Flyers drop narrow decision to Bruins

Boston, MA -- Chris Kelly's game-winning goal with 1:51 left in regulation lifted the Boston Bruins to a thrilling 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in the season opener for both teams on Wednesday.

Adam McQuaid received a pass from Carl Soderberg and fired a slap shot from the right side. Steve Mason stopped the rising shot, but Kelly was there to wrist the rebound home from his knees for the deciding tally.

"Not all goals can be pretty goals," said Kelly. "Sometimes you have to muck it out."
Reilly Smith also scored and Tuukka Rask was stellar in net, making 19 saves for the Bruins, who took home the Presidents' Trophy after finishing with 117 points last season.

Sean Couturier netted Philadelphia's lone goal and Mason stopped 31-of-33 shots in defeat. Zac Rinaldo took a pair of minor penalties, but incredibly led the Flyers in shots on goal with four. It was the fourth time in club history they opened up on the road in Boston, and their record stands at 1-3-0.

"They came out extremely quick," said Mason. "They were the better team tonight and that's why they won."

The Bruins had a prime scoring chance early in the opening stanza. Daniel Paille raced down the left side on a breakaway, but his shot rang off the far post.

Smith, however, found the back of the net for Boston on the power play several minutes later. Soderberg emerged from the right corner with the puck and sent it across the goalmouth to Smith, who beat Mason with a shot up high for a 1-0 lead with 9:21 left in the first period.

Boston killed off two penalties in the second period, limiting the Flyers to just three total shots during the man advantages to keep its one-goal lead intact.

Matt Read worked the puck to Jakub Voracek behind the net. Voracek skated to the right circle and sent a pass down low to Couturier, who tipped the puck past Rask for a tied game 4:19 into the third.
Both teams had chances on the breakaway late in regulation. Smith entered the offensive zone unchecked and fired a wrister, but was denied by Mason. Claude Giroux followed in similar fashion moments later, but Rask was also up to the task, calmly turning aside Giroux's wrister.

Notes: The Flyers also lost in 1968 and 1990 at Boston Garden to commence those regular seasons ... Soderberg finished with two assists ... Paille played in his 500th career game ... The Bruins have won their last four games against the Flyers ... Boston forward Bobby Robins and Flyers forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare both made their NHL debut ... Philadelphia opened its regular season on the road for the first time since 2011 ... Both teams are back in action on Thursday as Philadelphia will host New Jersey and Boston will travel to Detroit.