If Charlie McAvoy had to shake off any rust, it didn't take him long to do it. After sitting out the first six games of the season due to suspension, McAvoy made an immediate impact in his season debut Tuesday night in San Jose to help lead the Bruins to their third straight win, 6-3 over the Sharks.
With the game tied 1-1 late in the first period, McAvoy pinched down to the slot to force a turnover in the San Jose zone. As JJ Peterka tracked down the loose puck, McAvoy charged to the front, put his stick on the ice, and buried Peterka's centering pass while getting knocked down from behind by Barclay Goodrow.
Patience is key 🤌 https://t.co/CGSCmP8b49
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) October 14, 2026
One period, one goal.
McAvoy continued to make a positive impact from there. He nearly scored a second goal on the power play early in the second period, driving to the back post for a cross-crease pass from Elias Lindholm, but he couldn't quite settle the bouncing puck after San Jose goalie Yaroslav Askarov got his stick on it.
On the Bruins' fourth goal of the night, which came with three seconds left in the second period, McAvoy didn't get a point, but he was on the ice. In fact, he was literally on the ice for much of the play, as he got tangled up in a wrestling match with Sharks star and fellow Boston University Terrier Macklin Celebrini behind the play.
Smartly, though, McAvoy just got up and skated away instead of doing anything that would've led to a penalty call and robbed the Bruins of the scoring chance. Seconds later, at the other end of the ice, Morgan Geekie set up Pavel Zacha for the finish after a David Pastrnak steal in the neutral zone.
McAvoy finished the night with a game-high 24:41 time on ice to go along with the goal, three shots, four hits and a 75.2% expected goals share.
Elsewhere for the Bruins, Fraser Minten stayed hot with a pair of goals, giving him three goals and five points in the last two games. He opened the scoring 12:55 into the game when he came right off the bench and took a pass from Casey Mittelstadt high in the offensive zone. All in one motion, Minten caught the pass and showed off his improved shot with a hard snapper that beat Askarov blocker-side.
Watching this on repeat 🔂 https://t.co/xPVkf1m8Y1
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) October 14, 2026
Then with 8:13 left in the game, Minten scored a crucial insurance goal to push Boston's lead to 5-3. Mason Lohrei jumped up to join the rush, but actually whiffed on his shot (or pass) attempt. Fortunately, the puck deflected over to Marat Khusnutdinov, who then set up Minten right on top of the crease for Minten's fourth goal of the season, which is two more than anyone else on the team.
Matt Poitras also scored for the Bruins, tapping in a pass to the front from Mark Kastelic for his second goal of the season midway through the second period. It was another example of coach Marco Sturm's early-season faith in young players paying off.
The 22-year-old Minten has been elevated into a top-six role, and that's paying off. Sturm has stuck with Poitras, also 22, over the veteran Sean Kuraly at fourth-line center, and that's paying off. James Hagens, 19, didn't get on the score sheet Tuesday, but he did set a moving screen on Minten's first goal, and he also hit a post. And he does have four points in seven games this season.
And on defense, even with McAvoy returning, Sturm elected to keep 23-year-old Frederic Brunet in over the veteran Connor Clifton. Brunet was solid again Tuesday and made one of the game's biggest defensive plays, breaking up a 2-on-1 with a great stick early in the third period to help protect the lead.
In net, Jeremy Swayman stopped 35 of the 38 shots he faced to improve to 5-1-0 on the season.
"It was probably not the prettiest game we played, but the bottom line is you gotta find ways to win those type of games too," Sturm told NESN. "You're not always gonna have your A-game, but can you win with a B-game? I think that's exactly what happened. It takes a few guys to step up too. I thought Sway was outstanding. Charlie McAvoy was outstanding today with Hampus [Lindholm]. There were a few guys who stepped up big-time, and that's why we came up with the win."
The Bruins' road trip continues Friday night in Anaheim against the Ducks.
