Charlie McAvoy scored in his season debut as the Boston Bruins beat the San Jose Sharks 6-3 on Tuesday night at SAP Center in San Jose, snapping his long wait to return to the lineup after a suspension. The win was Boston's third straight to open its four-game road trip through the Western Conference.
McAvoy's Long-Awaited Return Sparks Boston
McAvoy returned from a six-game suspension he received for slashing Buffalo Sabres forward Zach Benson during Game 6 of the Eastern Conference First Round last season. The wait to get back on the ice clearly meant something to the Bruins' alternate captain.
McAvoy put the Bruins back ahead 2-1 at 18:43, when JJ Peterka found a loose puck to the left of Askarov and passed to McAvoy, who tapped it past Askarov's left pad as he was crashing the net. Afterward, he described the emotion of being back on the ice.
"It was just fun to be playing again. That was nice (to score)," McAvoy said. "I thought that was a big boy shift, and we were trying to hold onto the puck. Just tried to break them down, and it was a great pass by JJ."
The 28-year-old looked good while leading the Bruins' blue line Tuesday, logging 24:41 of ice time in the win. His return restores a key piece to Boston's defense corps heading into a stretch of road games.
Fraser Minten Keeps Making Boston's Big Bet Look Smart
A Two-Goal Night in San Jose
Fraser Minten scored twice for the Bruins, who improved to 5-2-0 and have now won three straight. Minten, who now leads the Boston Bruins with four goals, scored twice in the team's 6-3 win over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday at SAP Center. It came after Minten logged three points on Saturday, too.
Why the Contract Looks Smart
The 22-year-old forward's hot start comes on the heels of a significant financial commitment from Boston. On September 8, 2026, the Bruins signed Minten to a seven-year, $50.4 million contract extension. Early returns suggest the front office's faith was well placed.
How the Game Unfolded
First Period Fireworks
Casey Mittelstadt found Fraser Minten entering the offensive zone and played it to the 23-year-old forward, who uncorked a shot from 47 feet out and beat Askarov with help from a James Hagens screen. Jacob Trouba tied the game 1-1 at 15:29, one-timing a pass from Kiefer Sherwood past Swayman's blocker two seconds after a power play expired, before McAvoy's go-ahead goal closed out the opening frame with Boston leading 2-1.
Boston Pulls Away
Boston took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission after goals from Minten and Charlie McAvoy, and the Sharks tied the game twice, but the Bruins answered each time, with Matthew Poitras putting Boston back in front in the second period before Pavel Zacha scored with three seconds remaining to give the Bruins a 4-2 advantage. San Jose pulled within one early in the third, but Minten scored his second goal of the night to restore Boston's two-goal lead, and Will Borgen added an empty-net goal late in the period to put the game away.
Morgan Geekie had two assists, and Jeremy Swayman made 35 saves to backstop the win. On the other side, Macklin Celebrini and Ivar Stenberg each had a goal and an assist for the Sharks, who have lost two straight and three of four.
Coach's Take and What Comes Next
Bruins coach Marco Sturm acknowledged the performance wasn't flawless despite the lopsided final score.
"We'll definitely take the two points. It probably wasn't our best game," Boston coach Marco Sturm said. "Few too many turnovers, a little bit sloppy, but we found a way to win a hockey game."
The Bruins continue their road trip on Friday with a 10:00 PM ET start against the Anaheim Ducks, then a 9:00 PM ET start against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. With McAvoy back and Minten red-hot, Boston heads into the rest of its road trip with momentum, even as other storylines continue to swirl around the league's veteran stars this season. For more on the latest results and standings across the league, fans can follow the NHL coverage throughout the week.