Marchand, DeBrusk Pace Bruins in Season-Opening Win Over Dallas

BOSTON - The Bruins were getting antsy.
Following their preseason finale, the Black & Gold were forced to wait 10 long days before opening the 2021-22 season. Boston went through a handful of practices over that stretch and after a while, as Bruce Cassidy put it earlier this week, they got tired of dress rehearsals.
On Saturday night, they finally got their chance to take the ice for real - and they did not disappoint.

Brad Marchand paced the Bruins with two goals, including a penalty shot and an empty-netter, as Boston commenced a new campaign with a 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars in front of a raucous TD Garden crowd.
"It just dragged on," Marchand said of training camp. "But I think with the group we have - we've bonded so quick already and really come together quickly. I think we're all really excited to see what we're gonna do this year, how it's gonna play out. And I think tonight was just a great example, especially early, with how good of a team we're gonna be."

Marchand got things started with 2:22 to go in the first period when he picked off a Dallas clearing attempt near the Stars' blue line and broke in all alone on goalie Braden Holtby. Dallas defenseman Ryan Suter attempted to hinder Marchand but was whistled for a hold which led to the penalty shot.
"I kind actually let up for a second after I picked it up," said Marchand. "I didn't see, I think it was [David Pastrnak] offside, right away. I saw him kind of coming and I kind of waited a split second to see if it was gonna be off and then when I didn't hear the whistle, I kind of just kept going and tried to get inside of Suter and luckily they called that one."
The winger went on to rip a wrister by Holtby blocker-side to become only the third player in NHL history to record his team's first goal of the season by cashing in on a penalty shot, joining Mats Sundin (Oct. 4, 2006 with Toronto) and his former teammate and current Bruins assistant coach Chris Kelly, who accomplished the feat with Boston on Oct. 3, 2013 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
It was Marchand's fifth penalty-shot goal, which is the third most in NHL history since they were officially introduced in 1934-35, per NHL Stats.
"You know, it's nice when those ones work out," said Marchand. "The only thing that I was really thinking about was don't miss it. That worked out good. The hard part, got by that pretty quick, and luckily that one went in."

Marchand, who matched Charlie McAvoy with a team-high five shots on goal, ended the night by fighting through a diving Miro Heiskanen to put home an empty-netter with 1:37 remaining that extended Boston's lead to 3-1.
"Very good That's fairly typical, right?" Cassidy said of Marchand's performance. "He draws a penalty [on the first goal] - a really, really smart play, because it looks like things are going to be offsides but he didn't touch the puck, so he doesn't have it under control, so it's a tag up.
"He was thinking quick on his feet, gets himself in a position for a penalty shot, finishes. The empty-net goal…all-around a good game for Marchy in every area."

DeBrusk Starts it Off Right

While Marchand bookended the night with a pair of goals, it was Jake DeBrusk's third-period tally that proved to be the winner as he put the Bruins ahead, 2-1, at 4:43 of the finale frame.
DeBrusk, who turns 25 on Sunday, started the sequence with a strong forecheck and freed the puck up for Erik Haula who found a trailing Nick Foligno in the slot. Foligno got the puck towards the net, where DeBrusk swooped in and whacked it by Holtby to put Boston on top.
"They'll be hard to play against if they're attacking like that," Cassidy said of Boston's new-look third line. "I think it's good for the group. When Jake's in a good place, he's got personality, he's a good kid, and he's good for our locker room.
"[That line] did a good job. It was simply playing behind their D, winning a foot race, creating a second effort play to create a turnover, and it ends up on his stick in the slot. That's a bit of what we're trying to preach - that you'll get rewarded a lot if you're able to make some of those plays.
"Happy for him. A good start. He had a good preseason, so just got to continue how we started."

DeBrusk, likewise, was thrilled to break through in the opener as he aims to rebound from a career-low five goals in 41 games last season.
"It's always nice to help the team win," said DeBrusk, now in his fifth season with the Bruins. "I thought preseason went fairly well, but it's just preseason. You want to get on the board as fast as possible. Seems like the mindset is working, seems like whatever is going on with our line and leaning on Nick and Erik, it's been very helpful for me."
Marchand noted that he has already noticed a difference in DeBrusk on and off the ice this season.
"Been really happy the way he's played," said Marchand. "Jake's a guy that feeds off confidence and he has it right now. But even the way he's kind of carried himself off the ice, he has a much better energy about him and a lot more excitement this year. And he's a guy that we need to rely on if we're gonna go far. He can be such a difference maker with his speed and his ability to put pucks in and around the net like you see tonight."

Swayman Shines Again

Jeremy Swayman became the first rookie goalie since Blaine Lacher in 1995 to start for Boston in a season opener and the 22-year-old proved to be up to the task. The Alaska native picked up right where he left off last season - when he burst onto the scene late in the year with a 7-3-0 record - and made 27 stops on 28 shots to pick up the victory.
"I love that kid," said Marchand. "He's such a good person in the room and off the ice. He fits in great, he's so genuine and he's been very calm from the first day he's been here.
"He has a confidence about him in the net that he's gonna play well and continue to impress. Very excited to see how his season is gonna go. Great showing tonight, he's been great all camp."
Swayman said that he tried to approach Saturday's tilt as he would any other game but acknowledged after the win how special of an accomplishment it was to get the start the opener.
"Going into it, I just wanted to treat it like another game - no bigger or smaller than what I've played before," said Swayman, who didn't see his first shot until just over four minutes remained in the first period. "After it now, I do realize the magnitude of it and it's pretty special, something I'll never forget…I think it's gonna be a really fun year."