Cherry coached the Bruins in the 1970s, and Felger asked him to relive some of those coaching days.

Cherry also chimed in with what he thinks about Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Zdeno Chara and Marian Hossa, as well as his thoughts on the series between the Bruins and Blackhawks.

98.5 The Sports Hub is the only place to hear every game of the Boston Bruins season with Dave Goucher and Bob Beers. Pregame coverage begins 60 minutes before the puck drops, with Postgame coverage following each game.

The Bruins are a team that’s occasionally suffered through bouts of mediocrity, including one that came as close as possible to ending their season in the first round. However, since that Game 7 comeback, the Bruins have been nearly unstoppable. So how does the team elevate its game so dramatically and for so long?

“I think it has to do with experience of really understanding what we did in the past and how we accomplished what we did, to the present and saying, ‘OK, this is what we need to do,’” Neely said. “In the shorter timeframe like the playoffs are, I think it’s a little easier to understand and focus on what you need to do than it is over the course of an 82-game schedule and be able to dial that in game after game after game.

“Right now, the end is right in front of us, and we’re staring at it. When you get to the third round and the Finals, you know what’s in front of you a little bit more than when you’re looking at Game 41 of the regular season, for example.”

Neely was also asked on what makes Patrice Bergeron so special.

“Just his drive to be the best player that he can be, which is one of the best in the game,” Neely said of Bergeron. “His attention to detail all over the ice is pretty special. There’s not many players that are as good defensively as they are offensively, and Patrice is one of those guys. He’s a leader by example, he will speak up when he feels he needs to but Patrice certainly leads by example and goes out there and shows everybody how it’s done.”

READ: Patrice Bergeron May Be Mr. Perfect And Other Leftover Bruins Thoughts

Neely also discussed Nathan Horton’s injury, the poor ice quality in Game in Boston and how the Bruins have been able to thus far shut down some of the most talented offensive players in the sport.

98.5 The Sports Hub is the only place to hear every game of the Boston Bruins season with Dave Goucher and Bob Beers. Pregame coverage begins 60 minutes before the puck drops, with Postgame coverage following each game.

In Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Campbell and the Bruins were in the middle of killing a penalty when he blocked a shot by Evgeni Malkin with his right leg. He fell to the ice, but despite being in clear pain, Campbell remained out there for nearly a minute — helping Boston kill off the penalty.

Read: Campbell’s Gutsy Effort Appreciated By Teammates

After the game it was revealed that the pain he felt was a broken leg. Campbell said Tuesday he knew something was wrong, but not the severity of the injury.

“It hurt a little bit,” he said, living up to the “warrior” title his teammates are giving him. “But your adrenaline’s going pretty good at that point. You’re stuck on the ice with a couple of the best players in the world, you really don’t have much time to think about anything else but trying to help out and kill a penalty.”

“I’ve got asked that a few times: did you know it was broken? You know, I can’t say with 100-percent certainty that I knew it was broken, but I felt like it was a different feeling. I blocked a few shots before — this just seemed different,” he said. ”Once I was able to get back to my feet, I was not positive but fairly sure that there was something wrong. I don’t have x‑ray vision, so I didn’t know at the time that it was broken for sure.  Like I said, it was a different feeling.”

Read: Bad Blood Boils Over In Final Minute Of Game 3

Campbell underwent surgery last Monday, and says he will have six to eight weeks before he is back on his feet. He expects to be ready to go when training camp rolls around next season.

“I feel good. Obviously, naturally, you have that progression where there’s a little bit of pain coming out of surgery,” said Campbell, his crutches joining him at the podium. “But everybody did a great job, treated me extremely well. The pain subsided very quickly.  There’s not much I can do at this point.  Just kind of let it heal.”

While he heals, he’ll be cheering on his teammates. He was unable to join the Bruins for the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final in Chicago because of his surgery, but will be with them the rest of the way.

Not playing is certainly tough, but he is getting used to cheering his team on.

“The emotional part of it, I mean, we’re in the Stanley Cup Final now. I’ve been a fan of the game for as long as I can remember and I’ve watched probably every Stanley Cup Final there is. It’s obviously tough not to play,” he said. “But having said that, I’m extremely proud of my teammates and fortunate to be here, fortunate to have been part of the run that I was on. Now, I’m cheering them on pretty loudly.”

Campbell visited with the team Monday prior to their 2-0, Game 3 win over the Blackhawks. Along with his crutches, he was wearing white jeans, and his teammates quickly let him hear about it. But with that, it was as if he had never left.

“That’s how we are,” said Brad Marchand. “It shows how close we are and how much fun we’re having. He knows he’s going to get it when he comes in here, and he’s going to give it right back.”

“He keeps himself well-groomed,” said Milan Lucic. “He’s not afraid to step outside the box when it comes to his style as well. You know it’s pretty funny, ever since he’s come here, the style on the team has gotten a lot better as well.”

But of course, that ribbing came after loads of praise for their healing teammate.

“The way he battles for our team and the way he sacrifices, it’s more than we could ever ask for. He’s a warrior and we’re very lucky to have him,” said Marchand. “We wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t on our team.”

“It puts a smile on all of our faces when we see him around the dressing room and stuff like that,” said Lucic. “We do our best to try to keep him involved and try to keep him a part of it. He’s, as tough as it is to watch if you ask him, I know he’s having a lot of fun watching the last couple games.”

“I think he exemplifies a lot of what we’re all about,” head coach Claude Julien said of Campbell. “I’ve said it before, we take pride in being a blue‑collar team. We don’t care about calling certain guys superstars on our team.  We all want to be on the same level. There’s no doubt there’s great players on our hockey club, but we make sure that the role players are just as important as the guys that are more visible to the media and to our fans as far as being the limelight of our hockey club.”

As for the play itself, Campbell said he’s seen it a few times while watching the games, and says all the support he’s received is humbling.

“The way I look at it, it might sound naïve of me, but I was just trying to do whatever I could to kill the penalty, to help out. At that point I really wasn’t thinking much,” he said of the play.

“There are a lot of players right now that are playing not 100-percent, and there’s a lot of guys that play through pain. I don’t see myself any different than anybody else in this league,” he continued. “There’s a lot of tough guys in this league; a lot of players are willing to do whatever they can to win. At this point you see that more often, guys doing whatever they can to win.”

Read: Bergeron May Be Mr. Perfect And Other Game 3 Leftovers

“I’m no different than anyone else on these two teams in the playoffs.  I was just trying to finish the play and do my job.”

Tune in to every game of the Bruins-Blackhawks Stanley Cup Final on 98.5 The Sports Hub — the flagship station of The Boston Bruins. Pregame coverage begins one hour prior to every game, with full postgame reaction and analysis following each game.

Gresh and Zolak talk about last night’s 2-0 win for the Bruins, which gives them a 2-1 series lead over the Chicago Blackhawks for the Stanley Cup.

The guys seem very optimistic that the Bruins are in control of this series, and discuss the dominance of Tuukka Rask in comparison to other recent goaltenders in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Do you think the Bruins have this series locked up after what you saw in Game 3?

After nearly three full games (13 periods), the Bruins and Blackhawks got past their pleasantries and engaged in a full-on brawl in the waning seconds of Game 3.

With roughly 20 seconds to go and the Bruins leading 2-0, Zdeno Chara dumped Bryan Bickell to the ice on front of the Boston net. Bickell tugged on Chara’s jersey and then cross-checked the much taller defenseman in the side.

Had the cross-check come in the middle of the game, Chara no doubt would have let it go without responding. Such is the price one pays while protecting the front of the net. However, with the game in hand, Chara decided to send a message to the Blackhawks that if they want to camp out in front of the net, they’re going to have to pay a price.

Chara clobbered Bickell, smothering him into the ice and remaining on top of him for several seconds until a sea of white and black sweaters converged upon them.

Out of the scrum emerged Brad Marchand and Andrew Shaw, who said before the series that he’d like to model his game after the pesky Bruins winger. Neither player landed any punches while standing, but after they wrestled each other to the ground, Shaw delivered a heavy right punch to Marchand, who was lying on his back on the ice. It may have violated “the code,” but it likely just canceled out Chara’s bullying of Bickell.

Andrew Shaw and Brad Marchand (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Given there’s so much at stake during these games, it’s almost a guarantee that neither team will be going out of its way to retaliate or threaten to drop the gloves in Game 4 and beyond — at least not unless a game is pretty much over, like it was in Game 3.

Regardless, messages were sent loud and clear. The Blackhawks, who could not generate any traffic in front of Tuukka Rask all game, know they’re going to have to endure a certain level of punishment if they hope to accomplish that. And both ways, the Bruins and Blackhawks know that they won’t be receiving Christmas cards with friendly holiday greetings from each other come December.

Zdeno Chara and Bryan Bickell (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Game 4 will take place Wednesday night at the TD Garden.

The revamped lineup of Daniel Paille, Chris Kelly and Tyler Seguin scored Boston’s first goal and drew the penalties that led to another in a 2-0 win over Chicago on Monday night for a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup finals.

“That’s what we’ve got to do,” Paille said. “To be effective, we have to skate like that and hustle. It’s been good for us so far and we want to keep going.”

The line also led Boston’s pestering forecheck that forced Chicago into repeated giveaways and penalties as the Bruins controlled play from the start.

“We’re having fun. The three of us are working hard and having fun, which is nice,” Kelly said. “It’s always fun, but some days are more fun than others.”

Leftovers: Patrice Bergeron May Be Mr. Perfect

Paille, who scored the overtime winner in Game 2 to tie the series, scored the first goal Monday off assists by Kelly and Seguin. The Bruins went up 2-0 when Patrice Bergeron scored a power-play goal set up by the grinding work of Kelly and Paille, who drew the penalties that gave Boston an 11-second 5-on-3 advantage.

Chicago’s Dave Bolland, who cross-checked Kelly with 8:00 left in the second, had just gotten out of the penalty box and didn’t quite make it back into the play when Bergeron scored with 5:55 left in the second period.

Chris Kelly Post: 

It was Bergeron’s seventh goal of the playoffs and although the official assists came from Jaromir Jagr and Zdeno Chara, Paille and Kelly deserved some credit, too.

“The commitment is totally there. Throughout a whole season it’s not easy to have that full commitment, but I think when you get to this stage, players start feeling it,” Boston coach Claude Julien said. “They go above and beyond. That’s what you’re seeing from our team right now.”

Julien bumped Paille up from the fourth line after the first period of Game 2 and the combination with Kelly and Seguin paid off again.

“When you look at I guess the matchups, it just kind of seems to even itself out,” Julien said after Monday’s win. “Our top lines haven’t scored that much 5 on 5 either. It’s the Kelly line that gives us that goal 5 on 5. Right now it just seems that both teams are very aware of the other team’s top players and playing a chess match.”

Advantage, Bruins — again — with Game 4 to come in Boston on Wednesday night.

“I’m not one to say momentum. This game is over,” Julien said. “I think it’s more about refocusing on the next one, knowing that the team you played against is going to be looking at what they can do better. They’re going to make adjustments. We have to do the same from our end.”

Bruins DieHard: Smiles All Around After Game 3 Victory

Kelly scored his first goal of the postseason in Game 2 and Paille scored in overtime as the Bruins won 2-1. For the first time in the series, no OT was necessary Monday, thanks much to the Bruins pressure.

“I think we are just putting pucks on net and reading plays,” Paille said. “I think we are managing the puck a little bit better. Just on my goal, you saw Kells go in, and I went in and then I shot. I think we are just not giving them enough time to think with the puck and we are able to get it.”

Tyler Seguin Post: 

Boston outshot Chicago 7-2 in the first five minutes and finished the game with 35 shots to the Blackhawks’ 28.

Kelly, who entered the game at minus-7 for the playoffs, also had eight faceoff wins, half of Chicago’s team total as the Bruins dominated that category, too, 40-16.

“We’re playing the best hockey of the season right now,” Julien said. “That’s what you’ve got to do to give yourself a chance to win a Stanley Cup.”

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

When a team starts to find success the fans start to roll out their songs about the team and usually they are pretty bad. T&R found a few about the Blackhawks that fall all over the map.

They started off with the best of the worst and moved their way up the ladder, these are no Mike “Behind the Mic” jams but they try.

The last song the guys played is written by a true Blackhawks fan that pokes fun at fair-weather Blackhawks fans.

Sit back and enjoy these songs knowing that the Bruins are up 2-1 in the Finals.

Bruins head coach Claude Julien made some line adjustments after the Game 1 loss, moving Daniel Paille up from the fourth-line to the third-line. Paille has since scored two straight game winning goals.

During the warmup skate before Game 3 Milan Lucic and Zdeno Chara crashed into each other and Chara went straight to the locker room following the collision. The national broadcast made a lot of this event, but glossed over the fact that Blackhawks winger Marian Hossa took one shot in the pre-game warmup and left the ice.

It was later learned that Hossa would not play in the game. This absence in such a big game left some to question the 34-year-old’s toughness.

“I try not to question a player’s toughness at this time of year,” 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Bruins color analyst Bob Beers told Toucher & Rich on Tuesday morning. “You don’t know what guys are going through. There’s guys that are playing that shouldn’t be playing and you know there’s always that player that you say, ‘Why isn’t he out here in this situation?’”

“And, if he’s day-to-day, which he said he was after the game and said that he might be ready to play on Wednesday, well then you kind of wonder why he couldn’t play here last night.”

As a result Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville had to shuffle up his lines a bit. Ben Smith, who only played one NHL game this season, replace the injured Hossa in the lineup. What do the Blackhawks lose by not having Hossa?

“Losing Hossa is such a big factor because he’s so good everywhere, all over the ice. He doesn’t get enough credit for being an all around player people see him as an offensive guy, but he’s somebody who hunts down pucks, he’s very good on the back check, he’s good in all zones. So, you lose him behind Toews probably their best all around player.”

Bruins fans will surely be watching to see if Hossa’s status changes come Wednesday’s Game 4.

Fourth-line grinder Daniel Paille was moved up to the third-line as coach Cluade Julien looked to shake things up after Boston’s Game 1 loss. Paille has since scored the game-winners in Games 2 and 3, and the third line is once again producing.

Adolfo was outside the Garden after the game on Monday night to talk to the highly enthusiastic fans as they left the Garden. Adolfo asked one gentleman his thoughts on the third-line and Paille.

He was also asked his thoughts on Jaromir Jagr. The fan admits that Jagr is slow as hell, but what he lacks in speed he makes up for with know-how.

Then the huge crowd noticed the NHL Network was outside, which means Kathryn Tappen was back in Boston. So they serenaded her with a chant that may have lasted all night.

Sometimes, you just know something good is going to happen, when everything you do will make you or someone else smile throughout the day.

That’s what it was like for the just about everyone on the Boston Bruins on Monday night, as they took Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final Chicago Blackhawks 2-0 at the TD garden to take a 2-1 series lead — and make everyone smile.

There’s been no place like home for Boston during these playoffs, winning all but two of the nine games played on Causeway Street. That home-ice advantage continued once again on Monday night. Chicago couldn’t do much with the minimal amount of time and space the Bruins allowed, and when they did, Tuukka Rask continued his out of this world goaltending. Daniel Paille — who scored the overtime game-winner Saturday night in Chicago — also potted the game-winner Monday, as his line with Chris Kelly and Tyler Seguin proved once again to bring the energy that head coach Claude Julien is always looking for.

That’s part of the system he has employed from day one, and no matter how maddening outsiders seem to think he should change, it is simply not his way. He believes in what he does and he believes in his players to carry out that system. On Monday night, they worked it to perfection. The ‘Hawks had 28 shots, but most were from just over the blue line. That made it extremely easy for Rask to see nearly every shot, and rebounds were cleared with ease.

The Bruins also dominated the dot on Monday, winning 40 of 56 faceoffs. If you win faceoffs, you start off with possession of the puck and the other team has to chase you for it. Patrice Bergeron not only score a power play goal for insurance, but at the faceoff dot he won an amazing 24-of-28 — an amazing 86-percent.

Read: Bergeron May Be Mr. Perfect And Other Leftovers

Think about that; you win the faceoff and your opposition spends the next 20-30 seconds trying to get the puck back. That made for a frustrating evening for the Chicago forwards.

Monday night was just a solid, top to bottom win for the Bruins from start to finish. They scored first, which is always key, especially at home, and they never let down.  Chicago had a flurry at the end of the game when they pulled Corey Crawford, and even got a puck past Rask, but it hit the left post and bounced out behind him on the right.

So there where smiles all around the Bruins locker room after the game, but Julien was quick to make sure they don’t get too big. “Yes, we will enjoy this tonight, but never lose sight of the future and put our minds right back to the next game, because the Hawks have are a good team,” he said after the game.

Julien knows what he is talking about, as Chicago stormed back from a 3-1 deficit in the second round of these playoffs against the Detroit Red Wings.

“So let’s refocus and continue with we are doing,” the coach added.

There was a thunderstorm before the game, and a double rainbow hanging over Boston just before puck drop. Rainbows usually bring smiles to everyone that sees them, and Monday night’s victory brought smiles to the 17, 565 fans that saw the Bruins win their 14th playoff game.

Two more rainbows and… well, you know!

Ric Duarte has covered hockey and the Bruins for various media outlets since 1986. You can follow Ric at BruinsDieHard.com and at twitter @bruins_diehard.

It’s not as if there was much doubt about Bergeron’s two-way talent — his Selke Trophy and Stanley Cup-clinching goal let folks know long ago — but still, even after doing everything for years, Bergeron still manages to impress.

With the entire hockey world watching, Bergeron put forth a nearly perfect effort in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. He skated for 19:49 against the Blackhawks. He scored a power-play goal. He spent 3:25 on the ice in shorthanded situations, as the Bruins killed all four full Chicago power plays. He blocked a shot and put seven of his own on net. And in the faceoff dot, where nobody is better, Bergeron won 24 of his 28 draws.

He was, simply, Mr. Perfect.

After the game, this year’s runner-up for the Selke was quick to credit his teammates and say all the right things. He’ll never soak in the spotlight or gloat about any of his performances. He’ll just keep doing everything right. When he does that, good things tend to happen for the Bruins.

But Bergeron wasn’t nearly the only story in Game 3, so let’s run through all the leftover thoughts from the Bruins’ 2-0 victory.

–If someone familiar with the sport of hockey but unfamiliar with the NHL asked you to describe what makes the Boston Bruins different, you could point to one shift in Game 3. It came in the third period, with David Krejci in the penalty box and the Bruins hanging on to a 2-0 lead. Bergeron and Daniel Paille, Boston’s two goal scorers, were out there on the penalty kill, relentlessly fighting to get in position to block shots and clog all passing and shooting lanes to keep the Blackhawks off the board.

The goal-scoring duo logged nearly six combined shorthanded minutes as the Bruins killed off their 27th consecutive penalty. That, in a nutshell, is Boston Bruins hockey.

(Or you could just show them the famed Gregory Campbell shift, but then they might get confused and think breaking bones is a prerequisite for being on the Bruins.)

–Are you getting tired of the Tuukka Rask story yet? I mean, ever since he wiped out on Broadway, he’s been as perfect as possible. Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said after the game that his players made it easy on Rask in Game 3, but I disagree. Quite the opposite, actually: Rask is simply making it look easy.

He stopped all 28 Chicago shots he faced for his third shutout of the postseason. He dropped his goals-against average down to 1.64 and improved his save percentage to .946. If he can see a shot, he’s going to stop it, whether it’s a missile of a slap shot by Duncan Keith, a speedy wraparound by Viktor Stalberg, or a 1-on-1 in close against Patrick Kane. Rask is going to stop it.

He wasn’t given the Army Rangers jacket as player of the game because I feel like at a certain point, he just told his teammates, “You know what? I’m good. You guys go ahead and pass that around.”

–Again, I do this only to stifle the ever-dwindling population of fans who will not give Rask credit until he wins a Cup, like Tim Thomas did. So here we go, now through 19 games:

Rask: 14-5 record, .946 save percentage, 1.64 GAA
Thomas: 12-7, .931 save percentage, 2.23 GAA

Rask in 2013 is better than Thomas in 2011. Rask in 2013 is better than Thomas in 2011. Rask in 2013 is better than Thomas in 2011. Believe it.

–The Blackhawks had to have known they were toast before the game, when a picture-perfect double rainbow popped up over the city of Boston. Two U’s, two K’s, two rainbows, two wins. Everybody knows that.

Tuukka Rask (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

–Of all the sports cliches that come flying out of athletes’ mouths, the most commonly used one is without a doubt “taking it one game at a time.” It’s to the point that reporters just need to start asking, “How many games at a time do you plan on taking this series?” just to get it out of the way early.

So I got a kick out of Corey Crawford postgame: “It’s always one game at a time. It’s been like that. I don’t know how many times I’ve said that to you guys this year, and it hasn’t changed. It’s the same way it’s going to be.”

Corey Crawford has made it abundantly clear: It’s one game at a time for the Blackhawks. No more questions!

–This guy must have spent a whole lot of money on his ticket to the the game. But you know what? He’ll have this photo to hang on his wall forever. Worth it.

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

–I’ve been amazed to see how many folks have seemed surprised to see Jaromir Jagr still showing flashes of his greatness. You all understand this man is one of the best 10 or so players to ever play the sport, right? He isn’t 25 years old anymore but that type of otherworldly skill doesn’t just disappear, and that pass on the power play through the crease that weaved through eight legs and four sticks before ending up on Bergeron’s tape was a true “Wow” play by Jagr.

Jagr’s backhand shot on net early in the first, which was so forceful that it sent Duncan Keith’s stick flying through the air, was another.

–Plus, the philosophical side of Jagr has been so much fun to watch in his post-40 years.

Jaromir Jagr (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

“How old are you?” he asked a reporter. “See, when you hit 30, then 40, you got to be cooled down at some point. That’s the age. No highs, no lows. I learned that’s the best way to do it. Emotion always — if you’re too high or too low, it’s kind of stopping you anyways. So, you have to be the same all the time, no matter happens.”

Be the same all the time. Sounds awesome.

–That power-play goal was made possible by the Jagr pass, of course, but also to Milan Lucic. Lucic didn’t spend the night knocking Blackhawks off their feet like he did in Game 2, but he stood right on front of that net and occupied two white sweaters, thereby allowing Bergeron the space to shoot into an empty net. Considering the Blackhawks only had three skaters in the defensive zone (Dave Bolland was on his way after getting out of the box), it doesn’t take a mathematician to know he played a big role in that goal, despite it not showing up on the score sheet.

–I credited Rask for stopping Kane in close earlier, but really, that was a pretty awful play by Kane, who has looked like anything but a dangerous goal scorer this series. He’s been unsuccessful on his 13 shots on net, registering his only point of the series with an assist on the wild scramble in Game 2. Maybe he saw the Bruins shut down Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Jarome Iginla in the previous round and just figured there was no point in even trying, because so far he’s just not been a factor.

–Speaking of Mr. Bolland, I do not believe he will be telling his grandchildren about his performance in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. He was penalized three times — two trips, one cross-check — and was on the ice for both goals. It could be argued he was heavily responsible for both goals too, as Paille picked his pocket before scoring the first goal. On the second, he was just a few strides out of the penalty box. Niklkas Hjalmarsson was forced to take a tripping penalty himself while killing Bolland’s penalty, leading to the extended man advantage for Boston.

–Chris Kelly brought up an interesting nugget about Paille. Kelly credited Paille for earning every single one of his goals, saying, “I don’t think he gets any power play chances.” Well, sure enough if you look at Paille’s stats, he has 78 career goals (regular season and playoffs) and exactly zero have come on the power play. Eleven have come shorthanded.

–The brawl at the end of the game started with Zdeno Chara just mauling Bryan Bickell in front of the net. It was mostly an insignificant mess after that, but I did notice Andrew Shaw try to land a huge left hook while Brad Marchand was lying flat on the ice. That no doubt violated the code, but I wonder if there is a code when Marchand and Shaw are involved. If you think about it, Shaw said he likes to model his game after Marchand’s, so can Marchand take offense when Shaw crosses a line?

That’s a deep question that only Dr. Jaromir Jagr is equipped to answer.

Andrew Shaw and Brad Marchand (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

–Make no mistake, Rask has been very good. Still, I thought Brent Seabrook bowing at the altar of Tuukka and praying for a goal was a bit over the top.

Brent Seabrook (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

–If there’s been one consistent complaint about the Bruins this year (and in past years), it’s been their tendency to sometimes let off the gas pedal and let teams back into the game. If it’s going to draw complaints when they do that, it should draw some praise when they finish strong. And that’s exactly what they did in Game 3.

Admittedly, the Blackhawks didn’t display all that much urgency in the third period, when they were trailing by two goals. Through the first 13:35 of the period, shots were tied at 4-to-4. Then, aided by a Bolland penalty, the Bruins rattled off five of the game’s next six shots.

Maybe the Blackhawks sort of looked like they were skating in a March matinee after they fell behind by two, but nevertheless, the Bruins showed the killer instinct that occasionally dropped off in the past — including in Game 1 of this very series. They know what’s at stake right now, and if they do relinquish this series lead, they’re just not going to give it up easily.

–If the Bruins can win Game 4, that means Lord Stanley will be in attendance for Game 5 in Chicago. There is simply no greater pressure for a team trailing in the series than to have Lord Stanley in the building.

Read more from Michael by clicking here, or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.

Third period, 11.9, 2-0 Bruins: The Bruins are going to win, but not before a brawl. Chara got into it with Bickell in front of the net, and then a full-on line brawl broke out. Shaw and Marchand squared up, and after they wrestled each other to the ice, Shaw delivered a very heavy left punch to Marchand, while Marchand was lying on the ice.

The refs are still sorting things out.

Third period, 1:45, 2-0 Bruins: The Bruins kill the penalty, their 26th straight, with Bergeron and Paille relentlessly working to clog any possible shooting lanes.

The Chicago net is now empty.

Third period, 4:05, 2-0 Bruins: A couple of good chances get stopped by Crawford, and now it’s the Blackhawks heading to the power play, as Krejci gets called for hooking to break up a potential short-handed rush. It’s do-or-die time for the Blackhawks.

Third period, 6:04, 2-0 Bruins: A nightmare night for Dave Bolland continues, as he skates a familiar path to the penalty box for tripping.

Third period, 9:12, 2-0 Bruins: No shots on net, no sweat. Bruins kill off the penalty, their 25th in a row, dating back to the Rangers series.

The home crowd showed its appreciation with a rousing ovation after the penalty expired.

Third period, 12:04, 2-0 Bruins: Well, if the Blackhawks were looking for a chance, now is it. McQuaid hauled down Marcus Kruger, drawing a penalty. We’ll see if the B’s can kill off their 25th straight penalty.

Third period, 12:42, 2-0 Bruins: A long wrister from Bickell is the best the Blackhawks can muster, as the Bruins are doing a dandy job of keeping the puck deep in the Chicago zone and killing clock. They’ll need another goal for this one to be safe, but their defense has prevented too many dangerous chances from developing.

Third period, 14:48, 2-0 Bruins: Maybe the Blackhawks are saving their desperation for later? I’m just not seeing any indication that they’re competing on the same level as the Bruins. I know they’re capable of it, because they have done it through the first 11 periods of the series, but they’re getting beat right now.

Third period, 16:29, 2-0 Bruins: No power-play goal for Boston, but the B’s are controlling play early in the third, not letting off the gas pedal.

Third period, 20:00, 2-0 Bruins: Third period under way. Sixty seconds of power play time. (It opened with another Bergeron faceoff win, making him 20-for-23).

End of second period, 2-0 Bruins: David Krejci walked along the goal line and put a shot on net just before the clock hit zeroes, but Crawford was down on the ice to keep it out of the net. The Bruins will have 60 seconds of power-play time when the third begins. A goal there would just about put this one away.

Obviously, that was a nearly perfect period for the Bruins. They played hard while skating 5-on-5, and Paille’s no-quit effort to pickpocket Bolland before the first goal gave the Bruins a lead. By driving to the net — first Kelly, then Paille — the Bruins drew two penalties, scoring seconds after the first one expired to double the lead.

The Bruins did indeed smarten up after taking two penalties in the first, and Rask has been good when needed. He’s at 18 saves through two periods, while his teammates have been credited with 13 blocked shots (Dennis Seidenberg tops among them with four.) The Blackhawks, meanwhile, have blocked just two Boston shots, despite the Bruins attempting 34 shots toward net (two have been blocked, six have missed the net).

The Bruins have also dominated at the faceoff dot, winning 69 percent of draws in this game. Bergeron, who scored the second goal, has won 19 of his 22 draws, helping to sway that number in the Bruins’ favor.

It’s not complicated for the Bruins now. Clear out the front of the net, let Rask see shots, make smart breakouts, take a 2-0 lead. Of course, against a team as talented as the Blackhawks, that’s always easier said than done.

Second period, 1:00, 2-0 Bruins: Another power-play opportunity for Boston, this one a gift from Chicago: unsportstmanlike conduct on Dave Bolland.

Second period, 5:55, 2-0 Bruins: Patrice Bergeron got denied from the doorstep earlier in the game, but not this time. After controlling the puck off the draw, the Bruins cycled the puck to Jagr in the right corner. With Lucic occupying two white jerseys in front, and with Bolland on his way into the zone from the box, Jagr’s pass through traffic made its way right to Bergeron’s tape in front of the goal line to the left side of the net. With an open net staring him in the face, Bergeron lifted his shot over the downed Crawford. B’s lead 2-0.

Second period, 6:10, 1-0 Bruins: Well, the Blackhawks’ penalty kill was doing pretty well, until Daniel Paille broke free with a chance on net. Hjalmarsson took him out on his way to the net, drawing a tripping call and giving the Bruins 11 seconds of a two-man advantage before another 1:49 of power-play time.

Second period, 8:00, 1-0 Bruins: Boston’s going to get an opportunity on the power play here, after Chris Kelly gets cross-checked from behind on his way to the net by Dave Bolland. Pretty easy call for the ref to make, and pretty huge opportunity for Boston, which entered tonight with a 16 percent success rate on the power play. The Blackhawks have killed 93.7 percent of penalties this postseason, so it won’t be easy.

The teams are — unsurprisingly — matching up pretty evenly with each other. Rask made a diving stick save to cover the post on a Stalberg wraparound attempt, which was probably Chicago’s best chance. Patrick Kane is no doubt kicking himself for taking far too long to fire a shot after a gorgeous feed by Seabrook, allowing Rask to set up shop and get in position to take away Kane’s options.

Second period, 14:50, 1-0 Bruins: Momentum is a very real thing, and the Bruins are riding it right now. The Bergeron line, with Chara and Seidenberg on the blue line, just put forth a relentless effort in the offensive zone. No goals came of it, but it’s not what the Blackhawks are looking for right now.

Second period, 17:47, 1-0 Bruins: The Bruins have the lead.

Tyler Seguin was robbed by Crawford, who got just enough of Seguin’s shot with his glove to deflect it into the corner, but Daniel Paille was there to pick-pocket Dave Bolland and fire a laser high to Crawford’s glove save, beating him and giving the Bruins a 1-0 lead.

Safe to say that Paille-Kelly-Seguin line is clicking.

Second period, 20:00, 0-0: The second 20 is under way in Boston.

End of first period, 0-0: A scoreless first period is in the books in Game 3, with the Blackhawks’ two power plays help level out the shots (B’s lead 11-10) and the overall game in the latter half of the period.

It looked like the Bruins’ power play deserved a chance with a minute left, when Johnny Oduya took out Horton at the knees on a 2-on-2 rush, but the refs deemed it a legal play.

The Bruins certainly looked like a much-improved club from their first period the other night, but they have nothing to show for it. Crawford looked just slightly shaky early on but managed to stand tall when called upon, particularly when Rich Peverley walked in all alone for not one but two short-handed shots on net.

Rask is still in the you-can’t-score-on-me zone, and the Blackhawks are going to need to get a lot more traffic in front if they hope to get something past him. Either a screen or a deflection looks to really be the only way to get anything by him these days.

What Claude Julien is probably telling his team right now is to keep their heads and stay out of the penalty box. While the Blackhawks’ power play is quite abysmal, taking two minutes to kill a penalty is a momentum killer. It’s true that the Bruins were able to get more short-handed chances than the Blackhawks’ power play, but Chicago did nearly score early on in the second power play after a mad scramble in front. No matter how poorly Chicago’s power play is operating, the Bruins know that every time they head to the box they’re playing with fire.

First period, 1:27, 0-0: The Bruins generated more short-handed chances than the Blackhawks’ power play, including a Hail Mary from Chara to Marchand that connected but was broken up by some chippy ice in front of the Chicago net.

First period, 5:45, 0-0: The Bruins take another unnecessary penalty, with Shawn Thornton going to the box for roughing after a scrum behind the Boston net. Normally when penalties are called in those situations, you see matching minors, but referee Chris Rooney emphatically called the roughing on Thornton.

In Tuukka Rask news, the netminder made a run-of-the-mill dazzling save on a scorching slap shot by Duncan Keith. Rask dropped to the split and extended his left arm to make a glove save.

First period, 7:55, 0-0: The Bruins killed the penalty, with only a bad angle shot by Seabrook after the penalty expired getting on net. The deflection of that shot kicked the puck out to the neutral zone, where Daugavins hopped on it at full speed on a possible 2-on-1. However, Daugavins never got the puck on his stick, and he put himself offside. He’s having a rough go of things in this Stanley Cup Final.

First period, 10:03, 0-0: Kaspars Daugavins went in with an elbow to the temple of Andrew Shaw, drawing a roughing call. I wonder if Shanahan will look at that. It didn’t look malicious, but with contact that clear, ouch.

First period, 11:50, 0-0: The Bruins look a lot better in the early going here than they did in Game 2, so at least they got that fixed. They have seven shots through 8:10, which is three more shots than they had in the entirety of the first period last time out.

Claude Julien’s lines have looked a bit out of order, as Patrice Bergeron was out there for a defensive zone draw and it shuffled things up a bit. But the strong shifts from Seguin-Kelly-Paille and Daugavins-Peverley-Thornton early on stand out as the best thus far. Jaromir Jagr also had a couple of chances, including a backhand bid on a wraparound that was so forceful it knocked the stick flying out of Duncan Keith’s hands.

The Bruins also announced after the last stoppage that Bruins fans set a new record by raising $107,385 with their playoffs beards. That’s a whole lot of money, you bearded beasts.

First period, 16:45, 0-0: Chris Kelly’s little tester shot on net nearly found its way through Crawford’s five hole. You of course remember what happened to the last opposing goalie to play in Cup Final games in Boston. Crawford’s shaken off the jitters though, with four saves against two pretty solid shifts from the third and fourth lines. Andrew Ference was also active on the blue line to keep a couple of pucks in the zone.

First period, 20:00: Stanley Cup hockey is on in Boston. David Krejci won the opening faceoff, and they’re under way.

8:19 p.m .: With puck drop just an anthem away, the Bruins announce their starters. It’ll be the Lucic-Krejci-Horton line up front, with Chara and Seidenberg on the back end.

8:08 p.m.: Most everyone expected Brandon Bollig to step out of the lineup and Viktor Stalberg to be inserted into his place. Stalberg will in fact be in there, but in a game-time surprise, it won’t just be Bollig stepping out. Marian Hossa also won’t be playing tonight.

Hossa has seven goals and eight assists and a plus-8 rating in 19 postseason games. According to Elliotte Friedman, Hossa was hit by a shot during warmups. Ben Smith will take his place. That’s quite the game-changer.

Smith has just 20 regular-season games of experience, though he did play seven postseason games in 2011, when he scored three goals.

8:02 p.m.: Tonight marks the 65th time the Bruins have taken the ice for warmups this season, yet it apparently is something they have not yet perfected. Toward the end of the pregame warmup, Milan Lucic and Zdeno Chara collided with each other. Considering they’re two of the biggest bodies in the game, it was a hard-to-miss crash. Both players looked OK afterward, but that’s a tough way to get things started for those two tonight.

7:53 p.m.: All postseason long, the Bruins’ honorary fan banner captains have had a Boston Strong theme. Tonight, the banner captains will be the siblings of slain MIT

police officer Sean Collier. Rob Rogers, Jenn Rogers and Jennifer Lemmerman will wave the Bruins flag before the giant banner makes its way around the lower bowl.

Other captains this postseason include Jeff Bauman, Carlos Arredondo, Dic Donohue and others who either injured in the Boston Marathon bombings or came to the aid of the victims and the city after the bombings.

7:15 p.m.: The crowd is starting to trickle into the TD Garden, as we’re now about an hour away from game time.

The only bit of action the ice has seen has been Jaromir Jagr’s usual pregame twirl, and now some repairs to glass support over in the far right corner.

The lighting in here is a bit different than usual. There’s a soft, gold light filling the Garden, creating an atmosphere usually reserved for rock concerts, not hockey games. But hey, it’s the Cup.

6:17 p.m.: A major storm just passed through the area, dropping hail and heavy rain all over previously dry and happy hockey fans, with some quick flashes of lightning and loud booms of thunder. It’s similar to the severe weather out in Illinois just prior to puck drop in Game 1.

Fortunately, it looks like the little pocket of severe weather has moved on, leaving another 90 minutes of pregame fun for the folks outside.

5:25 p.m.: Hello and welcome from a very quiet TD Garden. I almost feel as if I got here too early, because it’s eerily silent up here on Level 9.

Regardless, I’m pretty sure there will be hockey here in about 150 minutes, and it’s my believe the volume level will climb just a bit as puck drop nears.

But for now, we wait.

Here’s a look from inside the TD Garden, where a fresh sheet awaits the Bruins and Blackhawks for Game 3.

(Photo by Michael Hurley/CBS Boston)

A Stanley Cup Final banner hangs from the rafters prior to Game 3 between the Bruins and Blackhawks. (Photo by Michael Hurley/CBS Boston)

4 p.m.: It’s once again time for Boston to host the Stanley Cup Final.

It hasn’t nearly been as long a wait as it was the last time, with the Bruins going 3-0 against the Canucks in this building two years ago, but the TD Garden will no doubt be electric in just a few hours when the puck drops for Game 3 against Chicago.

We’ve all already seen how even this matchup is, with Game 1 taking nearly two full games to determine a winner and Game 2 going deep into overtime.

The Bruins, buoyed by Tuukka Rask in the outrageously lopsided first period, were fortunate to be in a close game, and they capitalized with goals by Chris Kelly and Daniel Paille. Though they were able to survive that first period, when they were outshot 19-4, they know they may not be so lucky if they don’t come firing out of the gates.

The Blackhawks, meanwhile, are going to get back to the effort that produced four goals in Game 1. Two of their goals came from out-hustling the Bruins, while the other two came from long shots sent toward havoc in front. One bounced off Andrew Ference’s skate and in, the other off a stick and a shin pad for the game-winner.

One player I’ll have a close eye on tonight is Milan Lucic. He was an absolute wrecking ball in Game 2, recording 10 hits and being a completely intimidating force. When he skated in on the forecheck, Blackhawks D-men were skating out of the way by the time the third period came around. Niklas Hjalmarsson seemed most susceptible to rushing a pass and turning it over, though that might be because I’ve seen this gif from Game 1.

As for the rest of the game, it’ll all be here in the live blog. From pregame warmups through the final horn, stick with the live blog as we find out which team will seize the lead in this series.

Read more from Michael by clicking here, or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.

Matt Kalman of CBSBostonSports.com joined Felger & Mazz down by the Garden to discuss the Bruins winning Game 2 over the Blackhawks and tonight’s Game 3 in Boston.

The guys started off discussing the play of Kaspars Daugavins in Game 2.

“He hasn’t been all that hot,” said Kalman.

Daugavins was released by Ottawa and the Bruins picked him up, but should they keep rolling this guy out there or make a change for a guy like Jordan Caron?

They also discussed the criticisms of Jaromir Jagr. The future Hall of Famer hasn’t really made much noise since joining the team and has been relatively invisible this playoff run.

“Shift to shift you don’t know what you’re getting out of him. He protects the puck in the corner, he looks great for a whole shift or a shift and a half, usually while the rest of the guys change,” Kalman said of Jagr.

They also discussed the fact that Tyler Seguin has been relatively silent as well, but seems to be waking up since getting moved.

Has any team established something that will carry over to tonight’s game?

With their return home, they also get to see an injured teammate once again.

Gregory Campbell, who became a hockey hero in Boston when he remained on the ice during a penalty kill after breaking his leg in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Pittsburgh, was back around the team on Monday.

Read: 3 Keys For A Game 3 Victory

Campbell underwent surgery on his leg last week, and wasn’t able to join the team for the first two games of the series in Chicago. But with things shifting back to Boston for Games 3 and 4, there’s been a “Soupy” reunion for the B’s.

“It’s nice to see him, there’s no doubt,” head coach Claude Julien said of Campbell on Monday.  ”We miss him, he’s a good player for us, but just to be around our team, it’s nice to have him back.”

“He’s part of our family,” added Julien. “That’s how we look at things in that dressing room.  If he could have, he would have been in Chicago.  It was too early after surgery.  From here on in, he’s good to go, going to be with us the whole way.”

“With him not being able to be around us on the road, we definitely are going to enjoy his presence and just his comments on certain parts of the game,” said Daniel Paille, Campbell’s former linemate on Boston’s fourth line. “I think we’re all happy to see him again.”

Read: More Overtime In Game 3?

“It’s something that no player wants to be a part of when you’re so close and you get injured, but we all understand that there’s a territory that comes with it sometimes,” said Paille. “He knows if he could skate he would be there and if there was that possibility, I’m sure we would all love to have him back in that dressing room, but for now we have to play and adjust without him right now.”

Campbell’s presence around the team brings back memories of Nathan Horton in 2011. Horton was injured in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Vancouver Canucks, suffering a concussion following a late hit by Aaron Rome. A few nights later, Horton was at the TD Garden for Game 4, waiving a Bruins towel prior to the game to fire up the crowd. Following the win, he was the one to presentRich Peverley with the lucky “Bruins Jacket” that was given out to the hero of each game during that championship run.

Read: Lines Remain Same For Bruins At Morning Skate

Much like Horton two years ago, the Bruins want to win this one for Campbell.

“Every time that someone goes down you always want to play for that player,” said Paille. “Soupy, we know he’s done everything he did to help us get to where we’re at and we always want to make sure that it wasn’t for nothing. So, you want to leave it out there and make sure you give it everything.”

This season, the Bruins are giving out an army jacket to the designated player of the game. If all goes well, Campbell might be the one to present it to one of his teammates on Monday night.

Tune in to every game of the Bruins-Blackhawks Stanley Cup Final on 98.5 The Sports Hub — the flagship station of the Boston Bruins. Pregame coverage begins one hour before the puck drops, with full postgame reaction and analysis following every game!

Read: 3 Keys For A Game 3 Victory

Boston’s top two lines also remained the same, as did the fourth line — with Rich Peverley centering Kaspars Daugavins and Shawn Thornton. “I just season people. I’m just a seasoner,” Thornton joked about his two new linemates. “Slump-buster they call me. Come up play with me then move up to a better line and then go score.” In general, the Bruins don’t expect much change at all in Game 3. They’re all expecting another hard-fought, one-goal game, one that will probably need some extra hockey to determine a winner. “Yeah, you kind of have to,” said forward Brad Marchand. “You see both the games, both overtime games. It just seems like it is going to go that way, but every game’s different and a lot of it goes with bounces and everything like that. I guess that’s what we have to prepare for.”

VOTE: More Extra Hockey In Game 3?

“That’s just the certain styles that both of us play, and I think both teams are still adjusting to it but shouldn’t be that much of a change,” said Daniel Paille, who netted the overtime game-winner in Game 2. “It’s the finals so there shouldn’t be too many crazy leads like normally, but I think it’s when you have an offensive fire power like them and then our kind of style like us, we try to play to a close game.”

The Bruins enter Monday night’s Game 3 a perfect 3-0 in Game 3′s this postseason, while the Blackhawks are 0-3. But as the Bruins will tell you, that doesn’t mean anything.

“I’m going to tell you the same thing that I told everybody when we asked those questions about not being able to close, this and that.  Stats at this time of year don’t mean a thing,” said Julien. “No matter what we are, what they are, it’s about winning this game tonight.  I don’t pay much attention to stats when it comes to that stuff.  We’ve seen those things change.  It just takes one game to change the stat.  So I’m going to focus on what we need to do tonight.”

“That means nothing right now,” said Marchand. “It’s a completely different series, completely different time. That has no bearing on tonight’s game.”

“Hopefully that continues tonight but just because that’s the record that doesn’t mean that’s what is going to happen,” said Thornton. “It’s going to be a really, really tough game, just coming back home. Being (in Boston) doesn’t mean anything so, we’re going to have to bring everything right off the hop.”

But if there is one certainty it’s that, after playing the first two games of the series on the road, the Bruins will return home to a loud and rowdy crowd for Game 3.

“It’s always a lot of fun to be in your hometown and play in front of your crowd, especially the Finals where everything is so crazy,” said Marchand. “You saw how Chicago was. It was still fun to be in an atmosphere like that but we are very happy to be home.”

“It’s going to be important for us to come out and win this first game,” said defenseman Johnny Boychuk. “That’s ultimately the goal; to win both games. If you want to come out with a split at home, you’re crazy. We’re going to need to be at our best because we know they’re going to be coming out hard. They’re a phenomenal team.”

Tune in to every game of the Bruins-Blackhawks Stanley Cup Final on 98.5 The Sports Hub — the flagship station of the Boston Bruins. Pregame coverage begins one hour before the puck drops, with full postgame reaction and analysis following every game!

Zolak and Sean McAdam opened the week breaking down the Bruins Game 2 overtime win in Chicago. The Bruins were dominated in the first period, but turned it on after Chris Kelly’s goal.

How big was it to have Nathan Horton playing after getting injured in Game 1? Could we see this injury again before the series ends?

How will the Bruins come out tonight and will we be forced to sit through another nail biting overtime game?

Maybe they sensed that there would still be a lot more hockey before the night was over.

Ten periods into their championship series, the Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks headed to Boston for Game 3 on Monday night. No one would be surprised if this one’s as close as the first two.

“I think it’s pretty much what everybody expected,” Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask said Sunday. “I mean, I don’t know if anybody expected to go to triple overtime the first game, but still it’s been tight, one-goal games. That’s usually how the playoffs go.”

Neither team skated on the off-day on Sunday, instead choosing to conserve their energy after playing four extra periods while trading overtime victories that left the series tied at one game.

“It’s a lot about getting your rest,” Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith said after arriving in Boston about an hour late because of air traffic. “It’s not rocket science, you just get sleep and do as best you can and do all those little things to get ready to go.”

Read: 3 Keys For A Game 3 Victory

After their triple overtime win in Game 1, the Blackhawks dominated the first period of Game 2, outshooting the Bruins 19-4. Heading off the ice for the first break, Tyler Seguin ditched the microphone he had been wearing as part of the TV broadcast.

Then he went back into the dressing room so the team could hash out its problems in peace.

“It was really a mix of everybody saying something,” Seguin said. “I definitely knew it was coming, so I threw my shoulder pads in the training room and put a towel over it so no one could hear what we were saying. I think we needed that team wake-up call.”

Only Rask prevented things from getting worse.

“Not much needed to be said after that first period,” said Chris Kelly, who was one of the more vocal players in the dressing room.

“I think Tuukka pointed out that was a pretty terrible period by our team. If it wasn’t for Tuukka, it would have been a lot worse.”

Neither Kelly nor coach Claude Julien nor any of the other Bruins would divulge what was said in the room.

But something snapped them out of their funk.

“Claude came in a little bit later, but I think we were all equally upset about that first period,” said Daniel Paille, who scored at 13:48 of overtime to end it.

“Definitely, Claude let us know and it was a way for us to wake up. And, also, players were keeping each other accountable, too, so it was good.”

Whatever was said, the Blackhawks managed only 15 shots over the next two-plus periods to Boston’s 24.

For the game, the Bruins had 50 hits — 10 by Milan Lucic — to 34 for Chicago.

“They’re in the Stanley Cup final for a reason,” Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane said. “It’s not like you’re going to have the momentum or dominate for three periods. Obviously, we’d love that.

“We know momentum is huge in the playoffs. You want to keep it as long as you can.”

But Blackhawks forward Dave Bolland said they relaxed after taking an early lead and dominating the first period. Another goal was disallowed when the referee lost sight of the puck and blew the whistle moments before it rolled under Rask and over the goal line.

Read: 5 Things We Learned In Game 2

“You always have to have your foot on the gas against this team,” Bolland said. “They’re a physical team. You see the guys they have. They’re a big team and they play hard and they’re going to hit, so you’ve got to be ready for that.”

Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said he didn’t think the team lost momentum by having an extra day off before Game 1 on Wednesday and Game 2 on Saturday.

“We had a great first period,” he said. “We did everything we wanted except get to two (goals).”

Follow Jimmy Golen on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/jgolen .

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

While it was mission accomplished in that sense, both of these teams know the series is a long way from being decided. The winner of tonight’s Game 3, though, will be in the driver’s seat with a 2-1 series lead.

For the Bruins to gain that lead, here are three keys to Game 3.

Milan Lucic, Wrecking Ball
In the days of Mark Recchi, the nickname “Wrecking Ball” was thrown around for the veteran’s willingness to skate to the dirty areas and take and give out the punishment that comes with the territory. But even Recchi himself never actually resembled a wrecking ball, at least not like Milan Lucic did in Game 2.

Sports Final: Bob Beers On Bruins’ Game 2 Win, Previews Game 3 Of Stanley Cup Final

The big-bodied left winger used his size to his advantage in Game 2, absolutely bullying the Blackhawks with clean but heavy body checks all night long. On the stat sheet, Lucic was credited with a game-high 10 hits, four more than any other player, and though there’s no way to properly quantify their impact, there’s little doubt he helped wear down the Blackhawks. It was evident in the third period, when Lucic would enter the Chicago zone on the forecheck. By that point, Blackhawks D-men could be seen taking circuitous routes to the puck in order to let Lucic get there first. The D-men likely figured they’d have a better chance battling for the puck than they would getting crushed into the end boards.

The question for Game 3 is whether Lucic wore down himself with all that hitting. After more than 38 minutes on the ice in Game 1 and a punishing 24:33 time on ice in Game 2, Lucic is no doubt a little tired heading into Game 3. Then again, so is everyone else. If Lucic can once again impose his presence the way he did in Game 2, it’ll be another long night for the Blackhawks.

Tuukka Being Tuukka
At this point, there’s really not much left to say about Tuukka Rask. He saves just about every single puck he sees, and even some he doesn’t. His numbers are absurd, and he was the sole reason the Bruins had any chance to even win Game 2.

Stanley Cup Notebook: Rask, Thomas Remain Connected

Fortunately for him, it would be hard to believe it could get much tougher than the first period of Game 2, when he stopped 18 of 19 shots, with only a Patrick Sharp shot through a couple of bodies finding its way into the net.

Unfortunately for Tuukka, the man across the ice has been just as good. Here’s how Corey Crawford’s numbers compare to Rask this postseason:

Crawford: 13-6 record, .935 save percentage, 1.72 goals-against average
Rask: 13-5 record, .944 save percentage, 1.73 goals-against average

For Rask, that means there’s no room for a letdown. While he didn’t really have much of a chance on three of Chicago’s four goals in Game 1, he may have to make an impossible save or two to keep similar shots out of the net going forward. Knowing how solid Crawford’s been for Chicago, it looks like these games will all come down to one goal. Rask is going to have to maintain his out-of-control pace as the team’s MVP for the Bruins to keep winning games.

O From D
A major part of the Bruins’ somewhat surprising run to the Cup Final was unlikely scoring from the blue line. Though Adam McQuaid made the play to keep the puck in the Chicago zone for the game-winning goal in Game 2, the defensemen have yet to find the back of the net for the Bruins this series.

Prior to the Final, the blue-liners chipped in with a healthy dose of complementary scoring. Johnny Boychuk netted five goals, which is still tied for fourth-most on the team this postseason. Torey Krug, quite memorably, scored four goals against the Rangers in the second round, while Adam McQuaid doubled his regular-season goal total with two, including the lone goal of the Bruins’ Game 4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

In this series, goals from the D-men won’t be a necessity, but they may be the biggest key if the Bruins hope to try to build a lead bigger than one goal. Whether it’s a Boychuk blast through traffic, Krug on the power play or a well-placed wrister by Andrew Ference, Game 3 would be a good time for the D-men to get on the score sheet.

Read more from Michael by clicking here, or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.

BOSTON (AP) — Just imagine what Tuukka Rask and Tim Thomas chat about when the present and past Boston Bruins goalies, and friends, have time to talk.

Perhaps they discuss what it’s like to stop shot after shot at the most important time of the season.

But Rask isn’t saying.

“It’s between him and me,” he said Sunday.

In 2011, Thomas won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the NHL postseason when he posted a 16-9 record, 1.98 goals-against average and .940 save percentage. He led the Bruins to their first Stanley Cup title since 1972 in a seven-game series against the Vancouver Canucks.

Rask’s numbers this year are even better — a 13-5 record, 1.73 GAA and .944 save percentage. And the Bruins are three wins away from another championship, tied 1-1 with the Chicago Blackhawks heading into Game 3 on Monday night.

The 39-year-old Thomas took this season off after the NHL lockout then was traded to the New York Islanders and has stayed away from the game. After three full seasons as his teammate, Rask inherited the job.

“Tim has been a great goaltender for us. When you lose a guy like that, there’s always that fear that you’re not going to be able to replace him,” coach Claude Julien said Sunday. “Tuukka’s done an outstanding job. To me, he’s been as much of a contributor to our team as Tim was two years ago.”

In the Eastern Conference finals, Rask allowed just only goals in four games as Boston swept the Pittsburgh Penguins. In the finals against Chicago, Rask has allowed five goals so far, but kept Game 2 close when he stopped 18 shots in the first period of the Bruins’ 2-1 overtime win.

“I always feel like I’m in a zone,” Rask said, “nothing different, just another game. My job is really easy, or really simple, not easy — to stop the puck.”

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GOOD TIMING: Daniel Paille’s winner in Game 2 was the first overtime goal of his eight-year NHL career but his second winner of the 2013 NHL playoffs.

Paille scored 13:48 into overtime Saturday night to give the Bruins a 2-1 victory and even the best-of-seven Stanley Cup finals at one game apiece. He also scored the winner in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Rangers with 3 1/2 minutes left in the third period.

The pair of winners matches Paille’s total from his last 246 regular-season games.

“It feels great to score the overtime goal,” Paille said after arriving on Sunday in Boston, where Game 3 will be played Monday night. “I think we’re a bit relieved now that after that slow start we were able to accomplish a split, and we’re coming back here for a good series.”

Paille also assisted on Boston’s other goal, by Chris Kelly with 5:02 left in the second period. That snapped a slump for Kelly, who had not scored a goal in 22 regular- and postseason games dating to April 17.

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FATHER AND SON: Popeye Jones played one of his 11 NBA seasons as a forward with the Boston Celtics in 1998-99, averaging 3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 18 games. His son is better at hockey.

On Monday night, Seth Jones will be in the building where his father spent one injury-plagued season. The son is one of the top draft prospects scheduled to attend Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals between the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks. The teams split the first two games in Chicago.

Jones, a defenseman with Portland of the Western Hockey League, is the possible No. 1 pick in the draft on June 30. Others scheduled to be at the game are two players with Halifax of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, center Nathan MacKinnon and left wing Jonathan Drouin, and defenseman Darnell Nurse of Sault Ste. Marie of the Ontario Hockey League.

This is the 20th year in which draft prospects attend the Stanley Cup finals. Six players in the current series have been in those groups — Boston’s Wade Redden in 1995, Nathan Horton in 2003, Tyler Seguin in 2010 and Dougie Hamilton in 2011 and Chicago’s Jonathan Toews in 2006 and Patrick Kane in 2007.

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ICE SCRAPINGS: Boston’s 2-1 win Saturday night was the first overtime victory by a road team in the last 10 playoff overtime games. … The 26 overtime games in the 2013 playoffs are tied for second-most in NHL history. Two more would match the 1993 total. … Boston coach Claude Julien said center Gregory Campbell, sidelined for the postseason after breaking his right leg in Game 3 against the Penguins, will be with the team for the remaining games. “He’s part of our family,” Julien said. “When we go back to Chicago (for Game 5), it will be the same thing.”

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

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ALL TIED UP: Many believed Boston and Chicago were the two best teams in the NHL this season, both possessing a lethal blend of potent offense and stingy defense. (Pipe down, Pittsburgh fans. The goal-a-palooza that was Sid the Kid and Co. was a sight to behold, but you have to at least fake some defense.) So it is fitting that the Bruins and Blackhawks head to Boston tied at one game each. The first two games haven’t always been pretty — ahem, Brandon Bolllig — but they have been fast, entertaining and, most important, evenly matched. Fans are definitely getting their money’s worth, and few can argue that the Kings or Penguins would make for a better matchup.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030′s Mark Katic reports

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WORKING OVERTIME: Of course this game went to overtime. After Boston and Chicago needed OT to settle 10 games already in this postseason, including the 1-hour, 52-minute and 14-second marathon that was Game 1, there was no way this one was going to be settled nicely, neatly or in a timely fashion. At least this one didn’t turn into a night-day game, however, with Daniel Paille scoring 13:48 into the first overtime. No doubt there will be extended practices Sunday after such a short night. Boston is now 5-2 in overtime this postseason while Chicago is 4-2. Oh, and it’s not just the Bruins and Blackhawks logging extra hours. Game 2 was the 26th OT game of the postseason, tied for second most in NHL history. The record of 28 was set in 1993.

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THE OLD MEN: Kids these days are such slackers. Jaromir Jagr has been playing longer than some of the Bruins have been alive. Really. That’s not an exaggeration. Yet there the old man was, leading Boston with five shots Saturday night, and coming close to ending the game a few times, including banging a puck off the crossbar in overtime. “I wanted to help the team. It was still a tied hockey game,” he said. “To score a goal would have been huge.” Jagr wasn’t the only one doing the senior set proud. Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp, two of Chicago’s more veteran players, led the Blackhawks with seven shots each, and Sharp had Chicago’s only goal.

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WHAT IF? Hossa’s disallowed goal isn’t the reason the Blackhawks lost Game 2, but it sure is fun to speculate. Shortly after Sharp gave Chicago the lead in the first period, Hossa appeared to double it. But the goal was waved off, with officials saying play should have been stopped because the referee had lost sight of the puck. Intermission came, the Bruins woke up, the Blackhawks dozed off and the rest is history. “It would have been nice to get it, but those guys make the call they see on the ice,” Sharp said. “As a team, we’ve been in situations where we’ve had some bad bounces and were forced to regroup quickly, so it didn’t affect us too much.” Had Chicago gotten that goal, however, who knows if Boston could have overcome a two-goal deficit?

___

HELLO AGAIN, CHRIS KELLY: Kelly’s tying goal in the second period was his first in the postseason since April 12, 2012, against Washington. Big deal, you might say, that was only last year. But the drought had dragged on for 23 games — or nearly the equivalent of the home schedule in this lockout-shortened season. “Just because he doesn’t see himself as a goal-scorer doesn’t mean he has to continue to have a goose egg on his stats,” Boston coach Claude Julien said. “Sometimes that stuff, whether you like it or not, will weigh on you. When you get a night like that, it certainly takes a lot of weight off your shoulders and creates some positive thinking and some positive energy moving forward.” The other positive is Boston’s record when Kelly scores in the postseason: a sparkling 10-1, including Saturday night’s victory.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

They’re just lucky that they have Tuukka Rask.

Without a doubt, they dominated play in the overtime period of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, and Daniel Paille’s game-winning goal to the series was well earned. But given how ugly the Bruins played in the first 20 or 30 minutes of the game, it was nothing short of a hockey miracle that they were even within striking distance late in the game.

Then again, given the way Rask has played this postseason, the miracle has become the norm.

“In the first [period], they were skating and we weren’t,” head coach Claude Julien said. “It was totally lopsided, and it was a hard period to coach and to watch.”

The coach was putting things nicely. The Blackhawks fired 19 shots on net, while the Bruins could muster just four. One of those came on a slap shot from center ice 10 seconds after the opening faceoff, and another was a shot only by technicality, credited to Rich Peverley after goaltender Corey Crawford poke-checked the puck off the forward’s stick. It was a total no-show for the Bruins, but for the man between the pipes.

“We were in survival mode there for a bit. It looked like they had more guys out there than we did,” said Rask, who stopped 18 Chicago shots in the opening 20 minutes. “We definitely played pretty bad. But it was good that we were only down by one, and we regrouped after that.”

The Bruins all said they regrouped after the first intermission, but the impact was slow to be seen. The Blackhawks, though slightly slowed down from the first-period onslaught, still fired four of the first six shots of the period, with Patrick Sharp spending the first half of regulation with more shots on net than the entire Bruins team.

“We were on our heels, we were second to the puck, we were just throwing pucks out of our own end, we weren’t making plays, we were standing still in our end, they were moving the puck around us and had a couple of point-blank shots,” Julien said bluntly of his team’s first-period performance. “We were just not ready to play.”

But midway through the second period, hard work began to pay off. Julien created a line with Paille on the left wing, Chris Kelly at center and Tyler Seguin at right wing — Julien called it a “hunch” — and it was almost instantly effective. Kelly, who hadn’t scored since mid-April, was in perfect position to jam home a rebound off Paille’s wraparound, and suddenly, the one-sided game was completely even.

“I think on my goal, it was a great five-guy effort,” said Kelly, while wearing the team’s Army Rangers jacket for player of the game. “Andrew [Ference] made a pinch, Tyler was in on the play and got it to Daniel, and Daniel took it to the net and I just happened to be there.”

From that point on, it was a mostly even game. Rask’s workload was lessened, with the Blackhawks mustering just four shots on net in the second period and five shots in the third. And once overtime began, it was all Boston.

Tuukka Rask (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Jaromir Jagr, now almost undeniably cursed by the hockey gods, ripped a shot off the post just 85 seconds into the overtime. Seguin fed Kelly in front for a point-blank one-time shot. David Krejci screened Crawford on a shot from the point, and the rebound slid loose into the slot. Milan Lucic had a backhand opportunity off a rebound but lofted it just over the top of the net. The chances just kept piling up, but none good enough to end the game.

Despite the Bruins controlling the pace of play, the job for Rask wasn’t any easier.

“I would say there’s a lot more pressure on Tuukka,” Jagr said of the OT, “because he could see it. We were playing in their zone, we had so many chances, and you never know. One bad pinch and they go 2-on-1 and he has to make the save maybe once in 10 minutes.”

Rask did turn aside all six shots he faced in the overtime period, helping to set up the game-winning snap shot by Paille, which went past Crawford’s glove and deflected in off the right post. In doing so, Rask improved his save percentage to .944 and his goals-against average to 1.73 in 18 playoff games.

After the victory, which knotted the Stanley Cup Final at one game apiece with the series heading to Boston, the Bruins were happy, but they knew they were extraordinarily fortunate to only be trailing by a goal after getting outplayed in every way possible early in the game.

“If it wasn’t for Tuukka, it would have been a lot worse,” Kelly said. “I think to a guy in there, we knew we had to go out and be better.”

They were better, but given how dangerous this Blackhawks team can be, the Bruins know that when the series resumes Monday night, they can’t afford to skip the first period again. They’ll still have Rask, but leaning on him that hard with the stakes so high is hardly a recipe for continued success.

But for now, it’s all tied up: Blackhawks 1, Rask 1.

Read more from Michael by clicking here, or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.

The man whose hard work created the first goal was able to bury the hard-earned game-winner. A wrister from the top of the left faceoff circle simply beat Crawford. Seguin gets credit for a great assist through the middle of the ice.

The Bruins deserved that victory. Their hard work in overtime was immense.

Overtime, 9:01, 1-1: Veteran move by Dennis Seidenberg, who iced the puck to get a rest, knowing the ice crew was set to come out after the 10-minute mark. Well, at least I assume Seidenberg knew the situation.

Shots are tied 5-5 in overtime, though two of the Bruins’ best chances didn’t even register as shots. When play continues, there will be a defensive zone draw for Boston.

Overtime, 12:00, 1-1: The delay of game penalty nearly strikes again. Leddy lifted a puck over the glass, and though Paille was close to the puck, it was ruled to have gone out of play without being touched. However after the officials huddled, they decided the puck had been deflected off Paille’s stick. They more likely didn’t want the game decided by a delay of game call.

Overtime, 12:18, 1-1: Outrageous pace to the overtime, with Bergeron firing a heavy slap shot on net, which was saved by Crawford, and Lucic lofting a backhand over the net.

Overtime, 14:10, 1-1: The Bruins are controlling play in overtime. Seguin just fed Kelly in front for a point-blank one-time shot, but Crawford was up to the task. Krug also displayed some of that ridiculous foot control to keep the puck in the zone a couple of times.

Overtime, 18:32, 1-1: Jaromir Jagr hasn’t scored this postseason, and it’s starting to seem like he really is cursed. His hard wrister from the right circle hits the post square and bounces out of play. He beat Crawford clean, but the post was there to deny the bid.

Overtime, 20:00, 1-1: Overtime has begun in Chicago. I’ll do my best providing updates here, but you know how fast and furious overtime can be.

End of third period, 1-1: And … overtime.

The final few minutes were played at a frenetic pace, with the Bruins generating several decent opportunities but the Blackhawks doing a good job of packing it in and blocking shots. Crawford also came through with a big save when Bergeron won a draw back to Ference, who quickly tapped back to Boychuk for a one-timer. Jagr also had a backhand opportunity on a rebound, but it was deflected out of play and out of harm’s way.

And so, we head to the fourth overtime period of this series, which is just two games old. These two teams are a pretty even matchup, wouldn’t you say?

Third period, 4:29, 1-1: It’s not officially sudden-death overtime, but it more or less is.

Credit to the players, because the physical toll Game 1 took on their bodies is evident late in the third period here. Guys are flat-out exhausted, but they’re still out there willing to endure whatever pain it takes to get that game-winner.

One noticeable effect seen in this game has come from all the hits by Lucic. When he skates in on the forecheck now, Blackhawks D-men are starting to just get out of his way, unwilling to get bowled over another time. It hasn’t yet led to a turnover or play that’s created a goal, but it’s stood out.

Third period, 10:33, 1-1: Jaromir Jagr was called out by Mike Milbury on the game broadcast for his “lazy” play in the first period, but the 41-year-old is doing it all in the third. He skated all the way back to the faceoff dots in the Boston end to help with a breakout earlier in the period, and he ended up muscling the puck through three bodies and setting up a great opportunity for Marchand on the ensuing rush. And he just hopped over the boards, carried the puck into the corner and sent a diagonal pass to Chara at the blue line. Crawford swallowed up Chara’s wrist shot, but Jagr is standing out in the third.

Third period, 12:00, 1-1: I’m not quite sure why it took the Bruins two periods to wake up today, but this third period looks a lot more like we expected. The two teams have been, for the most part, even this period, with the B”s maybe holding a minor edge. That advantage doesn’t mean much in a 1-1 game in the third period, but just like the other night, this game has taken on a next-goal-wins type of feel.

Third period, 17:40, 1-1: The Bruins let that power play opportunity slip, as they weren’t even able to possess the puck in the Chicago zone at all. You have to think at this point, it’ll take a mugging to draw a penalty, so it’ll likely be 5-on-5 play that brings us the next goal, perhaps the game-winner.

Third period, 20:00, 1-1: Third period, B’s on the power play, here we go.

End of second period, 1-1: A pair of Jagr shots are turned aside by Crawford, and Seguin sends a wild pass out to the neutral zone, and the period ends without a power-play goal for Boston.

For the second straight period, the Bruins must be feeling very lucky. They were outplayed up and down the ice but still managed to tie the game. It was hard to gauge any momentum, confidence or composure after the goal, because Seidenberg headed to the penalty box shortly after it. But they’ll have a little over a minute on the power play to begin the third period, in what could be the most important minute of the game. A power-play goal there, and the pressure shifts to the Blackhawks in the third period. Who would have ever thought that to be possible a half-hour ago?

After getting outshot 19-to-4 in the first period, the Bruins (8) actually doubled up the Blackhawks’ shots (4) in the second.

Second period, :50, 1-1: The refs missed a slashing call on Seabrook when Marchand broke in on a shorthanded breakaway, but they make up for it seconds later when Oduya swipes at Marchand’s skates and trips him in the neutral zone. B’s will have 50 seconds of power play time before the period ends.

Second period, 2:49, 1-1: Any Bruins momentum will have to wait, because Dennis Seidenberg wiped out Saad to break up a potential scoring opportunity. It came off a wide shot by Horton on a pretty good chance created by Krejci and Lucic.

Second period, 5:02, 1-1: And there’s the goal that came from extra effort from — who else? — Daniel Paille. He dangled around Nick Leddy behind the Chicago net and put a little wraparound shot on net. Crawford made a stick save, and Kelly pounced on the rebound and chipped it past Crawford for the tying goal.

That was the good break the Bruins needed. We’ll see if it changes anything.

Second period, 5:17, 1-0 Blackhawks: More of the same from Chicago. The one positive for the Bruins has been Milan Lucic, who has not been short on effort tonight, and it shows in his game-high nine hits.

As frustrating as this game has been for the Bruins, it has to be twice as maddening for Chicago. No doubt, the Blackhawks have thoroughly outplayed the Bruins thus far, but a 1-0 lead is hardly indicative of their play thus far. A bad bounce that goes against Chicago, and the game starts over again.

Second period, 9:35, 1-0 Blackhawks: The Bruins are able to kill the penalty, a small consolation as they struggle to keep up with the Blackhawks.

Second period, 11:44, 1-0 Blackhawks: Another opportunity for Chicago, as Patrick Sharp flailed his body while Johnny Boychuk had his arm over his shoulder. It probably would have been a penalty without the sell job, but Sharp wanted to make sure.

Second period, 12:36, 1-0 Blackhawks: The Chicago domination over the Bruins has subsided a bit, but the Blackhawks still lead in shots 21-to-6. Patrick Sharp has seven shots himself. The Bruins just look out of sorts. I’m not even sure a dirty/lucky/garbage goal in their favor would turn them around, because they look nothing like the team that rolled its way through the past two rounds of the postseason.

Second period, 16:30, 1-0 Blackhawks: The only chance the Bruins had in their two minutes came when Seguin went 1-on-4 and fired a shot on net from in close.

Second period, 18:41, 1-0 Blackhawks: The Bruins will get their first power play of the night, Bolland getting called for tripping Marchand. It looked more like Bolland shoved Marchand rather than trip him, but the body falling to the ice must have convinced the referee of a trip.

Second period, 20:00, 1-0 Blackhawks: The Bruins are 2-0 this postseason when trailing after the first period, so there’s that. There’s also the fact that the Blackhawks have gone 6-1 when leading after the first. History won’t dictate the future, but that’s what they’ve done to this point.

Second period, under way.

End of first period, 1-0 Blackhawks: Chicago heads to the first intermission with a 1-0 lead. Boston heads to the locker room lucky to have Tuukka Rask in net.

The B’s netminder is the one and only reason this game isn’t 4-0 right now. He’s made 18 saves already, and his team has only managed to get four shots on net down the other end of the ice. (That fourth shot was hardly a “shot,” as it was just Rich Peverley skating right at Crawford, who easily poke-checked the puck away.)

Aside from the aforementioned shift by the Bergeron line, the puck has spent nearly the full first 20 minutes in Boston’s end, and the Bruins’ 21-to-9 advantage in hits is indicative of which team has had the puck for the majority of the game.

But, like I said, thanks to Rask, it’s only 1-0, which is a manageable game. Provided they wake up and recover from being shell-shocked in the first, they can climb back into the game. If they don’t start playing playoff-caliber hockey, though, it’s only a matter of time before that deficit doubles or triples.

First period, 3:57, 1-0 Blackhawks: The Bruins needed a shift to turn the momentum around, and the Bergeron line delivered. Bergeron, Jagr and Marchand won a couple of races to loose pucks and a few board battles to at least possess the puck in the offensive end and halt the Chicago onslaught, at least momentarily. In a game without many positives thus far for the Bruins, it was a necessary shift.

Still, they got nothing on net, and Bruins are still with just three shots on net through 16 minutes.

First period, 7:28, 1-0 Blackhawks: Another “terrible” turnover by Krug leads to a Marian Hossa rush. Though his shot was broken up by Nathan Horton, the ensuing play led to Tuukka Rask diving along the goal line and drawing a whistle. When he eventually got up, the puck was well over the line and into the net, but it wasn’t clear at all when the puck crossed the line. So, after video review, no goal.

Meanwhile, the Blackhawks have 15 shots, and the Bruins have just three. That’s a tough way to live.

First period, 8:38, 1-0 Blackhawks: The Blackhawks have an early lead.

Patrick Kane threw a backhand on net and whacked at a rebound. A wild scramble of flying bodies in the crease ensued, while the puck slid out to Patrick Sharp. He sent a shot that weaved its way seemingly through Kaspars Daugavins’ body and into the net.

The Bruins may have wanted a goaltender interference call on the play, but with the chaos that was taking place in front of the net, there really wasn’t anything Chicago did to warrant a penalty.

First period, 10:47, 0-0: The Blackhawks have a really good looking power play but are unable to score. Rask made two saves, but Duncan Keith had the biggest opportunity, when the puck bounced through the slot right toward him. He would have had an empty net to shoot at but he could not gather the puck on his stick.

After the kill, Crawford came up with a glove save with a mighty big flourish on a shot from the high slot by Jagr.

First period, 13:09, 0-0: The Blackhawks will get the first power play of the night, after Andrew Ference gets his stick into the skate of Bickell.

The Bruins’ PK has killed off 18 straight, while the Chicago power play has scored on just one of its last 21 chances.

First period, 13:51, 0-0: Tuukka Rask makes the highlight reel early on, going to a split and extending to make a glove save on Leddy just before the first TV timeout of the night. Rask has five saves already.

First period, 14:51, 0-0: Not too much happening early on, and it kind of looks like the two teams are starting the series over again. It’s obviously a different pace and style when you go into overtime and then double and triple OT, so the teams are getting back into regulation hockey here. Lots of shots from the perimeter and some imprecise passing is all we’ve seen thus far.

First period, 20:00: Patrice Bergeron wins the opening faceoff against Jonathan Toews, and Game 2 is under way. How many periods will they play tonight?

8:14 p.m.: Here are your starters tonight:

Chicago

Brandon Saad-Jonathan Toews-Marian Hossa

Duncan Keith-Brent Seabrook

Corey Crawford

Boston

Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Jaromir Jagr

Andrew Ference-Johnny Boychuk

Tuukka Rask

8:03 p.m.: As far as keys go, I don’t think this one’s too complicated. These teams are both so good that it will ultimately come down to effort, with a little bit of luck. If either Rask or Crawford has an off night in net, it’ll obviously throw a wrinkle into the plans, but that’s not something you really plan on.

The microscope will be on Nathan Horton and his ailing shoulder, but even though he left Game 1, it’s an injury he’s been dealing with all postseason. He may be limited a bit, but with the way that Lucic-Krejci-Horton line is clicking, I don’t anticipate they’ll skip a beat even if Horton’s not at full strength.

The two power-play units could also play a major factor, and all it’ll take is one goal. The Bruins got one the other night, but they’re still at just 16.7 percent this postseason. The Blackhawks are even worse at 13 percent. Both teams no doubt were kicking themselves for missed opportunities the other night, and it’ll be interesting to see how one power play goal could make all the difference tonight.

7:48 p.m.: The Bruins and Blackhawks are out on the ice at United Center for pregame warmups. Both teams have the same lineups from Game 1, which means Torey Krug and Nathan Horton will both be in there for Boston, if everything holds.

6:45 p.m.: It’s been a relatively quiet day in advance of Game 2. The only bit of real news is that Claude Julien said he expects Horton to play, which wasn’t surprising after seeing him at practice and morning skate.

If you’re antsy for the game to begin and need some pregame reading, we got:

Sidney Crosby’s Accusation Against Zdeno Chara Another Low Point For The Face Of The NHL

Nick Cotsonika On The Adam Jones Show: Bruins Just Need To Play Like They Did In Game 1

Kalman: Time For Peverley, Seguin To Step Up

Bruins Bergeron Named King Clancy Trophy Winner

5 p.m.: Tonight’s Game 2 is not a must-win for the Boston Bruins, but it’s very close.

While everyone knows that the Bruins were able to rally from a 2-0 hole against Vancouver two years ago, that’s hardly a desirable position to be in right now against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Bruins can’t count on their opposing goalie melting down, or the other team’s top stars to wilt under pressure, so they know there’s nothing more important right now then getting home in a 1-1 tie.

They will, most likely, have Nathan Horton in the lineup to do that. The top-line winger took morning skate with the team after splitting time in practice with Tyler Seguin on Friday. It’s an indication that Horton is willing and able to play through the pain of his shoulder injury.

The Blackhawks proved in Game 1 that they are a relentless team with no quit in them, and they provided a stiff wake-up call to the Bruins that this isn’t the conference finals anymore. I’d expect the same effort out of them tonight, knowing what’s at stake.

If there any unforeseen changes to the lineups or anything of the sort prior to the game, I’ll post them here in the live blog. I’ll also be providing live commentary throughout the game (which hopefully goes fewer than three overtimes), so check back throughout the night as the Bruins and Blackhawks battle in what should be another thriller in Chicago.

Read more from Michael by clicking here, or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.

Well, Crosby’s not even doing the complaining himself, leaving his agent, Pat Brisson, to be his mouthpiece. As Damien Cox of the Toronto Star passed along on Friday, “Sidney Crosby’s agent is convinced Zdeno Chara of the Bruins intentionally punched Crosby where he had broken his jaw in Game 1. Nasty.”

Game 1, in case you have forgotten, took place two full weeks before the agent spread the word. The reason may be because it took a while to not only find footage of the “punch” but to then display in slow-motion in such a way that it looked to be a heavy blow to the jaw. In real speed, Chara’s “punch” of Crosby was nothing more than a shove with his left arm, which only came after Crosby had grabbed the back of Chara’s shoulder pads following a whistle in front of the Boston net.

But in super slow-motion, and with some sort of mega zoom, Crosby and his agent were convinced that Chara had purposefully taken the time to carefully target Crosby’s exposed jaw with a direct jab in the middle of a scrum. And so they gathered the video and sent it along to TSN, which was happy to “report” on the wretched assault on hockey’s golden boy. (TSN’s Darren Dreger actually took Chara aside to show him the video. Chara is in the middle of playing for the Stanley Cup.)

The play in question came just five minutes into Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Tuukka Rask covered a puck, and Chara shoved Brenden Morrow out of the crease. Crosby reached out with his left hand and grabbed the back of Chara’s neck. Chara turned, saw Crosby grabbing onto him, and shoved him with his left hand to separate himself from Crosby. The Penguins’ captain did not let go of the Bruins’ captain, and after exchanging a few words, they were eventually separated by officials.

While the Zapruder-esque slow-motion footage provided by TSN looks damning for Chara, the video at regular speed (uploaded to YouTube by user @dafoomie) of the “incident” shows it for it is: nothing.

First and foremost, if Crosby’s jaw was not able to withstand the punishment that takes place during Stanley Cup playoff games, then the plastic shield guarding his jaw should never have been removed from his helmet. But it was, and that’s not any opponent’s fault.

“[Team doctors are] comfortable with it coming off, being hit and things like that,” Crosby said of the removal of his face shield prior to the series against the Bruins, thereby indicating his jaw was OK.

If Crosby wanted special treatment due to an injury from which doctors determined he had already recovered, then he shouldn’t have been on the ice at all.

Secondly, and perhaps worst of all, is the fact that this may be the first time in history that a hockey player has complained publicly about generic post-whistle roughhousing two weeks after it happened. Hockey is a man’s game, played by self-respecting tough guys who can get gashed open by a skate blade and still pretend like it doesn’t hurt. And yet, there is Crosby, upset he was shoved by a man whom he had grabbed seconds earlier. Accusing Chara of targeting his jaw two weeks after the fact is no doubt an unprecedented move in hockey’s rich history. (Continued…)

Though losing in triple overtime is always tough, Cotsonika said the Bruins have plenty to feel good about heading into Game 2.

“They carried the play, really, when the game was even. … They really carried the play in the overtime. They had all kinds of chances to win that game,” Cotsonika said. “For everything we’ve talked about the Bruins having depth and grit, and Chicago having high-end skill, well I thought the Bruins’ top players outplayed Chicago’s top players. That top line was excellent. I don’t know whether Nathan Horton will play or how well he’ll play, but they’ll have to do that again. … If they do that, they’ll have a pretty good chance to win.”

Regarding goaltender Tuukka Rask’s comment that rookie Torey Krug made a “terrible” turnover, Cotsonika said there’s no reason to fault the goalie for being blunt.

“I just thought he was being honest,” Cotsonika said. “It was a terrible turnover. And I think Torey Krug would tell you it’s a terrible turnover. I’m not going to get on Tuukka for being a bad teammate for saying that — it was. It was a bad turnover no matter who did it.”

He also doesn’t expect any negative effects to linger into Game 2 for Krug.

“I thought that Krug came back and, after a short benching, played pretty well in the overtime,” Cotsonika said. “I don’t think it’s going to have any lasting effect.”

Cotsonika also discussed how injuries might affect Nathan Horton’s free agency, Jonathan Toews’ scoring woes and what to expect out of Corey Crawford.

98.5 The Sports Hub is the only place to hear every game of the Boston Bruins season with Dave Goucher and Bob Beers. Pregame coverage begins 30 minutes before the puck drops, with Postgame coverage following each game.

Does winger Nathan Horton Nathan Horton deserve consideration for the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs? Of course, Tuukka Rask and David Krejci are frontrunners. But Horton is plus-22 in 17 playoff games. For you rookies, that means he’s been on ice for 22 more Bruins even-strength goals than even-strength goals by the opponents. He’s been on ice for just 4 even strength goals against in the postseason … including a personal 9-game shutout streak. That lights-out defense has boosted the superstar goalie… and, after a rocky regular season, his offense has meshed with Krejci and his other linemate, Milan Lucic.

Horton just made a lot of money this month and last. He becomes an unrestricted free agent after the season. Pending his injury status and the eventual outcome of the Finals, #18 could be a dark horse candidate for playoff MVP.

Voice of Harry Kalas: “You make the call!”

Or, not.

After the owner-led anti-labor action that cancelled the entire 2004-05 season, the NHL moved to open up the game to create more offense… adding strict interference rules and urging officials to follow them.

Paul Stewart: “The hard hand of the law came down.”

But officials have backed off in the regular season, and in the playoffs, it seems everything goes. Paul Stewart, former longtime NHL ref and now director of officials for the ECAC and the KHL in Europe, explains he trains refs to stay out of the way, whenever possible.

Paul Stewart: “Keeping it fair, keeping it safe, communicating with the players, and really having what I call a ‘benevolent dictatorship.’ The best friend of the referee is the moving puck. Because when the puck stops, that’s when all the ‘stuff’ starts.”

To Paul Stewart, the job of the ref is to keep the game moving, ‘not’ to call every grab-and-push.

Stewart: “They really have been through a process over those 7-8 years since the lockout and the emphasis on obstruction and all the other penalties so I think we’re seeing the results of this, which I don’t think is a bad thing!”

So, don’t expect the refs to start calling penalties as they were in the regular season, and certainly not as they did in the first years after the first lockout.

Voice of Harry Kalas: “You make the call!”

Making the play-by-play call doesn’t fall to local TV announcers in the finals… it falls to the radio guys, the true “voices” of their teams. Predictably, Dave Goucher of 98.5 The Sports Hub and John Weideman of WGN Chicago had different takes on Game One’s game-winner.

Listen to the audio blog

Finally, The Bruins are the only Eastern Conference team to play in Chicago this season.. so it’s a good time to remind east coast fans about one of the sounds that makes playing at the “Madhouse on Madison” so unique

The old Chicago Stadium is now a parking lot… but the horn was saved and installed in the new place, and it blares after every Hawks goal to this day.

The challenge for fans and Bruins staff in games 3 and 4 next week will making the Garden rock like the Madhouse from Madison, where nhl.com reported the sound reached 121 decibels—or the equivalent of sandblasting—during the National Anthem before a Finals game in 2010.

(Thanks 98.5 The Sports Hub, WGN Radio)

In preparation for the second game of this series, which the Bruins trail 1-0 to Chicago, Boston skated several different line combinations to make sure it’s ready for a game with or without Horton.

However, even if Horton is able to take a shot and get right back into the action after leaving Game 1 in overtime because of his shoulder injury, the Bruins should be prepared to play like he’s not there. Because the more these injuries occur, the more they hurt, and the less effective a player will be.

Related: Horton Skates On Friday

Horton could shock the world and continue on his torrid playoff pace (18 points in 17 games, league-high plus-22 rating) despite his debilitating injury. Or his production could taper off, in the more-likely scenario. That’s why it’s time for other Bruins who are supposed to be point producers to actually put some offensive numbers on the score sheet now that the end of the postseason is within sight.

Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverley have scored one goal apiece. For much of the last couple weeks they’ve been linemates. Now they’re equally responsible for making sure that regardless of what Horton can provide the Bruins, his contribution isn’t necessary.

Since his goal in Game 3 of the first round against Toronto, Peverley is point-less. At least he’s finally sick of talking about trying and wants to begin doing.

“I hope so. I’d like that. It’s not about creating chances anymore. I’d like to get some production,” Peverley said before the finals started.

Seguin recorded an assist on Patrice Bergeron’s power-play goal in Game 1 against Chicago. That snapped a four-game point-less drought. He’s still only scored one goal the whole playoffs. Bumped up into Horton’s spot in overtime, Seguin had several chances to end the game. Instead his frustrating lack of goals continued, partly because of luck and mostly because of his inability to ramp his playing level to playoff highs and get over his fear of getting “dirty.”

The player who enters the lineup for Horton, if he’s out or just ineffective, won’t be the one replacing him. It’ll be up to one of the Bruins’ established regulars to pick up the slack. And that means it’s time for Seguin and/or Peverley to come to life. Or the Bruins won’t be alive for much longer.

The King Clancy Trophy is awarded annually to an NHL player who best exemplifies leadership qualities both on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.

Read: Bruins Shake Off Triple-OT Loss In Game 1

Off the ice, Bergeron’s “Patrice’s Pals” program brings kids from local hospitals and other organizations to Bruins games. They get to watch the game from a luxury suite, and meet with Bergeron after the games.

He’s also one of the team’s most visible representatives when it comes to community events throughout the year, like the team’s holiday toy delivery.

Bergeron says he was raised to give back by his mom, who is a social worker.

Bergeron finished the 2013 regular season leading all NHL players in faceoff percentage, winning 62.1-percent of the time he took the drop. He finished sixth in the NHL with a plus/minus at +24 despite often playing against the opposition’s top lines. He logged 153:37 on the penalty kill, serving as the primary forward on the B’s PK unit, which finished fourth in the NHL with an 87.1-percent proficiency.

Read: Horton Hits Ice For Friday Skates

On offense, Bergeron finished the regular season with 32 points in 42 games, tied for fourth on the Bruins, tallying 22 assists (second on the team) to go with 10 goals.

Bergeron was also a finalist for the Selke Award, which was won by Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Horton, who left Wednesday’s Game 1 with a lingering shoulder injury, split time with Tyler Seguin on Boston’s top line — alongside David Krejci and Milan Lucic.

“If he feels good tomorrow, he’ll be in the lineup,” head coach Claude Julien said of Horton. “It’s as simple as that.”

Krejci called Horton “a warrior,” and thinks he’ll have him playing alongside him in Saturday’s Game 2.

“For him to keep himself off the ice, it has to be something really big. He looked great today,” said Krejci. “I haven’t talked to him but I’m pretty sure he’s going to play (on Saturday).”

“It’s a positive that he was able to come out and skate,” said Lucic. “He’s going to do everything in his power to play; he wants to play and hopefully he can play.”

Horton Hits The Ice: 

“I remember two years ago guys playing through pain as well, it’s part of the playoffs and goes to show that guys will do anything,” added Lucic. “He said he’s feeling pretty good, hopefully he’s feeling even better tomorrow.”

With Seguin on the top line, Carl Soderberg centered Daniel Paille and Rich Peverley on Boston’s third line, with Chris Kelly centering Kaspars Daugavins and Shawn Thornton on the fourth line.

Read: Bruins Shake Off Triple-OT Loss In Game 1

Head coach Claude Julien said Thursday that Horton was day-to-day, and the team was “crossing their fingers” that he would be good to go in Game 2. Horton is second on the Bruins this postseason with 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists).

It appears now that if Horton can’t go, Seguin will stay on the top line with Soderberg getting his shot on the third line. The Bruins signed the Swedish forward to a three-year deal in April, after he scored 31 goals in 54 games for Linkoping HC of the Swedish Elite League. He saw ice time in six games for Boston at the end of the regular season, registering a pair of assists.

Horton out on ice with #Bruins for practice #wbz—
Dan Roche (@RochieWBZ) June 14, 2013

However, first drill Krejci-Lucic-Seguin is first line—
Dan Roche (@RochieWBZ) June 14, 2013

Horton showing no restrictions or limitations in shooting and passing drils. Of course, no contact #bruins #wbz—
Dan Roche (@RochieWBZ) June 14, 2013

On the defensive side there were no changes in Boston’s blue-line pairings. Rookie Torey Krug, who had a costly turnover in the third period which led to a Chicago goal in Game 1, was back out on Boston’s third defensive pairing with Adam McQuaid.

Read: Krug Itching To Redeem Himself

Tune in to every game of the Bruins-Blackhawks Stanley Cup Final on 98.5 The Sports Hub — the flagship station of the Boston Bruins. Pregame coverage begins one hour before, with full postgame coverage with Dave Goucher and Bob Beers after each game.

The Bruins netminder stopped 59 shots in Boston’s 4-3, triple overtime loss to the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final,  and was not too pleased following the loss.

He said the Bruins gave the game away, and though he didn’t say Torey Krug’s name, called his third period turnover “terrible.”

Weekes doesn’t think Rask needed to make those comments, but understands the goalie’s frustration.

“I have a lot of respect for him and his game; I think he has a great demeanor and disposition,” said Weekes. “At the end of the day, playing goal is like playing quarterback. You learn some hard lessons when you’re a younger guy, and you have to learn that you need the guys to play in front of you. You learn to manage those relationships.”

Read: Krug Itching To Redeem Himself

“Krug has been amazing; he’s added a new dimension to the back-end of the Bruins,” continued Weekes. “I don’t think that was right by Tuukka, and if I was partnered with him I’d tell him that much, privately. But I understand it was after the game and he was hot, but the guys read and listen to everything you say about them. So there’s a little finesse you need to have when you talk about the guys.”

Weekes also touched on possible replacements for Boston should Nathan Horton’s upper body injury keeps him out of Game 2.

Read: Bruins Shake Off Triple-OT Loss In Game 1

The guys discussed how they think the the game will go. Will Nathan Horton be healthy enough to lace up his skates and play? If not who’s jumping up to fill in the hole?

Dan also gave his take on the Doc Rivers situation with the Celtics. Will he return to Boston or take another job with a different team? Will he coach at all if he doesn’t return to Boston?

Can The Celtics avoid becoming a middle-of-the-road team in the league?

But some costly errors and unfriendly bounces went Chicago’s way, and the Blackhawks ended up with the 4-3, triple overtime win and take a 1-0 series lead into Saturday night’s Game 2. But Bourque is confident the Bruins will bounce back, and thinks they have a great chance to win their second cup in three years.

“I thought they came out and played really well, looked very composed. They looked like a veteran team that had been there before, and I feel very good at their chances of winning this series,” Bourque told 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Gresh & Zolak on Friday. “I really think they have a great chance to win that game tomorrow night and come back to Boston tied 1-1.”

Read: Bruins Shake Off Triple-OT Loss In Game 1

The Bruins may have lost forward Nathan Horton, who left Game 1 in the first overtime with an apparent shoulder injury. Horton, who the team is listing as day-to-day, is second on the team with 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) this postseason.

Tyler Seguin was bumped up to Boston’s top line when Horton left, and now might get the chance to turn around a rough postseason. Bourque thinks moving to the top line could be what the forward needs to get going — much like he did in 2011 against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals.

“He looked pretty good when they moved him up there. He looked inspired and had some great chances,” Bourque said of Seguin. “I think it can happen; you never know with this kid. He’s so talented, and no one was expecting that much a few years ago against Tampa when he light it up for a couple games. This kind of situation could maybe get him going big-time and really make a difference for this team. Playing with (David) Krejci and (Milan) Lucic, those guys will put you in a good position to have success and maybe that’s what he needs.”

Bourque also said he isn’t worried about defenseman Torey Krug, whose third period turnover led to a Chicago goal and a big momentum swing. He said the best advice for Krug after the costly error would be to not change a thing.

“I wouldn’t want that to shake him — just keep playing the way he is, being decisive and playing with confidence,” said Bourque. “I wouldn’t want him to start thinking. We all make mistakes, just go out there and keep that confidence up.”

Read: Krug Itching To Redeem Himself

“When it’s all said and done it is one loss,” 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Bruins play-by-play announcer told Toucher & Rich. “And from the Bruins’ standpoint they’ve got a chance tomorrow night to still get a split out of this.”

“They come out here tomorrow night and get a win and they can go back home 1-1 then that triple overtime game you can kind of push that out of your memory a little bit quicker.”

As if the triple overtime loss wasn’t bad enough, the Bruins also lost Nathan Horton midway through the first overtime after shoving Niklas Hjalmarsson in front of the Chicago net. The right winger skated off the ice favoring his right shoulder and did not return.

His return for Game 2 on Saturday is still unknown, as head coach Claude Julien said Thursday afternoon that Horton is considered day-to-day. Does Goucher see Horton making a return in Game 2 or at all for that matter?

“Well the thing that I was concerned about to be honest with you was that he didn’t come back and play in Game 1, a game of that magnitude and a game that goes into three overtimes. That wasn’t really an encouraging sign for me.”

“If he can’t play that a huge loss for them, we remember a couple years ago he got hurt in Game 3 of the Finals against Vancouver, but if he can’t go that’s huge because he’s second in the league in playoff scoring behind Krejci.”

If Horton can’t go how do they fill the hole on his line?

“They would likely put Seguin up there, maybe that could be a shot in the arm for him to get his game going, but who knows?”

He was one of three rookies the Boston Bruins were relying on to stabilize an injured blue-line as they began their Eastern Conference Semifinal series against the New York Rangers, and he burst into the playoffs with a bang.

In his first playoff game, he scored his first NHL goal — on the power play nonetheless — to help Boston to a 3-2 overtime victory. He’d score three more times in the four remaining games of the series, as Boston convincingly advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.

With injured veteran defensemen Andrew Ference and Dennis Seidenberg returning from injury, both rookies Dougie Hamilton and Matt Bartkowski found their way back to the ninth floor. But Krug, with a new nickname and veteran-like presence on the ice, remained as the Bruins swept their way to the Stanley Cup Final against the favorite Pittsburgh Penguins.

Read: Bruins Shake Off Triple-OT Loss In Game 1

But Krug quickly returned to earth with one errant pass in Wednesday night’s Game 1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. As he attempted to clear the puck out of the Boston zone his pass was picked off by Andrew Shaw, giving the Blackhawks a two-on-one that ended with Dave Bolland beating Tuukka Rask.  That pulled Chicago within a goal midway through the third period, and would be a huge swing in momentum as the Blackhawks tied the game just a few minutes later, and Krug found himself on the bench until his fresh legs were needed during the triple-overtime affair.

Welcome to the Stanley Cup, kid.

Mistakes happen to everyone. Some are big, some are small, but they happen. Whether they are a simple typo, a missed meeting, or a turnover that leads to a goal in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, they happen.

What matters most is how people bounce back from those mistakes. And that is why Claude Julien was quick to back his rookie defenseman on Thursday, and from all that the head coach said, it doesn’t sound like he’ll be making any changes on Boston’s blue line because of one error — however costly.

“When you look at games, there are a lot of mistakes made,” Julien said from the team’s hotel on Thursday. “Some end up as goals, and some you’re able to recover from. We certainly shouldn’t look and judge this player on one game where he might have been average instead of real good, like he has been. Those are part of a player getting better and it doesn’t mean we lose confidence in him because we still had the confidence to put him out there in overtime.”

Read: Leftover Thoughts From Game 1

“It is what it is,” said Julien. “It’s easy to focus in on one thing, and yes, it was a mistake to throw that puck up the middle, but if you look back at the play, I didn’t think we had a good line change and he didn’t have a ton of options. There could be some blame shared on that goal.”

As for Krug, he’s just looking for an opportunity to make up for his error.

“When you make a mistake like that all you want to do is get out there and redeem yourself, make sure you can help your teammates,” the anxious 22-year-old said Thursday. “There’s a group of guys in there that you feel like you let down. I’m itching to get back on the ice to have that opportunity.”

“For me it’s once again earning the coaches trust,” he said. “Taking that responsibility and making something out of it, that opportunity and using it to your advantage.”

“My game is a risky game,” he explained. “That was a risky play that I would probably try again in the future — I would just execute it differently. Playing that way you have to have a short-term memory, and I think the best players do. I’ll quickly forget about it; I’ll learn from it but I’ll forget about it.”

That, in a nutshell, is the Boston Bruins. They’ve made it a point to learn from, but move on from those kinds of mistakes. As Julien said, the Bruins had other opportunities they did not take advantage of and committed other mistakes throughout the marathon loss in Game 1.

Read: Injured Horton Day-To-Day

But that is all behind them, as their focus has shifted on to Saturday night’s Game 2.

“What makes this team special is just having that short-term memory and understanding this is a series. They made it that way for a reason and it’s not over until it’s over,” said Krug. “We’ve been on both sides of that. It’s one of those things you can lean on the guys that have been through everything and use it to your advantage.”

Krug has plenty of veteran players to lean on and learn from, and he should get a chance to show what he’s learned from that one play come Saturday night.

Tune in to every game of the Bruins-Blackhawks Stanley Cup Final on 98.5 The Sports Hub — the flagship station of the Boston Bruins. Pregame coverage begins one hour before, with full postgame coverage with Dave Goucher and Bob Beers after each game.

Never mind that the Boston Bruins lost, that a key player in Nathan Horton was injured and that they trail the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup finals.

That was one epic series opener, a 4-3 triple-overtime thriller that ranked as the fifth-longest finals game in NHL history.

“I even talked about it with my management,” Julien said Thursday. “I said, ‘You know, in reality, it was a great hockey game. You watch the video afterward and you see the excitement and the chances and everything else, the only thing I would be mad about is the fact that we didn’t win. Other than that, this was a great hockey game for people to watch. It was a great hockey game. I thought both teams played well. I don’t think there should be any disappointment in what happened [Wednesday] night, except for us not getting the win that we wanted.”

Read: Leftover Thoughts From Game 1

No matter what happens in Game 2 on Saturday, it will be just about impossible to match that opener.

The first Stanley Cup final between Original Six franchises got off to a rousing start, with the Blackhawks rallying from two goals down in the third period to tie it and Chicago’s Corey Crawford making one big save after another, particularly after regulation.

Bergeron Talks About Bouncing Back: 

There was a close call in the closing seconds of the second OT when the puck deflected off Jaromir Jagr and hit the post, and the game finally ended when the Blackhawks’ Michael Roszival delivered a soft shot from the right point that deflected off Dave Bolland and Andrew Shaw before slipping past Tuukka Rask.

“I’m sure we captured a few more fans (Wednesday) night with the excitement, and I’m sure it would be a lot better if we came out on top,” Torey Krug said.

Read: Horton Day-To-Day According To Julien

Instead, they’re down in this series after winning five in a row and nine of 10.

It’s not exactly foreign territory for the Bruins, though. They blew a 3-1 series lead to Toronto in the opening round and were trailing by three in the seventh game. Yet, somehow, they managed to pull that one out and roll past the New York Rangers in five games, then sweep Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

When they won the championship in 2011, it wasn’t an easy ride, either.

Boston started with back-to-back losses to Montreal in Round 1 that year and fell behind Vancouver 2-0 in the Stanley Cup finals before rallying to win in seven games.

Dropping Game 1 to Chicago?

“You get on with it, turn the page,” Andrew Ference said. “Whether it’s a goal, whether it’s a game or whether it’s a play, tough luck. That’s the game. What are you going to do? You’re going to make a lot of great plays and a lot of lucky bounces are going to happen for you as well. Everybody has played enough hockey on this team and for the guys that haven’t, they’re surrounded by guys that can let them know that as well.”

Andrew Ference On Resiliency Of Bruins: 

One unfortunate bounce for the Bruins came on Johnny Oduya’s tying goal for Chicago with 7:46 left in regulation. His long shot would have gone wide had it not hit Ference’s left skate, but it went into the net instead to knot the game at 3-all.

Earlier in the period, it was Shaw picking off a clearing attempt by Krug and feeding Bolland on a two-on-one rush to pull Chicago within one.

It didn’t help, either, that Horton left the ice in the first OT after getting with Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson. Part of Boston’s top line, he’s been a big contributor in the playoffs with seven goals and 11 assists to go with a plus-22 and is day to day.

Listen: 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Playoff Montages

Losing him would be a big blow for a team seeking its second title in three years. But the Bruins have won in the past without him.

They did it against Vancouver after he suffered a season-ending concussion in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals, when they started their rally to win the championship.

Now, the Bruins are trying to pick themselves up again, their resilience getting another test after an electrifying opener against Chicago.

“I think playoffs, you need to shake it off win or lose,” Patrice Bergeron said. “That’s something we’ve always said is to be in the moment, the task at hand. It’s going to be no different in Game 2. Put the first game behind you and you worry about that Game 2.”

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

It had just changed over to Thursday in the windy city when Chicago defenseman Michal Rozsival delivered a blue line wrister that found its way off a stick, off Andrew Shaw’s knee and into the net behind Tuukka Rask — giving the Blackhawks a 4-3 victory after 52 minutes of extra, bonus hockey.

That is how the thoroughly entertaining and sometimes maddening Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final ending up. That’s hockey folks.

Twice the Bruins had two-goal leads, and twice they let it slip away. This particularly unpleasant development has reared its ugly head once again for Boston.

Read: Leftover Thoughts From Game 1

Letting leads slip away had been a big problem for the Bruins for the better part of the regular season. Losing two or even three goal leads late in games was part of that “Jekyll And Hyde” team head coach Claude Julien referred to during the first round against Toronto. But, since that famous seventh game against the Leafs, we had not seen much of those Bruins except for a small hiccup in Game 4 against New York.

Maybe that was because the Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins were paper tigers, and now the Bruins have run smack-dab up against a very good Blackhawks team — a recent champion and a team who plays a physical brand like Boston.

Game 1 saw a lot of the regular season Bruins who could not move the puck out of their own zone with any regularity. We saw more turnovers in Game 1, including a huge one in the third in their defensive zone by rookie Torey Krug that led to a Chicago’s second goal and a momentous tide shift. Shortly after that, a shot from the point glanced off Andrew Ference’s skate and behind Rask to tie the game.

These things happen in the course of any hockey game, and they are correctable. The Blackhawks committed their share of errors, and the Bruins made them pay early on, but regrouped and bounced back. The Bruins can certainly do the same over the next two days.

Hurley: Bruins Let One Get Away

But, the failures of the Bruins third and fourth lines to convert on quality scoring chances is beginning to really haunt the team. In the cross hairs are Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley, who despite getting quality minutes have been non-factors throughout the postseason. Peverley has one goal and zero assists in 16 playoff games while Kelly has played 17 games and has yet to record a single point.

The Bruins have survived that lack of secondary scoring by relying heavily on top-liners David Krejci, Milan Lucic, and Nathan Horton (who was injured in the 1st OT and is now day-to-day), and Patrice Bergeron. And, of course, there is the performance of Rask, who made 59 saves on Wednesday night and shouldn’t be faulted on any of the Blackhawks goals.

The Bruins could have won a game that they may or may not have deserved, but the fact that remnants of their late season, late game disasters resurfaced in Game 1 is troubling.

Seeing such mistakes again, in the Stanley Cup Final, is simply a recipe for disaster against the Blackhawks.

Ric Duarte has covered hockey and the Bruins for various media outlets since 1986. You can follow Ric at BruinsDieHard.com and at twitter @bruins_diehard.