McAvoy Makes Immediate Impact in Return
Charlie McAvoy wasted little time making his presence felt in his season debut for the Boston Bruins, scoring in a 6-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Tuesday. McAvoy had been sidelined for six games due to a suspension stemming from a slashing incident on Buffalo Sabres forward Zach Benson during Game 6 of the Eastern Conference First Round last season. His goal put Boston ahead 2-1 in the first period.[S1][S2][S3][S4]
Boston coach Marco Sturm acknowledged the win was not flawless but emphasized the importance of securing two points on the road. He noted the team had too many turnovers and was somewhat sloppy, yet found a way to close out the game. San Jose coach Ryan Warsofsky saw positives in his team's effort, saying they improved in certain areas but still have things to clean up.[S1]
Minten's Brace, Stenberg's First
Fraser Minten opened the scoring at 12:55 of the first period, then added his second goal at 11:47 of the third to make it 5-3. Otto Stenberg, the No. 2 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, scored his first career goal on a power play at 5:48 of the second period, tying the game 2-2. Macklin Celebrini also scored a power-play goal in the third for San Jose.[S1]
Jacob Trouba tied the game 1-1 for San Jose at 15:29 of the first, and Celebrini cut the deficit to 4-3 at 5:04 of the third. Boston's Matthew Poitras and Pavel Zacha also scored, while Will Borgen added an empty-net goal at 18:18 to seal the win. Sharks defenseman Darnell Nurse left in the third period after fighting Nikita Zadorov, and no update was provided.[S1]
