Bergeron’s hat trick leads Bruins
Patrice Bergeron missed the exhibition season and most of training camp recovering from back spasms that followed offseason groin surgery.
It doesn’t seem to have slowed him down.
The Bruins’ forward had his fourth career hat trick, scoring his first goal 30 seconds into the game, and Tuukka Rask stopped 28 shots for his first win of the season to help Boston beat the Senators 6-3 in its home opener Monday.
Two games after the Bruins lost the season opener to the Stanley Cup champion Capitals 7-0, allowing a goal 24 seconds in, Bergeron opened their home season the same way.
“He’s impressive. He’s a competitor,” said linemate Brad Marchand, who had three assists for a leagueleading seven through three games this season. “He wants to be the best player on the ice every night.”
Bergeron also had an assist, David Pastrnak had two goals and two assists and defenseman Charlie McAvoy had his first career three-assist game for Boston. Chris Wagner also scored for the Bruins, who beat Ottawa for the fifth straight time and won their second straight this year since losing to the Capitals on opening night.
Mike Condon made 24 saves and Ryan Dzingel scored twice for the Senators, who picked up a 5-on-3 power play with about 12 minutes left but failed to score.
Sabres 4, Golden Knights 2: Jack Eichel scored two goals to lead host Buffalo to its second straight win. Marco Scandella and Jason Pominville had the other goals and Carter Hutton made 35 saves for the Sabres (2-1-0), who have a winning record for the first time since the third game of the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. Erik Haula and Jonathan Marchessault scored for the Golden Knights (1-2-0), playing the second of a five-game road trip.
Ducks 3, Red Wings 2: Rookie Troy Terry scored the only goal in the shootout and John Gibson made 19 saves as Anaheim won its home opener. Jakob Silfverberg scored the tying goal with 11:31 to play, and Hampus Lindholm also scored as the Ducks improved to 3-0-0. Terry, 12, then scored a shootout goal in his fifth NHL game, and Gibson stopped all three Detroit shooters. Tyler Bertuzzi and Darren Helm scored and Jimmy Howard stopped 24 shots for the Red Wings, who are winless in three games. Anaheim opened the home slate of its 25th season without captain Ryan Getzlaf, 2010-11 league MVP Corey Perry, 2010-11 Selke Trophy winner Ryan Kesler and goal-scoring forwards Patrick Eaves and Ondrej Kase, all of whom are hurt.
Briefly: Philadelphia winger James van Riemsdyk is out five to six weeks with a lower-body injury after being hit by a shot Saturday . ... Florida goaltender Roberto Luongo will miss two to four weeks with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee . ... Columbus forward Brandon Dubinsky is expected to miss four to six weeks with a strained oblique muscle . ... Buffalo center Johan Larsson practiced for the first time since sustaining a lower-body injury Sept. 26 and is nearing a return.