSportsHub.com 3 Stars of the game…
3rd Star: Fraser Minten
Jan 20, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Fraser Minten (93) waits for the faceoff. (Jerome Miron-Imagn Images)
Rather than keep him on the top line and hope that Elias Lindholm snaps out of whatever it is that’s held him to minimal production out of the Olympic break, the Bruins decided to promote Fraser Minten to a premier role between Morgan Geekie and David Pastrnak for Saturday’s showdown with the Capitals.
And, to put it as lightly as one can without going overboard, Minten did nothing to hurt hit stock in that role for the Black and Gold.
On Boston’s first goal of the afternoon, Minten had a solid zone entry and fed the puck for a centering feed that led to a solid chance on goal. And though that didn’t go, Minten was able to park himself in front of the Washington net, and had a solid screen on the Caps’ Logan Thompson on the McAvoy goal.
And though his number wasn’t called until the ninth round, Minten sealed the deal on this win with a downright dazzling move on Thompson.
2nd Star: Charlie McAvoy
Mar 9, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73) celebrates after scoring a goal against the Capitals at Capital One Arena. (Geoff Burke/Imagn Images)
With a pair of goals in regulation, both of which tied the game, Charlie McAvoy had us all on hat trick watch. And for a second there, it really felt like he was going to do it (hasn’t happened for a B’s defenseman since Zdeno Chara in 2011, in case you’re wondering). This was a vintage McAvoy game where you felt like No. 73 was impacting the game all over the ice and was by all means willing the Black and Gold in the right direction on every shift.
Since returning to the B’s lineup on Dec. 11, McAvoy has posted nine goals and 35 points in 35 games played. His nine goals and 35 points both rank seventh among all NHL defensemen over that span.
1st Star: Jeremy Swayman
Mar 9, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Alex Ovechkin (8) is stopped on his shootout attempt by Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) at Capital One Arena. (Geoff Burke/Imagn Images)
What a difference a year makes.
This time last year, Jeremy Swayman felt lost. Now, I’d argue that the Bruins as an entire team were lost, but for a team that was relying on strong goaltending to help them find their way, Swayman was struggling. And struggling hard.
This year, though, Swayman has given the Bruins just about everything you could’ve hoped for. Of course, there’s been some hiccups along the way. Such is life in an offensively-surging NHL here in 2025-26. But Saturday was just the latest example of Swayman putting his team on his back for the win.
In addition to a 25-of-27 performance in the 65-minute segment of this game, Swayman went a perfect 9-for-9 in the shootout, and became the first B’s goalie to post a 1.000 save percentage in a shootout of at least nine rounds.
In addition to that, Swayman’s victory was also good for his 26th of the season, which is fourth-most in the NHL and a new single-season career-high.