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Boston Bruins: Revisiting the best home openers in recent memory

By jc

BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 25: Boston Bruins right defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73) looks to clear the puck during a preseason game between the Boston Bruins and the New Jersey Devils on September 25, 2019, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 25: Boston Bruins right defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73) looks to clear the puck during a preseason game between the Boston Bruins and the New Jersey Devils on September 25, 2019, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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2013: Chris Kelly scores first goal of season on penalty shot

How often does a player score a penalty shot goal? Not often. What about a penalty shot goal for the first goal of the season? Never.

Nonetheless, this is exactly what happened in the 2013-2014 home opener. Bruins forward Chris Kelly earned a penalty shot in the first period against the Lightning.

Kelly did score 20 goals in a season, but nobody ever confused him for a sniper. So, most fans probably didn’t expect to see something special.

Kelly, however, surprised everybody with a fantastic move. He undressed Anders Lindback and slid the puck into an open net. This was definitely one of the prettiest goals of Kelly’s career.

Kelly went on to have an up-and-down season for a Bruins team that finished at the top of the Eastern Conference. That doesn’t change the fact that his opening goal was an impressive feat.

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