JJ Peterka delivered quite the 'Welcome to Boston' moment

"That's why we got him, right?"

That was Bruins coach Marco Sturm's response when asked about the highlight-reel goal scored by JJ Peterka, Boston's big offseason acquisition.

It is. The Bruins knew they needed more speed and skill up front after their offense went quiet during their first-round exit in the spring.

Peterka brings both. Example A: That aforementioned highlight-reel goal.

TD Garden was already loud as Peterka took a short pass from Elias Lindholm and entered the offensive zone. Fraser Minten had just scored less than a minute earlier to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead over the Rangers late in the third period.

Peterka had speed. New York defenseman Braden Schneider didn't have a good gap as he tried to challenge. He was a sitting duck. Peterka tucked the puck through Schneider's legs, blew right past him on the inside, and beat Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin five-hole.

Game over. The sellout crowd was now in a full-blown frenzy. A Mark Kastelic empty-netter 23 seconds later would seal the Bruins' 3-0 opening night victory.

"That was crazy," Peterka said of the crowd pop. "They were so loud already when we got introduced, so fired up. And then, yeah, scoring a goal like that in a building like that, it was just unbelievable."

After the game, it was a chorus of "glad we got that guy" in the Bruins' dressing room.

"He's silky. I'm glad he's on our team now," said Jeremy Swayman, who made 24 saves to get his first win and shutout of the season.

"It's a world-class goal," said David Pastrnak, who knows a thing or two about world-class goals.

"That was nasty. That was a really nice goal," added Minten. "He's got sick hands, sick skills."

Peterka has always had the skill. It's what made him a top prospect. It's what helped him put up 68 points as a 22-year-old two years ago in Buffalo.

But there's also a reason Peterka was available this summer. His numbers nosedived in Utah last season. While he did score 25 goals for a third straight season, his point total dropped all the way down to 47. His ice time dropped by more than two minutes per game. He went from being a top power-play weapon in Buffalo to not even being on the first power-play unit in Utah. His ice time took a further hit in the playoffs, when he got demoted to a bottom-six role and even benched during Game 4 of the Mammoth's first-round loss to Vegas.

Questions surfaced about Peterka's consistency and compete level. The Mammoth decided to move on after just one season, flipping the winger to Boston for a pair of first-round picks.

It would be a steep price to pay if the Bruins don't get more out of Peterka than Utah did. They are convinced that won't be the case, though. They have no plans to bury Peterka in a bottom-six role that doesn't suit his skill set, instead putting him alongside Pastrnak on their first line to open the season. He is firmly entrenched on their top power-play unit, at least to start the year. They believe that having a fellow German as head coach and having one of Peterka's former coaches, Matt McIlvane, on staff will help draw the best out of him.

The Bruins couldn't ask for a better start. Peterka was clearly one of the Bruins' best players throughout training camp and the preseason. In his two preseason games, he consistently helped create scoring chances, while also winning pucks back with good second efforts in the offensive and neutral zones. Peterka started camp on the second line, but it was his in-game promotion to the first line in Boston's second preseason game that sparked the offense, and gave Sturm a combination he's stuck with since.

"He had some really good chances preseason, even at practice," Sturm said. "And then make a move like this today, and actually finish the way he did, I think it really, hopefully helps him moving forward. I also know, and you guys know too, as a new guy on a new team in a new city, playing at home, you want to be good, and you want to be the guy. I think that part was really nice too, because he scored at the right time, and I think he showed everyone that you got me here for a reason."

One game and one goal obviously doesn't guarantee that it's going to be all smooth sailing moving forward. But it was a great start, and a great way for Peterka to welcome himself to Boston.