Tuukka Rask stopped 20 shots for Boston in his first game after taking over for two-time Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas, and the Bruins beat the New York Rangers 3-1 in the lockout-delayed season opener on Saturday night.
Milan Lucic and Daniel Paille scored for Boston, which won the Northeast Division last year before losing in the first round of the playoffs. Rask backed up Thomas during the Bruins' 2011 Stanley Cup run and inherited the job when the enigmatic goalie decided to take a year off to rest.
Brad Richards scored for the Rangers on an assist from Rick Nash, the former Columbus star who was New York's biggest acquisition over the summer. Henrik Lundqvist made 31 saves for the Rangers, who finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference last season but lost in the conference finals to the New Jersey Devils.
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