Jake DeBrusk scored the go-ahead goal 4:43 into the third period, rookie goalie Jeremy Swayman made 27 saves and the Boston Bruins beat the visiting Dallas Stars 3-1 to win their season opener on Saturday night.
Brad Marchand added a penalty-shot goal and an empty-netter for Boston, which began its first season since 2006 without longtime goalie Tuukka Rask on the roster. Rask, 34, remains a free agent after undergoing hip surgery during the offseason.
Swayman became the first rookie goaltender to start a season opener for the Bruins since Blaine Lacher in 1995. The 22-year-old Swayman did not reach the 25-game threshold to graduate from rookie status after making 10 starts last season for Boston.
Luke Glendening scored his first goal of the season for Dallas, which was coming off a 3-2 season-opening overtime win at the New York Rangers on Thursday. Braden Holtby stopped 37 shots for Dallas and fell to 18-5-0 lifetime against the Bruins.
DeBrusk broke a 1-1 tie in the third when he put home a rebound in front of the crease while skating through the low slot.
Marchand beat Holtby to his blocker side on his penalty shot with 2:22 left in the first period to put Boston ahead 1-0. Marchand improved to 5-for-8 lifetime on penalty shots after being awarded the chance when Ryan Suter held his stick on a breakaway.
Per NHL Stats, Marchand moved into a tie with Vincent Lecavalier for third place on the NHL’s all-time penalty-shot goals list — two shy of Pavel Bure’s league-record of seven since the shots were introduced in the 1934-35 season.
Glendening pulled the Stars even at 1-1 at 9:15 of the second period after skating into the slot and firing a wrister past Swayman.
Marchand scored into an empty net with 1:37 remaining to seal the win.
Dallas continues its four-game road trip to open the season at Ottawa on Sunday. Boston is off until Wednesday when it visits Philadelphia.
–Field Level Media
