BOSTON — The Bruins have put their tough season-opening loss behind them with a pair of wins over division rivals, including Monday’s 6-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators at TD Garden.
Patrice Bergeron put on a show for B’s fans in the home opener by scoring a hat trick and adding an assist. David Pastrnak also scored twice for the B’s, who have potted 10 goals over their last two games after being shut out on opening night.
The Bruins improve to 2-1-0 with the win, while the Senators fall to 1-1-1.
Here’s how it all went down.
LINEUP CHANGES AND HOMETOWN OPENERS
David Backes was moved to center on the third line alongside Danton Heinen and Anders Bjork. Backes played right wing on that line in the first two games. Chris Wagner, a Walpole, Mass., native made his home debut. Ryan Donato, a Boston native, played in his first home opener with the Bruins. He made his NHL debut March 19 of last season.
QUICK STRIKE
The Bruins got on the board just 30 seconds into the game. David Pastrnak drove to the net but couldn’t get the puck past Sens goalie Mike Condon, however Patrice Bergeron came in and jammed it over the goal line to give Boston a 1-0 edge.
It was Bergeron’s second goal of the season.
BERGY 2X
Bergeron scored his second goal of the game during a late first period power play. He took a pass from Marchand and rocketed a shot up high past Condon to double Boston’s lead.
SENS GET ONE BACK
The Senators are void of talent, but they don’t quit. They came out strong to begin the second period and got on the board just 2:21 into the frame. Ryan Dzingel picked up a loose puck to the left of Tuukka Rask and fired it into the net. Rask made two saves just prior to the goal, but the Bruins near the net couldn’t clear the puck. Mark Stone and Zack Smith earned assists on Dzingel’s tally.
HOMETOWN KID
Wagner scored his first goal as a Bruin at 7:20 of the second period, restoring Boston’s two-goal advantage at 3-1. He tipped a shot from Charlie McAvoy and the puck took a couple of awkward bounces toward net before sneaking past Condon.
McAvoy and Kuraly picked up assists on Wagner’s goal.
DZINGEL AGAIN
Dzingel scored his second goal of the game at 12:13 of the second period, which trimmed the Bruins’ lead to 3-2. The shot came from the wall to Rask’s right, and his late reaction suggests he might’ve been screened by Zdeno Chara as the puck came in.
HAT TRICK
Bergeron completed his hat trick at 4:38 of the third period to give Boston a 4-2 edge. The B’s center got a fortunate bounce off Senators defenseman Cody Ceci and into the net. You need a little luck sometimes.
McAvoy tallied his third assist of the game on Bergeron’s goal, while Marchand picked up his second.
LATE GOALS
Bergeron earned his fourth point of the day by feeding Pastrnak for a late third-period goal. Zdeno Chara also got an assist on Pastrnak’s second tally of the campaign.
Bobby Ryan scored just 32 seconds later for the Senators to trim the deficit to 5-3 with 2:57 left in the third period.
Pastrnak scored an empty-net goal with 1:38 remaining to secure the 6-3 win.
UP NEXT
The Bruins welcome 2016-17 Hart Trophy winner Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers to TD Garden on Thursday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
The Bruins Wrap is presented by Plainridge Park CasinoÂ
