Bruins 2, Winnipeg Jets 1
BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins ran their lockout-delayed season record to 2-0 with a 2-1 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets Monday.
Tuukka Rask stopped 26 of 27 shots in the game and then yielded only one goal in the shootout, Bryan Little's attempt to continue the game hitting the post to Rask's left.
Boston's Tyler Seguin and Patrice Bergeron beat Ondrej Pavelec, who played a strong game, in the shootout while former Bruin Blake Wheeler opened the competition with a goal for Winnipeg.
Winnipeg's Chris Thorburn and Boston's Brad Marchand traded first-period goals, as the Jets picked up their first point of the season while falling to 0-1-1.
Rask, taking over the No. 1 spot with Tim Thomas deciding not to play out the final year of his contract, has yielded two goals in the two wins.
The Bruins had a chance to take the lead on the power play in the third period when Evander Kane went off for goaltender interference at 12:31. Early in the power play, Rich Peverley blasted a shot that beat Pavelec and hit the post.
Winnipeg then had two power plays, one near the end of regulation and into the OT and then again for the final 1:28 of play, after a shaky holding call on Zdeno Chara.
The Jets took a 1-0 lead just 1:58 into the game when rookie defenseman Paul Postma shot from the right point and Thornburn put home the rebound. It was Postma's first NHL point in his sixth game in the league.
Midway through the period, Rask, who had an easy night in beating the New York Rangers Saturday, stopped Kyle Wellwood on a breakaway, preventing the Jets from taking a two-goal lead.
Winnipeg captain Andrew Ladd lost the puck at the blue line to Tyler Seguin, who carried down the right side before sliding the puck out to Marchand for a re-direction and a tie game at 14:12 of the period.
After the Jets wasted a pair of power play chances, the Bruins had all kinds of chances in the second period, with their top two lines dealing out most of the chances. But Pavelec, with a little help from his goal post, kept the puck out and left the teams tied 1-1 after two.
Notes: A moment of silence was observed before the game to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ... Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg missed the game and is day to day with a lower body injury. Aaron Johnson returned from a conditioning assignment and debuted with his sixth NHL team while David Warsofsky was sent to Providence of the AHL. ... Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk played in his 200th NHL game. ... The Winnipeg Free Press reported the Jets, who should be in the Western Conference but are stuck in the East for the second straight season, will far out-fly any conference foes this season. The Jets will fly 27,383 miles in the shortened season. The Florida Panthers are second at 25,183, while the Tampa Bay Lightning is at 20,546. ... Did this area miss the Bruins? Saturday night's opener set a regular season ratings record for the Bruins on their local NESN channel. ... Olympic Gold Medal gymnast Aly Raisman, who hails from nearby Needham, dropped the ceremonial first puck. ... The Jets were a dreadful 14-22-5 on the road last season, and opened this season looking for answers, Monday being their first road game. "As easy as it sounds to fix, it's tough," center Bryan Little told the Free Press. "As much as you say you're going to treat it like a home game and come out the same way ... it's hard to trick yourself into thinking you're at home." ... The Jets visit the Washington Capitals Tuesday night, while the Bruins are at the New York Rangers for a return match Wednesday night. ...In career shootouts, Rask is 9-7 and Pavalec is 6-13.
