Bruins split preseason as Sturm weighs roster decisions

The Boston Bruins split the opening pair of their 2025 preseason games, falling 5-2 to the Washington Capitals at TD Garden on Sunday before rallying for a 5-4 overtime win at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. The two games highlighted both promising depth and persistent problems as coach Marco Sturm and his staff sort through roster decisions ahead of the regular season.

In the opener, a trio that figures to be fighting for roster spots — Jeffrey Viel, Patrick Brown and Riley Duran — emerged as Boston's most effective line. Sturm called them "our best line," noting their energy and forechecking. Brown scored one of the Bruins' two goals with assists from Viel and Duran. The other goal came from top-line winger Morgan Geekie off a broken play.

Sturm criticized the team's overall execution, pointing to "breakouts coming out of our end" and "individual turnovers" as key reasons for the loss. The second line of Matej Blumel, Matt Poitras and Alex Steeves struggled; all three were on the ice for three five-on-five goals against, and Sturm said their collective performance "was not the way they wanted." Poitras drew three penalties, a sign of puck engagement, but Sturm said the...