Marco Sturm left the Boston Bruins bench Wednesday night with his first-ever win as an NHL head coach, and a new souvenir to celebrate the moment. After Boston's 3-1 road win over the Washington Capitals, Sturm was given a puck from his milestone evening.

"It feels great," Sturm said after guiding the Bruins to a victory over the Capitals. "I'm exhausted though."

Sturm has been coaching for nearly a decade since his playing career came to an end, but was the leader on an NHL bench for the first time Wednesday night. He started his career with two points, but said the memento he received after the win is for more than just an individual achievement. 

"It's not just me. I think about the people who helped me," said Sturm. "My family helped me to get to this point. It took a lot. That puck isn't just for me; it's for all of us."

He may have been tired, but Sturm's exhaustion couldn't keep a giant smile from beaming throughout his post-game interview. Boston earned a hard-fought road victory Wednesday night through opportune scoring, a strong presence in the neutral zone, and some excellent play in net. 

"I said it before, it's the moment I was waiting for. To grab a win on the road at a tough place like here, it's even better," said Sturm. "And on top of it, for the most part, they played exactly what we worked on, they played exactly how I wanted them to play. That makes me happy."

David Pastrnak set the tone for the Boston offense, Jeremy Swayman was a wall in goal, and the Bruins' special teams killed all five Washington power plays -- and scored on a power play of their own -- en route to Wednesday night's 3-1 victory. 

David Pastrnak factored into all three Bruins goals

Boston's best player had his fingerprints on all three goals Wednesday night. While the Bruins would love a balanced offensive attack, Pastrnak is once again going to shoulder much of the load when it comes to putting the puck in the net.

He was a one-man wrecking crew on his second period goal, which ended with Pastrnak firing in a shot from above the top of the left circle. With Elias Lindholm in the crease, Pastrnak's long-distance bid beat Caps goalie Logan Thompson to give Boston a 1-0 edge. 

"That's him, right? That's why he makes the big bucks," Sturm said of Pastrnak's play-making abilities. "No, he was good. You've just got to be aware when he is on the ice. Sometimes you think he's going to slow down and all of a sudden he gets dangerous again. You could see it today."

"But he was great. I thought he was outstanding on the bench too; very positive and kept the guys going," added Sturm.

After Tim Wilson tied the game for the Capitals in the third period, Pastrnak and the Bruins' top line got to work again. With Boston on the power play, Pastrnak found Lindholm streaking in front of the net, who put in a backhand shot to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead just 38 seconds after Washington had tied the game.

"Guys stuck with it and special teams, those are the moments that always come up and you have to shine to get the momentum back," said Sturm. "That's what happened."

Pastrnak also assisted on Morgan Geekie's empty-netter in the final minute to finish off his three-point game.

Jeremy Swayman was stellar in net

After a disappointing 2024-25 season, Swayman started this season with a stellar effort in net for Boston. He stopped 35 of the 36 shots the Capitals sent his way, including eight of the nine high-danger shots he saw.

Swayman had a big save on Washington's Nic Dowd in the second period, when the Caps forward found himself on a bit of a breakaway after a poorly-timed Bruins line change. But Swayman turned him Dowd away to keep the game scoreless.

The netminder also kept Alex Ovechkin off the scoresheet, as Swayman stopped all three shots Ovechkin sent his way. 

Swayman also stopped all 11 shots he saw while the Capitals were on the power play. 

Overall, the Bruins' defense played strong in the neutral zone as they limited Washington's entries and generated a number of turnovers. It was an excellent start to the season and the Sturm era for Boston.

The Bruins will look to get Sturm his first home win as Bruins head coach Thursday night when they host the Chicago Blackhawks at TD Garden.