The first game of the season is in the books, and just like the final game of last year, the Bruins prevailed.
The stakes weren't nearly as high in this one as they were in Boston's dramatic Game 7 win in the Stanley Cup Final, but while the club's management reveled in that win before a crowd of season-ticket holders back at TD Garden, the Boston rookies took care of business down on Long Island. Boston's youngsters put together an impressive showing as they beat the prospects of the host New York Islanders 8-5 in the first of two rookie games at Nassau Coliseum on Monday night.
Picking up where he left off a year ago, Ryan Spooner led the way for Boston with two goals and two assists. The Bruins won both games against the Islanders rookies last year at the Garden, with Spooner scoring both goals in a 2-1 overtime victory in the second game.
Spooner, a 2010 second-round pick who was among the final cuts in the main camp last year, got things going early in this one, opening the scoring with a goal from Tyler Randell. The Islanders tied it as three first-round picks combined on the goal, with Nino Niederreiter (fifth overall in 2010) scoring from Ryan Strome (fifth overall in 2011) and Calvin de Haan (12th overall in 2009).
It remained 1-1 into the second until Dylan Hood scored for Boston from Spooner and Marc Cantin. The Isles answered with two straight goals, but Spooner scored again, this time from David Warsofsky and Yannick Riendeau, to even the game at 3-3 heading into the third.
The Bruins pulled ahead 6-3 with goals from Jared Knight (from Craig Cunningham), Warsofsky (from Hood and Cunningham) and Riendeau (from Spooner), but New York clawed back to within a goal with scores by de Haan and Niederreiter.
The Bruins finally put the game away when Carter Camper scored a late power-play goal and Knight added an empty netter.
Michael Hutchinson played the entire game in goal for the Bruins, while first-round pick Dougie Hamilton got into his first game action in a Bruins sweater.
The teams will close out the two-game set Tuesday night at Nassau Coliseum.
