The debut of the first Soviet-born goaltender in the NHL was ruined Thursday night by a player who received extended playing time because of an injury and an ejection to two Boston centers.
Andy Brickley broke a tie midway through the second period, leading the Bruins to a 4-2 victory over the Quebec Nordiques and goalie Sergei Mylnikov.
Brickley, given increased ice time after center Craig Janney's injury and center Bobby Carpenter's first-period game misconduct, scored on the power play to move Boston ahead 2-1 at 8:49 of the second period.
"I didn't know what to expect," said Brickley, who missed Boston's first nine games because of a preseason ankle injury. "I thought I'd get a regular shift, but Bobby got thrown out and Craig got hurt and that gave me a chance to be on the power play."
Defenseman Glen Wesley collected the puck at the right point and fired a shot that Brickley redirected past Mylnikov for the go-ahead goal.
"He played in every possible situation," Boston Coach Mike Milbury said of Brickley. "He just kept going as long as he could."
Mylnikov, who spent 13 seasons playing in the Soviet league and an Olympic gold medalist, made 31 saves in his regular-season debut.
"He hadn't played and I felt it was time to play him," Quebec Coach Michel Bergeron said. "He made some pretty good saves and played pretty well."
Mylnikov, who speaks only Russian, faced the added obstacle of the smaller Boston Garden rink. Whalers 7, Devils 3
At East Rutherford, N.J., Pat Verbeek, Jody Hull and Ron Francis scored power-play goals to lift Hartford. Blackhawks 5, Canadiens 3
At Chicago, Steve Thomas scored a pair of goals and Jacques Cloutier stopped 23 shots to lead Chicago. Blues 4, North Stars 1
At St. Louis, Paul MacLean scored two goals and Greg Millen stopped 28 shots to help St. Louis halt a three-game losing streak. Pittsburgh 3, Detroit 3 (tie)
At Detroit, Phil Bourque scored a power-play goal in the final second to give Pittsburgh the tie.