Boston opened the season with a 3-0 win over the New York Rangers at TD Garden, and JJ Peterka made his first night in a Bruins sweater count. The 24-year-old winger beat Igor Shesterkin through the legs at 17:06 of the third period, turning a one-goal game into a comfortable finish after Fraser Minten had broken the scoreless tie less than a minute earlier.
- JJ Peterka scored his first goal for Boston in his Bruins debut. He carried the puck into the slot after taking Elias Lindholm’s pass, slipped past pressure from Braden Schneider and rookie Alberts Smits, and finished five-hole on Shesterkin.
- Peterka arrived from the Utah Mammoth in a trade on the opening night of the 2026 NHL Draft. Boston is counting on his pace, skill and scoring touch as it continues to bring younger talent into the lineup.
- The winger is getting the opportunity he sought after the trade: a spot alongside captain David Pastrnak on Boston’s top unit. Peterka described the group’s transition speed and puck possession as strengths.
- Peterka posted 47 points, including 25 goals, in 82 games for Utah last season. The year before, with Buffalo, he recorded 27 goals and 68 points in 77 games.
- Fraser Minten scored Boston’s opening goal with 3:46 remaining in the third period. The goal came in the first game of the season and helped set the stage for Peterka’s highlight-reel finish.
- Jeremy Swayman stopped all 24 Rangers shots for the shutout, winning the goaltending matchup against Shesterkin.
- Charlie McAvoy was unavailable as he began a six-game suspension stemming from his actions in last season’s Stanley Cup Playoffs.
- David Pastrnak wore the captain’s C for the first time.
- Minten entered the season after signing a seven-year, $50.4 million extension on Sept. 8, carrying a $7.2 million annual cap hit.
- The win was Boston’s NHL-record 11th straight home-opening victory.
Coach Marco Sturm said Peterka’s finish showed exactly why the Bruins acquired him. The winger had created chances during camp and in preseason play, and Sturm felt the opening-night goal could give him an early boost while he settles into a new club and city.
“That’s why we got him,” Sturm said after the game.
Minten called the goal “nasty,” praising Peterka’s hands and skill. Swayman saw the same thing from the other end of the ice, calling it a scorer’s finish and crediting Peterka for staying focused after Minten’s late goal had the Garden roaring.
Peterka said the building was already energized during introductions, and the reaction after his goal was “unbelievable.” For a Bruins team looking for more speed and finishing around Pastrnak, it was a sharp first shift-report entry from the new winger.
