Entering Saturday afternoon's road game against the Washington Capitals, the Boston Bruins were looking for their first road win in nearly two months. That's right, the last time Marco Sturm tasted victory on the road was Jan. 17 against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Ok, so there was a three-week Olympic break in between that game and Saturday, but you get the point, the road has been horrible for the Bruins. If they are going to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, then they'll need to find ways to get wins on the road, not just points.
Twice against Washington, the Black and Gold fell behind, and twice they rallied. Both times, defenseman Charlie McAvoy scored the game-tying goals. His second forced overtime with a giant second point available for both teams. After a scoreless extra five minutes, it took a shootout to decide it, and it was an unsung hero who potted the game-winner.
Fraser Minten buries Bruins game-winner in shootout against Capitals
The shootout went nine rounds before someone found the back of the net. Between saves from Boston's Jeremy Swayman and Washington's Logan Thompson, there were posts and crossbars hit. In the bottom of the ninth, Minten ended it with a nice move on Thompson. After the game, he admitted that his move was from a pre-scout before the game.
“I am always ready for it,” Minten said. “Just saw lots of guys try shots and remember seeing a couple videos of him maybe biting on a fake in the pre-scout. So I just went in and tried to watch for that. Ended up working out.”
It did end up working out, and it worked out for Boston to get a huge second point in the standings. Let's just call it like it is, Minten is ready for any big moment that comes his way. The question should be asked: Why did it take until the ninth round for Minten to get his shot? One thing that has been a thorn in the side of Sturm this season has been his selection of players in shootouts. Maybe next time, Minten should hear his name called earlier.