BOSTON (Ticker) -- The Boston Bruins finally feel at home at the FleetCenter.
Sergei Samsonov had a goal and an assist and Andrew Raycroft made 27 saves as the Bruins notched their first home win of the season, a 4-1 triumph over the slumping Dallas Stars.
Just 0-1-2-1 at the FleetCenter, the Bruins were off to their worst start at home since 1965. It looked like more of the same in this one as Mike Modano gave Dallas the lead at 4:03 of the first period.
But Michal Grosek knotted it late in the first and Travis Green put Boston ahead early in the second with his first goal of the season.
Samsonov and Glen Murray gave Raycroft breathing room as the Bruins snapped a three-game winless streak with their first home win over the Stars since January 4, 1997.
"I think it was on our mind, at least a little," Boston captain Joe Thornton said. "It's good to get that first one at home because I think guys might have been pressing a little bit."
"It's nice to finally win at home because now we won't be asked about it again," Raycroft added. "I don't think it was really that big of a deal because it was only the fifth game and we've been playing much better lately. It would be one thing if the streak got up to six or seven games. Then, I think we'd be feeling it a little more."
Raycroft allowed a goal on the second shot he faced but turned aside the next 26 for his fourth win.
"The guys in front of me made things real easy for me tonight," he said. "Dallas had a couple of chances but not that many and didn't have a sniff in the third (period). ... After they got that first one, we really battled and didn't give them anything the rest of the night."
Dallas has been outscored, 11-2, during a three-game losing streak.
"The mistakes are timely ones that are hurting us and we're not covering up for one another," Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "Everybody's just got to look in the mirror here and we got to get this ship righted, and it's got to be a group effort."
After being staked to the lead on Modano's fourth goal of the season, Dallas goaltender Ron Tugnutt received help from Don Sweeney to maintain it. With Tugnutt sprawled on the ice, the former Bruins defenseman knocked away a shot ticketed for the net midway through the first.
Tugnutt denied P.J. Axelsson on a breakaway with just over six minutes left but could not prevent Grosek from tying it.
On a 3-on-2 with 2:28 to go, Grosek got a feed from defenseman Dan McGillis and moved around Niko Kapanen on the right side before beating Tugnutt for his second tally.
"They really got me into the game early," Tugnutt said. "They were jumping and forechecking hard and making good plays and had us on our heels a little bit. We got the first one, but after that they came after us."
Acquired from Columbus before the season, Green had defenseman Hal Gill's shot from the left point deflect off him and over Tugnutt's left shoulder at 4:04 of the second for his first goal as a Bruin.
"It's nice to get that first goal in this uniform," Green said. "You obviously want to contribute and sometimes you need a break like I got, with Hal's shot just going off my stick and past Tugnutt. It was that kind of night where we got the breaks."
After leading a 3-on-1 down the left side, Samsonov dished to rookie Patrice Bergeron, who fed it back to the Russian for a shot that eluded Tugnutt at 9:49 for a 3-1 lead.
"That third goal for us was huge because in this league, it's real hard to make up a two-goal deficit. And we really didn't allow them anything after that," Thornton said.
With 3:26 remaining in the period, Mike Knuble outbattled two Stars for the puck at the right point and completed a pass to Murray in the low slot. With defenseman Philippe Boucher draped over his back, Murray backhanded a shot under Tugnutt's right pad for his third of the season.
"It was just too much up and down and no consistency," former Bruin Bill Guerin said. "With us, you never know what team we're going to get, and we better wake up. That was pathetic tonight. We weren't even close."
