The Boston Bruins needed overtime to finish the job in Winnipeg, but they left Canada Life Centre with a 4-3 win and a 2-0-0 start.
Boston was chasing early after Dylan DeMelo put the Jets ahead 1-0 at 4:52 of the first period, finishing a sequence set up by Morgan Barron and Adam Lowry. The Bruins answered at 9:23 when Hampus Lindholm tied it at 1, with Morgan Geekie and Will Borgen credited with the assists.
Then came the moment that stood out most in the opening period: James Hagens scored his first NHL goal at 15:20 to give Boston a 2-1 lead. Nikita Zadorov and Mark Kastelic assisted on the rookie’s first trip to the scoresheet in the league.
Winnipeg controlled the shot count in the period, 13-8, but Boston still carried that one-goal edge into the first intermission.
The middle frame swung back toward the Jets. Elias Lindholm went to the box for tripping at 1:34, and Kyle Connor made it pay off just 16 seconds later on the power play to tie the game 2-2.
Gabriel Vilardi and Cole Perfetti picked up the assists. Then, with time nearly gone in the period, Mario Ferraro scored at 19:48 to push Winnipeg back in front 3-2.
Lowry and Connor assisted on the goal.
Boston didn’t go away. Elias Lindholm pulled the Bruins even at 3-3 with 1:38 left in regulation, burying the tying goal at 18:22 of the third period. David Pastrnak and Mason Lohrei set it up, and that was enough to force overtime.
In the extra session, JJ Peterka ended it at 3:21, scoring the game-winner with help from Pastrnak and Zadorov.
Jeremy Swayman finished with 30 saves for Boston. Stuart Skinner made 26 saves for Winnipeg.
The Bruins are back in action Saturday night in St. Paul, Minn., against the Minnesota Wild.
Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. ET on NESN.
In Other News...
Bruins Face An Early Road Test With One Big Lineup Decision
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Boston still has one lineup question hanging over the trip, and it is the kind that can shape an entire back-to-back. The goaltending picture has not been confirmed yet, while Winnipeg comes in without Connor Hellebuyck and with Stuart Skinner expected to start, leaving both teams to navigate an early-season test with a few moving parts in net. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Are Already Showing The Late-Game Fight Fans Wanted
For a Bruins team that spent training camp and the early part of the season talking about resilience, Tuesdays 4-3 overtime win over the Winnipeg Jets offered a familiar kind of proof. Boston had to dig itself out of a late third-period hole, but the response was there, and so was the kind of push fans have been waiting to see when the game gets tight in the closing minutes. Jeremy Swayman helped keep it within reach with 31 saves, giving the Bruins a chance to turn one point into two.
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James Hagens Is Giving The Bruins A Tough Early Decision
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The early returns have made things interesting for Boston in a hurry. Hagens did enough to earn a place on the team, and he wasted little time giving the organization another reason to keep him around by scoring in the season opener against the Winnipeg Jets. For a player who was not handed a spot, the start he has put together only sharpens the question the Bruins now have to sort through. [Read more 🡒]