The Bruins take a convincing 3-0 lead — and a Johnny Boychuk minor penalty — into the locker room after the first 20 minutes against the Hurricanes at the TD Garden.

• Mark Stuart scored the first goal of the game — and his first of the year — in his return to the lineup after being sidelined for the past 18 contests with a dislocated finger, with a slapper from the blueline that hit the back of the net high past Cam Ward. Nathan Horton (16) picked up the primary assist.
• Captain Zdeno Chara (8,9) posted the next two: the first a two-on-one with Mark Recchi. Chara, fresh out of the box, took an Adam McQuaid pass off the boards through the neutral zone and zipped it past Cam Ward. the second: a one-time bomb on a 5-on-3 power play from David Krejci (22) and Patrice bergeron (21).
• McQuaid’s two assists (6,7) earned himself his first NHL career multi-point game.
• Carolina’s netminder Cam Ward was yanked in lieu of Justin Peters after allowing two goals in the first 11:28 of the game on five Bruins’ shots.
• Tim Thomas was tested early and made some key saves. He stopped all 12 shots he faced thus far through the first 20 minutes.
• Boston went 1-for-2 on the power play in the first (4 goals in their last 19 opportunities), and successfully killed off both times shorthanded (killed 16 of their last 19).
• The B’s outshot the ‘Canes in the first, 15-12
• Chara and Johnny Boychuk each have a team-high three SOG each
• Marc Savard is 4-of-5 (80%) on the face-off dot through the first
• McQuaid and Steven Kampfer each have two of the team’s seven blocked shots

PP UNITS:

Ryder–Savard–Horton
Boychuk–Kampfer

(5-on-3)
Krejci–Savard–Recchi
Bergeron–Chara

Lucic–Krejci–Horton
Bergeron–Chara

PK UNITS:

Bergeron–Campbell
Seidenberg–Boychuk

Krejci–Wheeler
McQuaid–Stuart