BOSTON — Patrice Bergeron made a triumphant return to the Boston lineup, scoring with 1:15 left to give the Bruins a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils Thursday night.
Bergeron, who missed the first three games of the season with a lower body injury, made his 2016-17 debut in his team’s home opener — and scored the winner off a pass from Brad Marchand.
Marchand, who tied the game 1-1 with 10:13 remaining, found Bergeron up high and Bergeron let a quick wrist shot go. Linemate David Pastrnak, covered by defenseman Kyle Quincey, crossed in front of Corey Schneider just as the puck got there, screening the goaltender.
The win was the third in four games for the Bruins, who went 2-1 on their opening trip without their most reliable forward in Bergeron.
Tuukka Rask stopped 28 shots in the Boston goal for his third victory in as many starts.
Schneider, a local product who also played at Boston College, was strong with 34 saves. He fell to 1-4-2 against his hometown team.
The Devils took a 1-0 lead when Kyle Palmieri connected on a power play goal 4:14 into the third period.
After Bergeron scored, the Bruins had to survive the final 49.9 seconds after David Backes, making his home debut with his new team, took a roughing penalty. The Devils (1-2-1) controlled the puck well but couldn’t get it past Rask, who has allowed five goals in three games.
The Devils, a young team that thrives on playing a defensive style, did just that in a game that was quiet for the first 40 minutes.
After two scoreless periods, the Devils broke through when Palmieri fired a screen shot from inside the left point that eluded Rask — Palmieri’s second goal of the season and the Devils third power play goal in two games.
The lead lasted until the 9:47 mark when Marchand, breaking down the right side on what looked like a harmless rush, used defenseman Andy Greene as a screen and fired a wrist shot through Greene’s legs and past Schneider on his right side.
It was Marchand’s third goal in four games.
Ducks 3, Flyers 2
PHILADELPHIA — The Anaheim Ducks finally found out what happens when they stay out of the penalty box.
Ryan Garbutt’s goal 11:34 into the third period off a great feed by Korbinian Holzer broke a tie and gave the Ducks their first win of the season, 3-2 over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Anaheim (1-3-1) wrapped up a five-game, season-opening road trip. Philadelphia (1-2-1) lost its third game in a row.
Garbutt was left untouched on the side of the net as Holzer made a nifty move behind Flyers goalie Steve Mason.
Anaheim goalie John Gibson then finished off a 20-save performance to preserve the win.
The Ducks, who took seven minor penalties in a loss Tuesday in New Jersey, entered the third period Thursday with 16 penalty minutes. However, their skill and discipline finally took over in the third, when they proved to be the better team at even strength.
The Flyers had just two shots on goal in the final 10 minutes, one of which was a dribbler that got to Gibson as the final horn sounded.
Anaheim quieted the home crowd and controlled the first period at even strength. The Ducks took a 1-0 lead 11:24 into the first period when Sami Vatanen’s stretch pass sent Jared Boll into the Philadelphia zone. Boll found a trailing Chris Wagner, who beat Mason (23 saves) with a wrist shot to open the scoring.
The Ducks, who have been struggling with discipline, took two minor penalties in the first period. And then a parade of infractions in the second period — six total in the 20-minute frame — had Anaheim looking like a team primed to be beaten. But Gibson was beaten just once while playing a man down. Wayne Simmonds scored his third goal of the year less than five minutes into the second period, finishing a tic-tac-toe passing play at the side of the net.
Matt Read’s fourth goal of the year, which came after a brilliant, one-handed tip pass from Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, put the Flyers ahead, 2-1, midway through the second.
But after taking the team’s fifth penalty of the period, alternate captain Corey Perry — 13 seconds after leaving the box — beat Mason with a slap shot from the slot to even the game at two apiece with just over three minutes to play in the second period.