Updated

Eric Fehr scored the game-winner at 37 seconds of overtime, as the Washington Capitals overcame a three-goal first- period deficit to down Boston, 4-3, at Verizon Center.

Fehr was skating over the Boston blue line when Nicklas Backstrom laid a lead pass one stride ahead. The veteran grinder accepted the feed, skated between a pair of Bruins defenders and scored with a rising shot to the far post.

"We didn't give up at all today. We know how important it is to string some wins together. To come back against a team that good means a lot, and hopefully we can keep going," said Fehr. "I think it says a lot about our character. This team believes in ourselves. We're a pretty confident bunch right now and we believe in the system."

Mike Ribeiro and Tomas Kundratek tallied in the second period and Wojtek Wolski notched the tying score late in regulation for the Capitals, who have taken four of their last five.

Braden Holtby hung in and earned the win with a 30-save effort.

Brad Marchand, Zdeno Chara and Doug Hamilton tallied for the Bruins, who were facing the Caps for the first time since Washington won a Game 7 in Boston to close out a first-round playoff series last April.

Tuukka Rask made 22 stops in the setback.

"We were sloppy on the forecheck and not doing the things we're supposed to, and they just kept coming on odd-man rushes," said Bruins head coach Claude Julien. "Then, in our own end, we were puck-watching and all of a sudden, [the puck] is in our net. You could sense in the second [period] we weren't the sharpest."

Boston picked up the game's first goal while shorthanded. Marchand was dragged down from behind on a rush by Ovechkin and given the free chance, converting at 6:29 of the opening period.

The visitors skated to intermission up by three goals thanks to scores 1:23 apart by Chara (17:07) on a rebound from the right side of the crease and Hamilton (18:30) from a point drive on a power play.

Ribeiro put the hosts on the board with 5:46 played in the second, and Kundratek's high wrister off a right-circle faceoff win -- his first in the NHL -- made it 3-2 with 8:28 left in the period.

"I definitely celebrated like it was a winning goal in the playoffs," admitted Kundratek. "It was my first one, and I'll remember it for the rest of my life."

Wolski cruised into the slot and swept a blocked Fehr pass between the pads of Rask with 6:05 remaining for a 3-3 deadlock.

The Caps survived a late-game hooking call to Ovechkin, then the feisty Washington captain barreled into Rask on a rush with 17 seconds to play without a penalty or injury to the netminder.

Game Notes

Washington has won four of the last five regular-season meetings with the Bruins ... Backstrom finished with three assists ... Prior to the game, the Capitals announced that defenseman Roman Hamrlik had been waived ... Caps forward Steve Oleksy picked up his first NHL point in his first game with an assist on Ribeiro's tally ... David Krejci posted two assists for Boston.