Preds fall to Bruins

BOSTON — Jake DeBrusk had a goal and assist in his first NHL game, while Charlie McAvoy added a goal and assist in his first regular-season appearance as the Boston Bruins beat the Nashville Predators 4-3 Thursday night in the season opener for both teams.

David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand also scored for Boston, David Krejci finished with three assists and Anders Bjork added an assist in his first NHL start.

Nashville tied the game 1-1 with a late goal in the first period by Viktor Arvidsson and got late goals in the third by Scott Hartnell and Filip Forsberg, but last season’s Western Conference champions were outshot 32-29 in the game.

Tuukka Rask had 26 saves for Boston. Pekka Rinne stopped 28 shots for the Predators.

Boston played without center Patrice Bergeron, who was dealing with a lower body injury, and forward David Backes, who has diverticulitis. DeBrusk and Bjork started in their absences.

The Predators face the Pittsburgh Penguins in a Stanley Cup Final rematch Saturday night.

Nashville was sluggish throughout the night on offense and didn’t take its first shot on goal until the 7:35 mark of the first period. The Predators were outshot 12-8 in the period and were 0-for-2 on power plays, but Arvidsson was in the right place at the right time late in the period, flipping in a deflection off a face-off by Rask to tie it up.