Chris Kelly underwent off-season back surgery. Back in the Boston Bruins lineup, he scored the winning goal in a season-opening win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday.
Kelly, who scored only nine times in 57 regular season games for Boston last season, broke the deadlock with 1:51 remaining in the third period to give the Bruins a 2-1 win over the Flyers.
It’s early in the season, and line combinations can change in an instant through an 82-game schedule. But Kelly clearly enjoyed his time on a line with Carl Soderberg and Loui Eriksson - even if there is a bit of a language barrier.
“I like playing with the Swedes even though half the time I don’t understand them on the bench,” he said after the win, as per Joe McDonald of ESPN Boston.
“I was just excited, like it was my first year again,” Kelly added.