WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) - Boston’s David Pastrnak is ready to go home after taking two of three games on a season-opening road trip.
The 20-year-old Pastrnak scored the eventual game-winner on Monday night as the Bruins ended their road swing with a 4-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets.
“We’re excited to get back and see our fans,” Pastrnak said. “We can’t wait to play in the Garden.”
Pastrnak’s team-leading fourth goal of the season came in his 100th career game and was a fortunate one, as he banked a long centering pass off Jets defenseman Tobias Enstrom and in late in the second period. The goal extended his point streak to three games and gives him six points on the season.
“I tried to beat (Jets defenseman Tyler Myers) wide but he made a good gap so I turned around, tried to look up, centered the puck and got a good bounce there,” Pastrnak said.
Winnipeg captain Blake Wheeler opened the scoring 10 minutes into the game. Boston trailed for all of 19 seconds, however, as Dominic Moore tied things up at 10:19 of the first period.
“It’s kind of the exact opposite of the last couple games - not a whole lot of time in the (offensive) zone, but we were capitalizing on our chances,” Wheeler said.
“We didn’t get the bounce that we needed at the right time. We were in pretty (good) control of that game until (Pastrnak) scored there at the end of the second period. It just felt like we spent a lot of time in the box in the third period and could just never really get into a rhythm to try to tie it up.”
Rookie Brandon Carlo’s first-career goal added insurance for the Bruins with 1:59 remaining in the third period and Zdeno Chara scored an empty-netter inside the final minute.
Boston’s Tuukka Rask turned away 34 of 35 shots, while Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck stopped 21 of 24.
“We want to be able to consistently generate in a certain manner, things that you think you can replicate and do again. That was the real positive for us,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said.
“We spent zone time against a pretty well-schooled defensive team and we were able to generate that. There was some finish, some shot-blocking, some quickness just with the final release of the puck that didn’t go for us.”
Wheeler opened the scoring when he was sprung by Alexander Burmistrov with a breakaway pass as Wheeler stepped out of the penalty box. He deked Rask and slid the puck behind the Bruins goaltender on his forehand for his third goal and fifth point in his third game of the season.
The Bruins responded immediately as Moore scored his first of the season.
Boston took the lead briefly early in the second - before a coach’s challenge video review by Maurice determined Chara was unable to keep the puck onside before his shot from the blue line deflected off Winnipeg defenseman Ben Chiarot and past a screened Hellebuyck.
Neither team was able to convert on the power play, with the Bruins going 0 for 4 and the Jets 0 for 5. Winnipeg is just 1 for 13 on the season after finishing last season 30th in the NHL in power-play efficiency.
“Those penalties were deserved. We did a good job of killing them and when we had the opportunity to get some scoring chances, I thought we were pretty good,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said.
“Our back end wasn’t pretty as far as getting pucks out, but the battle factor was there.”
NOTES: Jets D Dustin Byfuglien continued his heavy log of ice-time this season. The 31-year-old entered Monday leading the NHL in average ice time with 29:38 per game, and kept the pace up with 30:05 Monday night, including 5:20 while anchoring the power play.
UP NEXT:
BRUINS: Their home opener is Thursday night against New Jersey.
JETS: Round out a three-game home stand as they welcome Toronto on Wednesday.
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