Viktor Arvidsson's hat trick powered the Boston Bruins to a 6-3 win over the Washington Capitals at TD Garden, marking his first three-goal game since March 2022, according to multiple reports. Arvidsson's performance came on his daughter's fifth birthday, adding a personal milestone to the team's success. The Bruins have now won five of their last six games, building momentum as the playoff race intensifies.
Arvidsson's recent scoring surge extends beyond Saturday's game. He scored two goals in a 4-2 win over Buffalo, according to multiple sources, and netted the decisive shootout goal in a 4-3 victory against Columbus, where Pavel Zacha also scored twice. In the win over Washington, Arvidsson scored the go-ahead goal on a breakaway 4:28 into the third period, slipping a wrister over goalie Logan Thompson's left pad after a short backhand pass from Casey Mittelstadt, per reports. He also got behind the Washington defense earlier, catching a feed from Mittelstadt at the Capitals' blueline and beating Thompson on the stick side.
I enjoy playing in high-stakes games with passionate crowds.
The Bruins' home dominance has been a key factor in their recent run. They haven't lost at TD Garden in 2026, dating back to a 6-2 loss to Montreal on Dec. 23rd. Their current home win streak is their longest since a 14-game streak during the 2022-23 season, according to research. With Saturday's win, Boston now holds a six-point lead over the Capitals for the second wild card spot and leads the wild card race by eight points over Ottawa, Detroit, and Philadelphia.
The Capitals were playing their first game since the trade deadline, which saw them deal John Carlson to Anaheim and Nic Dowd to Vegas, according to multiple reports. Carlson had been with Washington for nearly 17 seasons. Despite the roster changes, Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery praised his team's effort, saying they fought and stuck to the game plan for the most part. The Capitals killed off two Boston power plays in the first period but failed to score on three of their own man advantages.
Our line made mistakes in the previous game.
In Buffalo, the Sabres' late rally fell short in a 4-2 loss to Boston, but the team remains hot overall. According to multiple reports, Buffalo fans were passionate and the arena was full. The Sabres scored two late goals in the game, but Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made a mistake on a goal by Morgan Geekie. Earlier in the week, the Sabres won their sixth game in a row, with Tage Thompson and Jason Zucker scoring less than two minutes apart in the second period. Josh Doan scored 16 seconds into the third period for a 3-1 lead. The Sabres have earned a point in 13 of their last 15 games, and Thompson extended his point streak to a career-best 10 games (six goals, five assists). The Sabres are now 29-2-0 this season when they have the lead after two periods.
In New Jersey, Jack Hughes recorded a hat trick and an assist to lead the Devils to a 6-3 win over the Rangers. Nico Hischier scored the go-ahead goal, while Jesper Bratt and Dawson Mercer also scored for the Devils. The Devils are nine points out of a playoff spot. For the Rangers, Will Borgen, Vladislav Gavrikov, and Will Cuylle scored, but the team continues to slide. The Rangers are 4-12-3 since winning the Winter Classic over Florida on Jan. 2.
I have never played a playoff game in Boston.
In other notable games, Zachary L'Heureux scored his first goal of the season to give the Predators a 1-0 lead, while Trevor Zegras scored the only goal of the shootout to help Philadelphia defeat Pittsburgh 4-3.
Goaltending performances were mixed across the league. Logan Thompson stopped 27 of 29 shots for Washington and yielded two or fewer goals against for the fourth time in his last five starts (3-2-0), according to reports. Thompson made the save on Zacha's initial shot from in tight, but Zacha stayed with it and scored. Thompson said he felt good and is trying to give his team a chance every night.
Give our guys credit. I thought we fought, I thought we stuck to the game plan for the most part, so you can’t fault that. And with what we’ve gone through as a group, our guys deserve a lot of credit.
The teams meet again in Washington on March 14. According to Sportbladet, Viktor Arvidsson described enjoying playing in high-stakes games with passionate crowds. He also noted that his line made mistakes in the previous game and that he has never played a playoff game in Boston. The exact dates of the Bruins' wins over Buffalo, Columbus, and Dallas remain unclear from available reports.
I felt good today. I’m just trying to give my team a chance every night, and I’m not going to quit. I’m going to keep working hard and get back to work these next couple of days and we’ve got another game at home.