he lowest preseason ranking ever of a defending SEC East champion. Missouri was ranked 24th to start each of the last two seasons as a defending East Division champion.LONG SHOT: Wisconsin vs. No. 5 LSU: LS

BOSTON -- Its always fun for the players and fans when the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens get together for the latest renewal of one of the great rivalries in sports.Its even better when both are healthy and playing well, which is the case for their first 2016-17 meeting Saturday night at TD Garden.Both got their most important player back for Thursday nights fourth game of the season, with the Canadiens getting goaltender Carey Price back while Bruins center Patrice Bergeron made his return.Both were factors in wins as Montreal moved to 3-0-1 with a 5-2 home win over the Arizona Coyotes and the Bruins to 3-1-0 with a 2-1 home decision over the New Jersey Devils.In our mind, and I think most people in the league, hes the best goalie in the world, and you just cant replace that, Brendan Gallagher said after Price made 27 saves in his first regular-season game with the Habs since last Nov. 25. He missed the rest of last season with a knee injury and the first three games of 2016-17 with the flu.In Boston, Bergeron, out for the first three games with a lower-body injury, scored with 1:15 left to give his team the win in his first game back.He does so much for our team ... having Bergy back is great, linemate Brad Marchand said after setting Bergeron up for the winner. He brings so many things to the table.Both Price and Bergeron were keys to Team Canada winning the World Cup of Hockey. Both returned to their teams, Price playing one preseason game before getting sick and Bergeron two for the Bruins, before going down.Their respective teams did well without them, but are clearly better off than they were before Thursday.He was good, as good as always, said newly acquired Montreal defenseman Shea Weber, who played his first game in front of Price. He made some big saves at key times, and obviously we know what were going to get with him. Hes a great player, hes a great competitor, and hes going to give us a chance to win every night.Bergeron was replaced during his absence by the newly signed David Backes, who centered Marchand and David Pastrnak -- and the line didnt miss a beat. Backes slid down to right wing on the line centered by David Krejci on Thursday.Marchand scored the first goal and both he and Pastrnak were a plus-2 in the win -- raising both to an NHL-best plus-9 through the first four games. Marchand, armed with a new $49 million contract, has three goals and nine points while Pastrnak owns four goals and seven points in four games.The Canadiens have had the better of the rivalry in recent years, but the Bruins did win two of the last three between the two last season -- Montreals win in that span a 5-1 outdoor drubbing of the Bruins at Gillette Stadium in the Winter Classic.Tuukka Rask, who has allowed just five goals in his 3-0 start to the season, was declared out against the Canadiens after battling soreness. Rask was held out of practice Friday and missed Saturdays morning skate.Rask was just 5-15-3 lifetime against the Canadiens, while Price is an impressive 22-8-3 against Boston.The Bruin recalled Zane McIntyre from Providence on an emergency basis and to serve as Anton Khudobins backup against the Canadiens.One major change in the rivalry involves Weber, acquired from the Nashville Predators in an even swap for P.K. Souban, the latter the No. 1 villain of the TD Garden crowd. No one in Boston hates Shea Weber.The Bruins opened last season with three straight home games, losing all three en route to 17-18-6 season home record (25-13-3 on the road) and missed the playoffs for the second straight season. Thats what made it important for them to win Thursday in the opener of a three-game homestand.We talked about our home record in the last few years and we wanted to do the job early, especially in the first game -- and its one step but were happy with it, said Bergeron.The Canadiens are 1-0-1 on the road. Custom Football Jerseys Throwback . -- Its been a long road back for Sean Bergenheim. Stitched Football Jerseys Throwback .com) - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer were easy first-round winners Tuesday at the Australian Open. http://www.cheapfootballthrowback.com/ . Now tied for second in the league in shootout goals, the 24-year-old likes to see what the opposing goaltender has in store before he ultimately lands on a move. Football Jerseys Throwback Outlet . Supported by three-run homers from Jayson Werth and Wilson Ramos, the young right-hander went seven strong innings in the Washington Nationals 8-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. Cheap Football Jerseys Throwback China . And when it opened, every player was at his stall. Thats a sure sign that a team is in a slump and is searching for answers. "Its embarrassing to be at home and play the way we did," said defenceman Josh Gorges. Here are a few things to watch in the Southeastern Conference during college footballs opening weekend.GAME OF THE WEEK: No. 11 Mississippi vs. No. 4 Florida State in Orlando, Florida. The Rebels are involved in one of the nations premier games this week, facing the Seminoles on Monday night at the Citrus Bowl. Ole Miss returns QB Chad Kelly, who threw for more than 4,000 yards last season. Florida State will counter with redshirt freshman Deondre Francois, who will be making his first career start under center. Francois will have help on offense: RB Dalvin Cook returns after running for 1,691 yards last season.MATCHUP OF THE WEEK: UCLA offensive tackle Conor McDermott vs. Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett: McDermott, a fifth-year senior, earned second-team all-Pac-12 honors last season as part of an offensive line that yielded only 14 sacks. McDermott will have his hands full Saturday lining up against Garrett, arguably the nations premier pass rusher. Garrett recorded 11 + sacks as a freshman in 2014 and followed that up by delivering 12 + sacks and 19 + tackles for loss last season.NUMBERS GAME: The SEC owns a 496-110 record and an .818 winning percentage since 2006. Thats the highest nonconference winning percentage of any league during that stretch. ... No. 5 LSU owns an FBS record 52 consecutive regular-season nonconference victories heading into Saturdays game with Wisconsin. LSU hasnt lost a regular-season nonconference game since falling 26-8 to Virginia Tech in its 2002 opener. ... No. 9 Tennessee is in the topp 10 for the first time since it was ranked eighth on Oct.dddddddddddd 29, 2006. ... Missouris visit to West Virginia marks the first time the Tigers have opened the season with a true road game since a 40-10 loss at Texas in 1996. .... No. 25 Florida has the lowest preseason ranking ever of a defending SEC East champion. Missouri was ranked 24th to start each of the last two seasons as a defending East Division champion.LONG SHOT: Wisconsin vs. No. 5 LSU: LSU should be really good this season, but its still surprising to see Wisconsin as a 10-point underdog, especially when its essentially a home game for the Badgers at Lambeau Field. LSU has one of the nations best running backs in Leonard Fournette, but needs improvement from junior quarterback Brandon Harris, who threw for 2,165 yards and 13 touchdowns last season.IMPACT PERFORMER: Georgia quarterback Jacob Eason: This true freshman from Lake Stevens, Washington, is competing with graduate student Greyson Lambert for the right to start No. 18 Georgias season opener Saturday against No. 22 North Carolina in Atlanta. Eason, who enrolled at Georgia in time to participate in spring practice, went 19 of 29 for 244 yards and a touchdown in the Bulldogs spring game.---AP Sports Writers Steve Megargee in Knoxville, Tennessee, and David Brandt in Jackson, Mississippi, contributed to this story.---AP College Football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '