Danton Heinen scored a first period goal that turned out to be the game winner and Tuuka Rask made 28 saves Thursday night as the defending Eastern Conference Champion Boston Bruins opened their season with a 2-1 win over the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Brett Ritchie, who was acquired from Dallas in the offseason to replace the departed Noel Acciari, scored on his first shift with Boston. Ritchie found a loose puck after a Stars turnover, skated into the top of the left faceoff circle to the right of Dallas goalie Ben Bishop and wristed one into the net five hole to make it 1-0 just 1:09 into the game. Heinen scored the game winner on the powerplay off a feed from Charlie McAvoy, wristing one high into the net over Bishops shoulder to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead in the first. Boston would have to hang on the rest of the way as Rask would come up with some grade A saves in the second and third periods to preserve the lead and the win. Roope Hintz would score off a Joe Pavelski feed on a partial breakaway at 7:55 of the second period but that is all the Stars could muster on the night.
Charlie Coyle and Matt Grzelcyk had the other Boston assists on the night. Bishop made 18 saves in the Dallas loss as the hosts outshot Boston 29-20.The Bruins went 1-4 on the powerplay, while the Stars were 0-2. Boston continues the four game road trip to open the season when they travel to Arizona for a 9 p.m. faceoff with the Coyotes Saturday night.
