Just when it looked like the Bruuins would kick away a game they should have taken, they came up up with a pretty good gut-check victory at Capital One Arena.

Kevin Shattenkirk notched the go-ahead shootout goal and then Jeremy Swayman stopped Connor McMichael to lift the B’s to a 3-2 victory over the Capitals in Washington.

But the shootout wasn’t even the most dramatic part of the win.

Less than a minute into overtime, Hampus Lindhoolm was given a double minor for high-sticking T.J. Oshie, but the B’s and Jeremy Swayman managed to kill off the entire four minutes and get it to the shootout.

In the opening 60 minutes, the B’s allowed a seaon-low 16 shots on net, but found themsellves in a 2-2 tie after three periods after losing a pair of one-goal leads.

For the first time in four games, the B’s scored the first goal of the game, Hampus Lindholm’s first tally in 51 games.

But the game started with Lindholm saving a goal on the first shift of the game. Charlie McAvoy pinched down the right wall but couldn’t control the puck and the Caps broke out with numbers. Jeremy Swayman stopped Alex Oveckin’s shot but could not corral the rebound and Connor McMichael swooped in. He took it to his backhand and appeared to have an empty net, but Lindholm sliced in behind Swayman to make a goal-saving stick save.

The B’s were a little slow out of the gate but eventually gained their footing and held an advantage in the first. Coach Jim Montgomery had loaded up with his top pair and line, pairing McAvoy and Lindholm on the back end while reuniting Brad Marchand, Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak.

It was with those five players on the ice that the B’s made it 1-0 at 18:47. With Marchand battling for position in front of the net, Lindholm snapped a left point shot on net that eluded goalie Charlie Lindgren for the defenseman’s second goal of the year.

The lead didn’t last long.

With the long change in effect in the second period, the B’s were caught in a bad change, allowing Nick Jensen to send Michael Scarbossa off on a partial break on his off wing up the right side. With Kevin Shattenkirk desperately trying to close, Scarbossa ripped a wrister that beat Swayman over the blocker to the far side at 1:20.

But just 1:02 later, the B’s had their lead back. John Beecher blocked a Dylan Strome pass out high in the zone and took off. He started the one-man breakout, pushing it ahead to give himself a clean breakaway. Beecher, never known for his scoring touch, calmly slipped a soft backhander between Lindgren’s pads.

The B’s had several good scoring chances to extend the lead, including a 3-on-1 on which David Pastrnak’s pass was deflected and the puck never made it to the net.

Then the B’s took two penalties. First, they killed off Danton Heinen’s slashing penalty, and then they appeared to poised to kill off Shattenkirk’s hooking penalty. They even survived a period of time when McAvoy lost a skate blade and the Caps had essentially a 5-on-3.

But with the seconds ticking off the penalty, Max Pacioretty made a sweet pass across the top of the crease for John Carlson. Celebrating his 1,000th game, Carlson beat the block attempt from Brandon Carlo to even it up at 14:03.

The B’s had a 17-11 shot advantage over the opening 40 minutes, but they were in a deadlock heading into the third.