Flames fall to Bruins for 7th straight loss as McAvoy scores go-ahead goal in season debut
Clifton, Pastrnak add goals in 3-1 win; Hanifin scores lone goal for Calgary
Charlie McAvoy scored the go-ahead goal in his season debut and the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Bruins remained perfect on home ice, beating the skidding Calgary Flames 3-1 Thursday night.
Linus Ullmark made 31 saves and Connor Clifton also scored as the Bruins improved to 8-0-0 at TD Garden. David Pastrnak added an empty-net goal for Boston, which is 12-2-0 overall.
"Calgary came at us. It's the most physical game we've been in," Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. "I liked the way we responded to their physicality. I just like the way we keep finding ways to win hockey games."
Calgary swarmed the Bruins early, holding them without a shot during the first seven minutes. The Flames scored at the tail end of a power play as Hanifin got his first goal of the season at 4:43 of the opening period.
Clifton followed up his own shot at 16:38 to tie it.
"The rebound was there and I was fortunate," he said.
McAvoy's goal came at 18:27 of the second with traffic in front of Calgary goalie Dan Vladar, who finished with 25 saves.
WATCH | McAvoy lifts Bruins over Flames for 8th straight home win:
"We did a good job getting possession. It was a good pass by [Pavel Zacha] to find me in the seam. I just wanted to catch and shoot it and it happened to go in," McAvoy said.
McAvoy, the Bruins' top defenceman, was expected to be off the ice for six months after undergoing shoulder surgery in June.
"Not having a pre-season to get ready, I was definitely nervous all day. But it was a good kind of nervous," McAvoy said.
The 24-year-old blueliner had 10 goals and 56 points in 78 games last season, including 21 points on the power play.
McAvoy played 18:53. He averaged a team-high 25 minutes of ice time last season.
"It's a lot of fun to watch," Montgomery said. "A lot more fun to coach him than against him."
The Flames will host the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night.
