Elias Lindholm scored a power-play goal at 7:41 of the third period to break a 1-1 tie, lifting the Boston Bruins to a 3-1 victory over the Washington Capitals in the season opener for both teams October 8, 2025, at Capital One Arena. David Pastrnak contributed a goal and two assists, while Jeremy Swayman made 35 saves, helping new head coach Marco Sturm secure his first NHL win.
The Bruins dominated special teams, converting one of two power plays and killing all five Washington opportunities, including a 54-second 5-on-3 in the second period. Morgan Geekie added an empty-net goal at 19:02 of the third to seal the win. Tom Wilson scored Washington’s lone goal at 7:03 of the third, tying the game briefly before Lindholm’s response 38 seconds later.
Pastrnak opened the scoring at 12:07 of the second with a wrist shot from the point that navigated through traffic past Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson, who finished with 18 saves. The first period was scoreless, marked by sloppy play and four minor penalties, three against Boston, disrupting 5-on-5 flow. Washington held a 13-4 edge in shot attempts at even strength in the opening frame but generated six of eight shots on net during power plays.
In the second, the Capitals fired 18 shots at Swayman but failed to score on five power plays, registering 11 shots during those advantages. Boston’s penalty kill unit, including key stops on a two-man disadvantage, proved pivotal. Swayman denied Nic Dowd on a semi-breakaway early in the period, and Thompson stopped Viktor Arvidsson on a breakaway at 6:32.
Lindholm’s winner came after John Carlson’s holding penalty 15 seconds following Wilson’s equalizer. Pavel Zacha fed Pastrnak into the zone, who then passed to Lindholm for a backhand tuck. Geekie’s empty-netter came after Swayman made two saves with Thompson pulled.
Sturm, a former Capital who played 151 games for Washington from 2005 to 2010, expressed satisfaction with the performance. “It feels great,” says Sturm, a former Capital. “I’m exhausted, though. This is the moment I was waiting for, and to grab a win on the road in a tough place like here, that’s even better. And on top of it, for the most part, they played exactly what we worked on, they played exactly how I wanted them to play. And that makes me happy.”
Capitals coach Spencer Carbery noted early rust. “You can tell guys are off early in the game,” says Caps coach Spencer Carbery. “I can tell right away, in the first couple of shifts. You want guys to be able to work their way through it, and as it starts to move, now I’m looking for chemistry. Now I’m looking for guys that are going, and trying to get them together so they can score.”
Washington captain Alex Ovechkin, who entered with 897 career goals after breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record last season, discussed the power play struggles. “The first couple of games, it’s always going to be different,” says Caps captain Alex Ovechkin of his team’s performance on the power play. “It’s going to be a different pace, going to be a different atmosphere, and maybe you’re going to hold the stick too tight. But it’s the first game for both teams, and you could see there’s lots of bounces and lots of miscommunication.” Ovechkin had three shots but was held scoreless, occasionally leaving the ice during power plays due to a preseason injury.
Wilson described his tying goal, which came on a broken play. “Pro [and I] locked eyes,” recounts Wilson, “and we tried to thread the needle. I think it hit [Jakob Chychrun’s] stick, and hit me in the chest and fell in front of me. I knew if I could shoot it quick, I’d have a good chance. If you can get it off quick, you give yourself a better opportunity against some of these goalies that are feeling it on a night like tonight. And it went in.”
Chychrun remained optimistic despite the loss. “I don’t think we won the first one last year, and we ended up all right last year, too,” says Chychrun. “We’re going to be all right in here. I thought we did some good things tonight, and we had a lot of good looks. [Swayman] played a heck of a game, so credit to him.”
The Capitals generated 82 shot attempts at all strengths to Boston’s 54, with 35 on net, but couldn’t capitalize beyond Wilson’s goal. Boston outshot Washington 21-36 overall but prevailed through timely scoring and strong goaltending.
This marked the third meeting between the teams in 18 days, following two preseason games. The Bruins hired Sturm June 5, 2025, making him the first German-born NHL head coach. He previously coached the Ontario Reign in the AHL and served as an assistant with the Los Angeles Kings. Sturm played 938 NHL games, including stints with Boston and Washington, retiring in 2012.
Lindholm, acquired by Boston in free agency July 1, 2025, from Vancouver, notched his first goal with the Bruins. The center signed a seven-year, $54.25 million contract, bringing experience from 792 career games with 222 goals and 333 assists.
Swayman, who signed an eight-year, $66 million extension October 6, 2025, started after missing preseason due to contract negotiations. His 35 saves included key stops on Ovechkin and during power plays.
Pastrnak extended his season-opener scoring streak to four years, with goals in each since 2022. The winger led Boston with 47 goals and 63 assists last season.
For Washington, Thompson made his Capitals debut after a trade from Vegas June 29, 2025. The goaltender posted a 25-14-5 record last year with a 2.70 goals-against average.
The Capitals honored Alan Dowd, father of center Nic Dowd, who passed away recently, with helmet stickers reading “Pops” over No. 26. “We were playing for Dowder tonight,” says Wilson. “It was an emotional one for him, losing his dad. It’s too bad we couldn’t get the outcome, because we were all battling for him. He’s such a great teammate, such a great person. He’s had a tough couple of weeks, and I’m proud of him showing up tonight. We couldn’t get the win, but I’m proud of him as a teammate and as a friend. It’s not easy.”
Boston improved to 1-0-0, next hosting Chicago October 10. Washington fell to 0-1-0, visiting the New York Islanders October 11.
The Bruins’ win under Sturm signals a new era after Jim Montgomery’s dismissal May 3, 2025, following a second-round playoff exit. Boston reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2019 but has not advanced past the second round since. Washington, Stanley Cup champions in 2018, missed the playoffs in 2024 but returned last season.
Ovechkin, 40, in his contract’s final year, needs three goals for 900, extending his record chase. He has 13 season-opener goals, one shy of the NHL mark shared by Michel Goulet and Dino Ciccarelli.
