(Welcome to the TD Garden for today's matinee affair between the Boston Bruins and visiting Winnipeg Jets...)

Saturday night could've been better for the Black-and-Gold, who proved that they're capable of hanging with the East-favorite New York Rangers, downing them by a score of 3-1, with goals coming from every line but the third. Goaltender Tuukka Rask stopped 20 of the 21 shots thrown his way, and the B's successfully killed all four of the Rangers' power-plays.

But before the team hits the ice for their second game of this 48-game sprint, the club was dealt their first dose of bad news as defensemen Dennis Seidenberg will be unavailable for today's game with a lower-body injury.

Seidenberg, who logged 23:59 of ice-time in Sautrday's win, will be replaced by the club's (new) seventh defensemen, Aaron Johnson. The 29-year-old defensemen, now with his seventh NHL club, most recently played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he had three goals and 16 points in 56 games, and is coming off a two-game conditioning stint in Providence where he had an assist and two penalty minutes in two games.

With Johnson in the lineup, the B's will likely debut the top-pairing of Zdeno Chara and the 19-year-old rookie Dougie Hamilton.

In net, the B's turn to Rask for the second straight game. Looking to begin the year with a 2-0-0 record, the 25-year-old Rask enters play with a 5-3-0 record and .921 save-percentage in eight career games against Winnipeg. The Jets counter with Ondrej Pavelec, a goaltender that has just four wins and a 3.35 goals-against-average in 12 games against Boston.

First Period

20:00 - Jets will begin the game with the Alexei Ponikarovsky - Alex Burmistrov - Nik Antropov line up front, with Ron Hainsey and former Bruin Mark Stuart on the point. Boston counters with their third line, featuring Chris Kelly, Chris Bourque, and Rich Peverley, and Andrew Ference and Adam McQuaid on the blue-line.

18:59 - David Krejci tries splitting down the middle, but gets denied by Pavelec's glove. Pavelec allowed four goals on 37 shots against Ottawa on Saturday, so a strong start is key.

18:02 - Jets strike first: Chris Thorburn pots it through Rask. Paul Postma and Jim Slater get the assists. That's the first NHL point for Postma.

16:43 - Hamilton almost gets a wraparound. There's the offensive skill you heard so much about the rookie during his time in the Ontario Hockey League.

15:49 - Tyler Seguin gets denied point blank in the slot. Pavelec's been sharp to start this one.

14:36 - Physicality on the upswing here. Big hits at each end. That's the key for the Bruins in these day games. They have to be the aggressor. It's been their downfall at home in just about any game that's started before 7 p.m. for years now.

11:00 - Nice first impression for Johnson, who crushes a Jets player along the boards. Whoa, man.

10:24 - Nathan Horton just gets flat out robbed by --- the post.

9:46 - What an absolute monster of a glove-save on a Kyle Wellwood breakaway to keep this a one-goal game. Wellwood had about three strides on the closest Boston defensemen. All Rask right there. Unbelievable.

5:48 - All tied up. Seguin fakes, dishes it back to Brad Marchand, who taps it into the back of the net for his first goal of the season. Marchand had 27 last year.

3:00 - No doubt that the Bergeron line has been Boston's best through twenty minutes of play.

Thoughts after one...

How weird is it to not hear a single cheer for either Mark Stuart or Blake Wheeler? Sure, neither guy was really considered to be a 'star' in Boston, but usually there's some sort of recognition for their tenure. Odd, indeed.

Outside of the Jets' first goal, it really didn't seem as if they were getting premier scoring chances. Rask and defense seemed up to task after that early softie.

Again, no doubting that the Bruins' second line has been the club's best through the first period. Bergeron, Seguin, and Marchand have the chemistry and speed to make things happen against this flat-footed Winnipeg defense. Look to see it continue to get prime chances given their ability to create space in the scoring lanes with their moves.

Second Period

18:31 - David Krejci will take a seat for two minutes. High-sticking is the call. The crowd is not a fan of the call. They never are, though. This will be Boston's first PK of the day. They were a perfect 4-for-4 on Saturday.

14:16 - Now Andrew Ference will go to the box. Tripping is the penalty. He's not very happy about it. B's killed the first one off.

12:51 - Olli Jokinen can't put it by a down-and-out Rask. That's some Finn-on-Finn crime.

12:10 - Another successful penalty-kill for the Bruins, with Johnson taking Ference's spot on the second PK defensive unit. B's penalty-kill now a successful 6-for-6 on the year. Not a bad way to begin the year.

10:48 - Another big stop for Pavelec. The dude has come to play today.

6:00 - Feels like there hasn't been a shot in about ten minutes.

4:58 - Pavelec down, but Marchand can't lift it up. Scrum ensues, puck stays out of the net. Nice defense from the big-bodied Dustin Byfuglien, cutting the angle on Marchand's bid for a two-goal night.

4:16 - Aaron Johnson shot hits the pipe and Pavelec covers up on the ricochet. Nice blast there.

2:20 - Milan Lucic with a big hit on I believe Andrew Ladd along the boards. Byfuglien wants to have a go with Lucic, but he declines.

2:03 - A two-on-one for Bergeron and Seguin but they can't put it by. How did that even happen?

1:40 - Stuart to the box for Winnipeg. Interference is the call as he shoves Nathan Horton down in front of the net with the puck nowhere near him. B's were 0-for-7 on the power-play against New York on Saturday.

0.0 - Peverley's playing the point on the second power-play unit in place of Seidenberg.

Thoughts after 40...

Nothin' doing for the Bruins on their first power-play of the night. Barring a goal in the opening twenty seconds of the third period, the Boston man-advantage will worsen to 0-for-8 on the year. It's amazing that this is still an issue for this club. Honestly.

Third Period

16:00 - A big hit from Chara on Wheeler there, and that'll excite the hometown crowd. They've been incredibly quiet today, too.

15:01 - Nice glove-save from Rask on another Thorburn drive.

12:00 - Nothin' egregious, but Wheeler and Kelly get tangled up and Wheeler did not appear to appreciate it, as he pretty much wraps him up. Kelly gives him a slash back, and that's enough of that.

11:00 - In between whistles Shawn Thornton has a chat with Wheeler. I don't think the Bruins cared for Wheeler's mauling of Kelly.

9:54 - Under ten minutes to go in a tied game? Let's get chippy. Adam McQuaid does not care for Burmistrov's shove that put the B's defensemen on his butt. Let's him know so with some shoves.

7:29 - Boston power-play on the way. Evander Kane to the box. He's irate at that goaltender interference call and I honestly do not blame him. Soft call. Really, really bad call, actually.

7:20 - Shot looked to go in from my angle, but I could definitely be mistaken. Bounced right back out. Could've been pure post.

5:30 - The Bruins are now 0-for-9 on the power-play this year. This one, however, was for sure their best one. Of today, at least. Post came up big for Pavelec once again.

2:08 - In what I thought would surely be a snoozer, this is turning out to be a great hockey game between Boston and Winnipeg. Teams tied at 1-1, shots even at 25.

1:11 - Some hard work from Bryan Little draws a high-sticking from Johnny Boychuk. Winnipeg will finish regulation on the power-play.

1.5 - Chara's trying to sell a high-stick from Ladd. No dice. B's still shorthanded. Expect better from the captain, to be honest.

Overtime

5:00 - Jets will begin the overtime with 49 seconds remaining on their power-play. Bergeron the forward for Boston, Ference and Chara on defense.

3:00 - To quote Doc Emrick -- HELTER SKELTER at both ends. Trading chances left and right now.

1:28 - Bruins will finish the game shorthanded. Chara hauls Wheeler down. Bad call, in my opinion. A slash, maybe. Holding? No way.

0.0 - Shootout.

Shootout

Boston's first shooter -- Tyler Seguin: Oh my goodness, dipsy-do all the way down the ice and scores.

Winnipeg's first shooter -- Blake Wheeler: And he scores with a backhander. Nice move from No. 26.

Boston's second shooter -- Patrice Bergeron: With speed, five-hole. Score.

Winnipeg's second shooter - Olli Jokinen: Denied by Rask.

Boston's third shooter -- Chris Bourque: With speed, slows down, but can't bury it.

Winnipeg's third shooter -- Bryan Little: Denied.

B's win.

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