Morgan Geekie got back on the scoreboard. Charlie McAvoy got back on the ice and Marco Sturm got behind the TD Garden bench for the first time as the Bruins opened their preseason with a 5-2 loss to the Capitals, in a preview of the regular season opener.

Geekie, who had a career year last year despite a slow start, was trying to position himself to come out of the gate more quickly this year. While a preseason goal doesn’t mean much, it’s a step toward that goal.

Patrick Brown had the other goal for Boston.

Michael DiPietro, who is hoping to push Joonas Korpisalo for the backup job, allowed five goals and made 21 saves in the first 30 minutes. Simon Zajicek stopped all six shots he saw in the second half of the game.

Lineup:

The Bruins sent four of their six regular defensemen

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