“There’s a chance, for sure. But again you don’t want to come back too early, so we’ll see how it feels tomorrow and go from there,” the defenseman said after skating for roughly 40 minutes at Boston’s Wednesday practice.

Seidenberg has been sidelined since Boston’s Game 7 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs last series, leaving the deciding game after just two shifts with a lower body injury.

Read: Leftover Thoughts From Game 3

Head coach Claude Julien said he would wait until Thursday to make any decision on Seidenberg and fellow injured blue-liner Wade Redden, but said they are both progressing nicely to a return.

“Every day they’re better,” said Julien. “I like the direction both those guys are going in right now.”

Seidenberg is a big part to Boston’s defense, but they’ve jumped out to a 3-0 series lead over New York thanks to spectacular play from rookie defensemen Torey Krug and Matt Bartkowski.

While he is enjoying the success of the young blue-liners, Seidenberg wants to get back out there and help his team. He already had to watch his Bruins in the Eastern Conference Semis back in 2010 after suffering a wrist injury, so he’s getting a little antsy to get back on the ice.

“It’s always the same; you don’t like sitting out,” he said. “It’s not fun watching games. I definitely want to be back in there and help.”

Read: Wild Bounce, 4th Line’s Grit Has Boston One Win Away

Should Seidenberg or Redden return, Julien will have a tough decision to make with the rookies playing so well. But it’s only a tough decision because of Boston’s strong depth, something Julien doesn’t mind at all.

“I like those; I’ve always said that,” said Julien. “That means you have some options. When you don’t have decisions to make that’s because you don’t have options.”

Tune in to every Bruins playoff game on 98.5 The Sports Hub — the flagship station of the Boston Bruins! Pregame coverage begins 30 minutes prior to each game.

Gresh & Zo opened Wednesday’s show breaking down the Bruins Game 3 win over the Rangers.

Has New York packed it in? Anyone left ripping Claude Julien for playing the fourth line so much?

With Game 3 tied 1-1 in the third period, Boston turned to it’s fourth line — dubbed the “merlot line” — for an injection of energy. The line’s havoc had already led to Boston’s first goal — a rocket off the stick of defenseman Johnny Boychuk — and their strong forecheck and desire to cause a downtown-like traffic jam in front of the net put Boston on top for good with just 3:31 left to play.

Gregory Campbell stepped up and delivered a slapper on Henrik Lundqvist, which deflected off the netminders mask and straight up in the air. When the puck returned to the ice it danced along the line, but changed directions before crossing into the goal. It looked as though it had taken a Rangers’ bounce, as Lundqvist had no idea where the puck was.

It nearly trickled out of harm’s way.

That was until Daniel Paille rushed in and took a swing at it, sending it to the back of the net and putting Boston on top 2-1.

“I felt the pressure when we were on them and had a perfect view of it from the corner. I thought it was going to bounce in but it went the other way somehow,” Paille explained after the game. “Lundqvist didn’t know where it was and I was able to come around the net and out-battle the player with it; I think we hit at the same time and it hit off my stick and went in.”

After less-than-stellar showings in Games 1 and 2, Lundqvist was on his game Tuesday night. He was stuffing breakaway bids and turned away nearly all rebounds, so those funky goals were Boston’s best chance to put one — or two — past him.

“It was one of those nights where he was on his game and you could see the confidence he had throughout the game,” said Paille. “The goals that went in, there really wasn’t much he could do; there was a screen on one and a redirect on another. We tried to do as much as we could but it wasn’t going to be one of those where you beat him clean.”

Now Boston finds themselves one win away from returning to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time in the last three seasons. But after nearly letting a 3-1 lead slip away last series to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and that 2010 collapse against the Philadelphia Flyers still in the back of their minds, the Bruins know their work is far from over.

“We’re confident going in for the series, but it’s not over. I’ve been in this situation before and seen it go the other way,” said Paille. “For us, we have to have the instinct to play as hard as we did tonight. They’re going to be a team that does not want to lose that way.”

Game 4 is Thursday night in New York.

Tune in to every Bruins playoff game on 98.5 The Sports Hub — the flagship station of the Boston Bruins! Pregame coverage begins 30 minutes prior to each game.

98.5 The Sports Hub Bruins play-by-play announcer Dave Goucher joined Toucher & Rich to discuss the Game 3 win over the Rangers, the great play of the young defensemen, the play of Henrik Lundqvist and the health of Dennis Seidenberg.

“The only reason it was a game to me was that Lundqvist was as good as he was. I mean the first period it could have been 3-0 and the fact they [Bruins] were able to stay with it even though they were down one nothing after two and then come out and score two in the third period,” said Goucher of last night’s game.

“I didn’t think it was really that close of a game, I know they only won by a goal and I know they needed a goal late from Daniel Paille, but they were real good, real good last night.”

Rangers coach John Tortorella has been heavily criticized for the way he’s handled his team and many speculate that he’s lost his players. If the Bruins pull off the sweep on Thursday will Tortorella be out of a job?

The guys also discussed the injury to Dennis Seidenberg and whether there is any word on his status. If Seidenberg is ready to go which young defenseman gets scratched? With the way the youngsters have been playing it might be a harder decision than one might think.

On the road, facing a locked-in Henrik Lundqvist and dealing with referees determined not to give them any power plays, the Bruins rallied in the third period to beat the Rangers in the most Bruins way possible. The goals came from doing the dirty work, they came with the fourth line on the ice, and they came from two simple instances of the Bruins displaying more effort than the Rangers.

That really shouldn’t be possible, yet with the prospect of a 3-0 series deficit staring them in the face, the Rangers hit the ice with a decidedly lifeless effort. They took advantage of a Patrice Bergeron turnover early in the second period and took a 1-0 lead, and they spent the next 14:07 getting exactly two shots on net. They hoped to let Lundqvist lead them to a 1-0 victory, and he was nearly good enough to do it for them.

But the Bruins wouldn’t let it happen. All it took was effort.

Before we start thinking too much about what could take place Thursday night in Game 4, let’s run through some of the leftover thoughts from the Bruins’ 2-1 win in Game 3.

–It’s good that the Bruins won, because it means we can examine the refereeing situation without a flood of dopes calling such analysis “sour grapes” or “whining.”

The officiating was a real problem in this game. And the NHL smells a whole lot like the NBA. I wrote about it more in-depth here, but I swear that was Joey Crawford and Bennet Salvatore out there in ice skates. In the last three playoff games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers have gotten 11 power plays, and opponents have gotten two.

–I don’t think there was a big Gary Bettman-inspired conspiracy to let the Rangers get all the calls in Game 3. Or, at least, I didn’t think that until that puck literally jumped away from the goal line like it was being pushed with the opposing force of a magnet or something. Daniel Paille jumped on the loose puck and scored, so the suspicion temporarily subsided, but I’m not picturing Bettman personally installing some high-tech magnetic device from the 1960s and cursing incessantly in a back room at MSG while holding a giant remote control.

–I’m ready to say that Torey Krug absolutely cannot come out of the Bruins’ lineup, no matter what. There was a long stretch in the second period where he was the engine of the Boston offense. He carries the puck with speed into the offensive end, he sends smart shots toward net and he never panics with the puck on his stick. He had a big bump in ice time, up to 18:18, and he was tied for the team lead with four shots. In just three games, Krug has shown how valuable his offense can be.

–With that, the common belief is that Dougie Hamilton must sit down, thereby keeping Matt Bartkowski in the lineup as well. That may be so, but don’t forget in the midst of all the credit the fourth line is getting that it was Hamilton’s intentionally wide shot that started the wild sequence leading to Daniel Paille’s game-winning goal. I wouldn’t be shocked if McQuaid got scratched. Either way, Claude Julien has a problem most coaches wouldn’t mind having this time of year.

–Patrice Bergeron did his postgame interview with Pierre McGuire, standing on the ice with a sewn up face and blood stains on his white jersey. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand why the city of Boston appreciates him so much. (It’s also why the whiff on the clearing attempt that led to the New York goal will have been forgotten by sun-up on Wednesday.)

–By far, the most bizarre part of this game came when a little post-whistle shoving and shouting match broke out between … Rick Nash … and … Jaromir … Jagr?

What in the world could have precipitated that? Jagr has shown the emotion of a washer machine in his time with the Bruins, yet there he was, mixing it up against his old team. Interesting.

Jaromir Jagr (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

–Jagr missed a golden opportunity on his own rebound in the first period, which was too bad for the Bruins. But frankly, if he’s going to produce images such as this one, I think it can be forgiven.

Jaromir Jagr (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

If Jagr’s hockey career comes to an end this year or next, at least he’ll always have a career as a hockey-playing villain in movies to fall back on. The Czech Shadow.

–Tuukka Rask also has this photo to hang above his mantel, if he so chooses.

Tuukka Rask (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

–It wouldn’t be a leftover thoughts column without a quick run-through of Tuukka’s Greatest Hits.

For simplicity’s sake, we’ll just go with a greatest hit, and it’s his toe save on Rick Nash with nine minutes left in a tie game. The Rangers broke into the zone on a 4-on-2 rush against Adam McQuaid and Matt Bartkowski. Mats Zuccarello smartly passed to Nash, the Rangers’ most lethal goal scorer, who unleashed a low shot toward the left post. Rask calmly moved left to right and extended his right pad, not only making the save but also directing the puck far enough out of trouble to prevent any second-chance opportunities.

It was an underrated stop — you don’t get to add a flourish to a kick save — but it was a doozy.

And because I’m keeping an eye on it and don’t want to keep any secrets from you, here’s how Rask compares to Tim Thomas in 2011 through 10 postseason games:

Rask — 7-3 record, .930 save percentage, 2.19 GAA
Thomas — 7-3 record, .935 save percentage, 2.13 GAA

–Are we completely sure that Zdeno Chara is a human being like the rest of us?

Zdeno Chara and Carl Hagelin (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

–I found it to be perfect that in a huge game on the road in the playoffs, against the best goalie in the sport, it was Claude Julien’s fourth line that generated the two goals and accounted for five of the six Bruins’ points on the night. The trio of Daniel Paille, Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton were as big a reason as any that the Bruins won Game 7 in Vancouver two years ago, so Tuesday’s performance was hardly unprecedented.

Still, people sometimes question why the Merlot line gets as much playing time as it does, particularly when they go on long scoreless stretches. Julien explained why perfectly after the Game 3 win: “You utilize them because they’re good, not because you have to.”

–The Rangers had to treat Game 3 like a Game 7, because teams just don’t come back from 3-0 deficits. Yes, the 2010 Flyers did it, but countless other teams haven’t. It just doesn’t happen, and it’s just not going to happen.

The Rangers, who looked ready to call it a season after both games in Boston, are just about guaranteed to come out flat in Game 4. Their effort, Lundqvist notwithstanding, in Game 3 was “meh” at best, and if you think they’re magically going to come out with a fire under their butts in Game 4, then I fear you haven’t been paying attention.

That means it’s simply up to the Bruins as to whether they want to finish this thing off Thursday night or mess around and make it hard on themselves by extending the series. If they can win in Game 4, they can give Seidenberg an extra week to recover without having to play, and they can sit back on their couches and watch the Penguins and Senators wear each other down for at least a five-game series.

The Bruins’ sweeping the Rangers is crazy to think of now, after just about everyone in the universe predicted a seven-game series, but it’s a very real possibility for the Bruins. Seemingly, all they have to do is bring more effort than the men in blue. So far, that’s been no problem.

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

We can’t say that the effect of referees Dan O’Rourke and Kevin Pollock on the game was intentional, or part of some grand scheme to help out the Rangers, thereby extending the series and creating more playoff games between two Original Six teams in a TV-ratings bonanza. But because the officiating was so noticeably one-sided, we’re left with more than enough reason to feel as though something fishy was going on.

For example:

–Ryan Callahan hit 6-foot-9 defenseman Zdeno Chara in the face with a stick early in the game. Chara bled. It should have been a four-minute double-minor and was absolutely impossible to miss. The refs missed it.

–David Krejci carried the puck into the zone on a 2-on-2 rush in the first period. Dan Girardi dropped to the ice and swung his stick at Krejci’s feet, knocking the puck carrier down. No call for tripping was made.

–In the second period, Chris Kelly carried the puck into the Rangers zone. Defenseman Steve Eminger reached out with his hand, grabbed Kelly’s shoulder and spun him around to knock him off his track. Jaromir Jagr had already been penalized for a similar but lesser infraction, but Eminger’s hold went uncalled.

–Roughly 105 seconds into the third period, Rick Nash slashed Chara’s arms to separate Chara from the puck. No call.

–Later in the third, Tyler Seguin carried the puck across the offensive blue line in a 1-on-3 situation. Seguin tried to send a shot on net, and he hit Chris Kreider in the face with his stick on the follow-through. By rule, a high-stick on the follow-through of a shot is not a penalty. Almost simultaneous to the time Seguin’s stick hit Kreider’s face. Eminger’s stick came up and hit Seguin in the face. Again, this was the puck carrier/shooter, so theoretically a referee might be looking at him, but again, no call was made.

Pollock also whistled a play dead for losing sight of the puck, even though the puck was very clearly sitting in the blue paint next to Lundqvist, and the four on-ice officials seemingly negated an icing by the Rangers in the second period for reasons unknown.

Now, when you take all of that into consideration, then add in how Brendan Shanahan went out of his way to make a cockamamie excuse for Rick Nash not getting suspended in March, when the Rangers were teetering on the brink of falling out of a playoff spot and desperately needed their best scorer. Then you add in how the Washington Capitals were awarded zero power plays, compared to the Rangers’ five, in Game 6 of the first round, when the Rangers faced a do-or-die situation at Madison Square Garden. After eventually losing in seven games, Alex Ovechkin publicly said the league wanted the series to go seven games in order to make more money and generate more TV ratings.

The Rangers have now gotten the last 11 power plays awarded on Madison Square Garden ice, extending back to the first period of Game 4 against Washington. Is it entirely possible that the physical Rangers have played squeaky-clean hockey for the past 162 minutes on home ice? Technically, yes, but everyone saw Tuesday night that the penalties are being committed; the calls just aren’t being made.

Something simply stinks. I won’t pretend to know what it is, or accuse Gary Bettman of taking a page out of his buddy David Stern’s book, because I do not know what caused the officiating to be so bad on Tuesday night. There are also plenty of other teams with gripes about officiating this postseason (Chicago Blackhawks on line two). Regardless, the league does not look good. Whether it was the wildest conspiracy imaginable or just your run-of-the-mill referee incompetency, the “work” of O’Rourke and Pollack ought to be examined closely on Wednesday. And we deserve some sort of explanation.

It won’t be reviewed and we won’t get that explanation, because this is the NHL, where incompetence tends to be the norm. Instead, we’re just left to wonder what in the world is going on.

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

In the first-round Toronto series, it was raining sneakers, sandals and pumps until the late-Game 7 rally prevented an entire Foot Locker from burying the Bruins. They managed to not blow all of a 3-1 series lead and instead advanced to the second round against the New York Rangers.

With the series 2-0 in their favor heading into Game 3 at Madison Square Garden, the Bruins figured to be headed to a confluence of their own letdown and a burst of energy from the Rangers in front of their home crowd. After all, their own coach, Claude Julien, has called the Bruins a “Jekyll and Hyde” team – one that he didn’t even have much of a handle on heading into Game 7 of that Maple Leafs series.

Well, it’s time to declare both Jekyll and Hyde officially vanquished. If this Bruins team can be compared to any monster, it’s King Kong because now they’re wreaking havoc all over New York City.

All the factors were there for the Bruins’ play to do a complete 180 from Games 1 and 2 in Game 3. Surely, “The King” Henrik Lundqvist would play better than when he allowed eight goals in the first two games. There was no way the Bruins’ young defensemen would keep playing like grizzled veterans. And there’s no way Rick Nash, Ryan Callahan, Derek Stepan and Derick Brassard would be held down for yet another game.

Lundqvist played great. He kept the Rangers tied when he had to. He kept the Rangers ahead when he had to. But the chances kept coming for Boston, the young D – in particular Torey Krug – moving the puck quickly and confidently. And then the traffic in front of the net became way too much for Lundqvist to deal with.

Johnny Boychuk scored through screens by Shawn Thornton and Gregory Campbell. Daniel Paille scored the game-winner on a scramble started by a Dougie Hamilton intentionally-wide shot. It was vintage Boston Bruins hockey, not some sad facsimile that we saw late in the regular season and in Game 5 and 6 against the Maple Leafs.

Even when they were trailing 1-0 heading to the third period, Game 3 had a positive vibe for the Bruins. They’d outshot and outplayed the Rangers. Had Lundqvist stolen the game, it would’ve been a night to tip their caps, not hang their heads for the Bruins. That’s all Julien and his staff ask from the team: go down fighting.

They kept fighting, and it paid off with more than just a moral victory – the Bruins left MSG with a real victory and a 3-0 series lead.

King Kong is almost to the top of the Empire State Building. Just one more win to get there. He’s squashed Jekyll and Hyde under his mighty paws and he’s done it at just the right time.

Matt Kalman covers the Bruins for CBSBoston.com and also contributes coverage to NHL.com and several other media outlets. Follow him on Twitter @TheBruinsBlog.

Chiarellia said recently that Julien would be the coach of the Bruins as long as he was in charge. Does Neely feel the same way about his head coach?

“Pete, I think for whatever reason, felt like Claude was getting hammered on a little too much in that last round. I know Pete has pretty strong feelings towards his coach, and rightfully so. Claude had done a very good job here and he is a good coach, and there’s not many of them in the league.”

Read: Bruins-Rangers Game 3 Preview

“I know we have high expectations; I certainly have high expectations for everyone in the organization and I know ownership has high expectations for myself and down the line. We are a couple of years removed from the Cup, and we didn’t like the way it finished last year. But it can’t just be put on coaches and managers. It’s easy to say we have to get rid of this guy, but sometimes finding a replacement isn’t as easy as one thinks.”

“I’m very happy with the way things have gone. It’s been a challenging years working on things we wanted to work on at the end of the last year,” said Neely. “I think the coaching staff has done a good job trying to correct some of those things even in the situation where we don’t practice all that much and in the morning skates, which is not something you’d normally do in a normal 82-game schedule.”

Neely said the three are on the same page when it comes to the team, with healthy disagreements mixed in.

“Generally we do. But let’s be honest, I don’t care what relationship you’re in, you’re going to disagree. I think that’s healthy. I don’t think anyone would want all three of us to feel the same way about things. Overall, we all feel the same way about how we want our club to play and the expectations of our club.”

Hurley: Recent History Says Bruins Can’t Get Ahead Of Themselves

While Chiarelli’s contract status is unknown, Neely did say the general manager has years remaining on his deal.

Neely also said those who think there could be a rift among the Bruins brass are re-hashing feelings he had a couple of years ago when he first took over.

“I know people always talk about ‘winning games 0-0′ comment that I brought up a number of years ago. That’s something I sat down with Claude and with Pete, even before I made that quote,” said Neely. “Right now, I’m not going into specifics, but I feel like we have a good group that is pulling in the same direction and we all want the same thing; to continue to win championships. We have a staff in place that worked really well together and is really committed to do just that.”

There’s also a hockey game to be played tonight, with the Bruins and Rangers squaring off in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series.

“I think tonight is going to be a pretty good test for us. I expect them to come out strong, especially at home in their building. They’ll be looking that they can get back in the series and we have to look at it like we can put a strangle hold on it.”

Or maybe he’s just trying to mess with one of their most productive players.

In his media session Tuesday morning, prior to Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Tortorella said Bruins forward Brad Marchand is “the best player in this series.”

Read: Bruins-Rangers Game 3 Preview

Marchand was asked about Tort’s compliment after Boston’s morning skate, and while he took the praise, he doesn’t agree with it.

“It’s a compliment but I don’t think I played very well last game,” said Marchand. “I got a goal, but it was another back-door tap in from (Patrice Bergeron). I had a few too many turnovers and got caught out of position of their second goal; gave up their first one. So I don’t think I had a good game at all.”

Given Tortorella’s ways with words, does Marchand think it could just be the Rangers coach trying to get into his head?

“Possibly,” the winger said. “I didn’t even know he said it. I try to stay away from the media, I think all of our guys do. We just want to focus on what’s going on in the room and if it is a mind game, I’ll try to stay away from that.

Hurley: Recent History Says Bruins Can’t Get Ahead Of Themselves

Marchand has two points in each of the first two games of the series, netting the overtime winner in Game 1 and then adding to a 3-2 lead just 26 seconds into the third period in Game 2.

But he knows that even though the Bruins are up 2-0, a lot can still happen now that the series shifts to New York.

CBS New York:Banged-Up Lundqvist Ready To Go In Game 3

“We know what happened against Washington (last series), them being down 2-0. We want to make sure we don’t take it for granted,” said Marchand. “The series could be in a completely different situation if we didn’t get a couple lucky bounces. We have to bring our best game tonight and hope for the best.”

Tune in to every Bruins playoff game on 98.5 The Sports Hub — the flagship station of the Boston Bruins! Pregame coverage begins 30 minutes prior to every game!

NBC Sports NHL Analyst Keith Jones joined Gresh & Zo to preview Game 3 between the Bruins and Rangers. Jones talks about the Bruins young defensemen, Tyler Seguin’s struggles and Jaromir Jagr’s addition to the B’s.

Will the Rangers change anything to help Henrik Lundqvist in goal?

The Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy joined Gresh & Zo from New York where he’s covering the Bruins Rangers series. Shaughnessy gave his take on the ornery John Tortorella and his interaction with the media.

Julien addressed the media Tuesday morning and said he’d be “surprised” if Seidenberg is available to play in Game 3. Seidenberg has been out since suffering an apparent leg injury on his first shift of Game 7 against the Maple Leafs, but he did practice with the team on Monday for the first time since the injury.

Fellow injured defenseman Wade Redden, meanwhile, appears to be a bit further along on the recovery track, as Julien said Redden remains day-to-day and did not rule him out for Game 3.

If Redden is available, the coach will be left with a tough decision on the blue line. Rookies Matt Bartkowski and Torey Krug have filled in marvelously in the first two games of this series, leading to speculation that fellow rookie Dougie Hamilton could be most at risk of being made a healthy scratch. If Hamilton were to be scratched, it would force a left-handed shot to play on the right side in place of him, which Julien does not have the personnel to do comfortably, particularly on the road when he doesn’t have the benefit of last change.

That would likely lead to Krug sitting down, a tough call considering he has two goals and an assist so far this series. However, he had just 12:56 of time on ice, compared to Bartkowski’s 20:52 and Hamilton’s 15:10, an indication that despite the offense, Julien’s trust level in Krug may not be as high as it is with the other two rookie D-men.

While the Rangers looked to be in near-complete disarray in Game 2, the chances of them winning four of the next five games are not slim, as they’ve proven able to do just that several times this year.

From Feb. 7-17, New York went 4-0-1, with three of the wins coming at home at Madison Square Garden and the other coming in a shootout in Boston against the Bruins.

On Feb. 28, after a four-game losing streak during which they were outscored 12-6 by opponents, the Rangers went on a 4-1-0 stretch, with pairs of wins at home and on the road.

And following a mediocre 3-3-1 funk late in the season, the Rangers pushed to finish the year by winning five of their last six games, part of a bigger stretch of winning seven of their final nine games.

Of course, none of those instances had the same intensity of the playoffs, and certainly, their season was not at stake. But their season was on the line in the first round against Washington, when the Rangers were also trailing 2-0 after two games but managed to go 3-1 in the following four games, all decided by one goal, before winning Game 7 by a 5-0 score.

So it’s clear that when it comes to winning four out of five games, it’s more than possible for the Rangers. Doing so four times in a lockout-shortened season really drives that point home.

That’s not the only reason the Bruins can’t get ahead of themselves or start looking ahead to the next round. They need to be worried about Henrik Lundqvist.

While “King Henrik” didn’t look to be too frightening in Game 2, the fact remains that it’s very, very rare for Lundqvist to play poorly in consecutive games. Before Sunday, he hadn’t allowed five goals in a game all year, but he had allowed four goals on four separate occasions. In the four games that followed those performances, Lundqvist is a perfect 4-0-0, with a .934 save percentage and 1.71 goals-against average.

Last year, Lundqvist also didn’t allow five goals in any game, but he allowed four goals seven times (playoffs included). In the games that followed, he posted a 5-1-1 record, .925 save percentage and 2.20 GAA. It wasn’t quite as dominant, and he did allow four goals in back-to-back games in late October, but there’s plenty of reason to believe Lundqvist’s current .900 save percentage and 3.54 GAA this series is going to improve greatly in the coming games.

And aside from the Rangers, the Bruins need only look at their own history to know that nothing is even close to being decided in this series. They seemed to think they had their first-round series in the bag when they took a 3-1 lead over Toronto, only to see their season very nearly coming to an end. It took a true miracle to keep the Bruins’ season alive, with a Game 7 finish that might never happen again in the sport.

So, based on the results of the first two games of the series, the Bruins do look to be on their way to the conference finals. But based on what we know about the Rangers and the potential of their all-world goaltender, this series has a long way to go before anything is decided.

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

The Bruins own a 2-0 series lead after putting up five goals against Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist — including Boychuk’s third of the postseason.

But despite the offensive output on Sunday, the Bruins are expecting Lundqvist and the Rangers to play a lot better now that the series shifts to New York.

Read: Bruins-Rangers Game 3 Preview

“He’s a really good goaltender, we might have just gotten lucky and gotten a couple good screens on him,” Boychuk said. “We know tonight it’s not going to be that way and can’t look back on that. He’s one of the best goaltenders in the world, he’s going to come out battling and so is their team.”

The Bruins have relied on a trio of rookie defensemen with injuries sidelining veteran Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference and Wade Redden. Matt Bartkowski, Torey Krug and Dougie Hamilton have all filled in nicely in the first two games, but Boychuk and the other veteran blue-liners will keep them level-headed on Tuesday as they experience their first playoff game away from the friendly confines of the TD Garden.

Read: Bruins Expecting Desperate Rangers In Game 3

“You have to be focused and be aware of who’s on the ice, because we’re going to be trying to match up lines. We have to make good changes, not bad ones,” said Boychuk. “They know we can’t get too high because you have to respect your opponent, especially this team. They have big bodies that can score and have great goaltending, so we have to keep them level.”

Boychuk also talks about the bumps and bruises of the postseason, Rangers head coach John Tortorella, and gives an interesting take on his scoring prowess in the postseason:

“The feeling is they’re going to be a desperate team in their own building,” Bruins forward Shawn Thornton said on Monday before the team departed for New York. “We’re going to have to be a lot better than we were last game; we got the win but we had some areas we could improve on.”

The Bruins won both games in Boston, but were far from perfect. In Game 1 they let New York score in the final seconds of the second period to tie the game at 1-1, and gave up a go-ahead goal just 14 seconds into the third. In Game 2, New York answered each of Boston’s first two goals within minutes, and the Bruins turned the puck over 16 times.

Read: Bruins-Rangers Game 3 Preview

New York hasn’t capitalized on many of Boston’s mistakes so far, but that can all change now that the series shifts to New York.

“A lot of that stuff was of our own doing,” head coach Claude Julien said of the Game 2 turnovers. “I think we can be better in that area, although we played a pretty game, I think most of those things came in the second period. We just have to be a little bit better. I thought our third period was much better in regards to puck management.”

Both teams will make some adjustments, but Julien stressed it doesn’t matter as much what the desperate Rangers will do, but more if his Bruins play their brand of hockey.

CBS New York: Banged-Up Lundqvist Ready To Go In Game 3

“I think it’s what we expect from ourselves. That’s the thing, we always worry about the other team; we need to worry about ourselves,” he said. “When we play well, we’re a good team and we give ourselves a chance to win. It’s more about our expectations right now, that has to be the important topic for us. We need to, obviously, understand they’re going to be better. We also need to be better. We’re on the road, we don’t get the last change, so it will be a tougher situation.”

“It is a chess match, but you can’t be thinking too much on the ice,” said center Patrice Bergeron. “You have to trust your instincts and your system.”

Though Boston has the upper hand now, the series is far from over. The Rangers found themselves down 2-0 to the Washington Capitals last series before storming back to take the series in seven games. The Bruins owned a 3-1 series lead over the Maple Leafs before losing two straight and needed an amazing Game 7, third-period comeback and eventually overtime to advance.

Read: Seidenberg, Redden Travel To NY

“It’s about realizing the series is not over until you win that fourth game. We know that,” Bergeron said. “They’re going to try to bounce back, and we’re expecting them to come out really hard. We need to make sure we match that.”

Tune in to every Bruins playoff game on 98.5 The Sports Hub — the flagship station of the Boston Bruins! Pregame coverage begins 30 minutes prior to every game!

The two appear to be getting closer to a return after missing the first two games of the series, but head coach Claude Julien said a decision on his two veteran blue-liners won’t be made until Tuesday prior to Game 3.

Read: Krejci Dominating And Other Leftover Thoughts

“He’s getting closer,” Julien said of Seidenberg. “Whether it’s the next game or not, we’ll see how he feels tomorrow”

Redden was a game-time decision on Sunday before sitting out the team’s 5-2 victory. He’ll have that same status Tuesday in New York, but said on Monday he’s progressing towards a return.

“It’s been a day-to-day thing, so we’ll just keep treating it that way,” Redden said after practice. “I’ve been able to do more every day so it’s been positive.”

CBS New York: Hands Off Panic Button, Rangers Far From Done

“We’ll decide tomorrow and go from there,” he said. “It would be great to be playing, but you have to do everything you can to rehab.”

The Bruins have received some stellar play from rookie defensemen Torey Krug, Matt Bartkowski and Dougie Hamilton with Seidenberg, Redden and Andrew Ference’s absent with injuries. That will make for a tough decision for Julien should one or two of his injured vets returns, but the coach isn’t thinking that far ahead — or at least that’s what he’s telling the media.

Kalman: Bruins Defensemen Taking Offensive Charge vs. Rangers

“The best thing to do is cross that bridge once you get to it,” the coach said. “To prognosticate about it right now is a lot of wasted time where I could be putting it on different areas of our game. When that time comes, whether it’s tomorrow morning or whatever, I’ll be ready to make the decision. That’s what they want me to do as a coach and that’s what I keep doing, whether it’s right or wrong.”

It looks like Hamilton would be the likely candidate to sit should Seidenberg and/or Redden return. While Krug and Bartkowski have made big impacts with their opportunities, the 19-year-old Hamilton has struggled at times, and finished a minus-2 in Sunday’s win.

Ference was the only Bruins not to practice on Monday.

Gresh & Zo opened the day talking about the Bruins Game 2 win over the Rangers.

The young defensemen continue to step up and the guys discussed who might sit if Dennis Seidenberg or Wade Redden return soon.

Gresh isn’t really a fan of Jaromir Jagr and doesn’t have high hopes that this guy will contribute to the team like people thought.

The guys also discussed Tuukka Rask and his play so far this series.

Joe Haggerty joined 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Toucher & Rich to discuss this series with the Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist, Tuuka Rask and will any of the B’s injured defenseman return?

In the third period of Sunday’s 5-2 Bruins win Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist seemed to be in some sort of discomfort. “It’s my shoulder,” said Lundqvist. “We’ll see. We’ll take a look at it.”

Is there any chance that Lundqvist misses time in goal?

The guys also discussed the dynamic inside the Rangers locker room between coach John Tortorella and players. Tortorella recently said that Carl Hagelin stinks on the power play and he moved Brad Richards down to the fourth line. Is this just Tortorella being himself or is this an actual coaching strategy?

The guys also discussed how the 5-2 win could have been closer or even a loss for the Bruins had Tuukka Rask not put up a great performance in the second period.

Adolfo was outside the Garden after Sunday’s 5-2 win win to talk with the excited fans leaving the game. It’s not surprising that some are already calling for a Stanley Cup win.

Well, after taking a 2-0 series lead with a 5-2 win over the Rangers on Sunday afternoon, now would be a pretty good time for the team to figure out how to find that instinct.

Because make no mistake, as bad as the Rangers have looked in the first 135 minutes of this series, they are nevertheless a very good team. Winning Game 2 was crucial for the Bruins, but if they can realize just how much is at stake Tuesday night in Game 3, put forth their best effort and take advantage of a slumping/slightly injured Henrik Lundqvist, they’ll be able to take a 3-0 series lead and crush the will of the Rangers, who seem to be on the cusp of completely falling apart.

Of course, Game 3 is Game 3, and we need not move on just yet. Let’s run through some of the leftover thoughts from a most-unexpected blowout at the Garden.

–Torey Krug. I mean. Really. Torey Krug.

The kid skated a grand total of 15:47 this season in the NHL. When this postseason began, he had a total of 40:02 time on ice in his NHL career. So he had the equivalent of one of your lunch breaks as his entire experience at the game’s highest level, and in his first two postseason games, he’s scored twice on the best goaltender in the sport, Henrik Lundqvist. Not a bad week, really.

–Nice week for the Krug family, too, because his parents now have this photograph to print out and use to canvas the walls in their home:

Torey Krug (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

–Krug got the glory on that goal, but don’t forget Adam McQuaid’s efforts on the defensive end, when he dived and broke up a potential Brian Boyle breakaway, which led to the rush that ultimately ended with Krug scoring the goal. Consider that last sentence your glory, Mr. McQuaid.

(We need not mention the fact that Boyle had a 0.31 percent chance of actually scoring on the breakaway. This is time for glory.)

–The final score says that Lundqvist was not the best goalie in the world, and to a certain extent, I agree (I wrote about it more in-depth here). But if the narrative leading up to Game 3 starts to blame Lundqvist and only Lundqvist, know that such a claim is very, very wrong.

If you can forgive the low-resolution screenshots from NHL.com’s video player, here is how Dan Girardi’s afternoon played out at the TD Garden.

Here's Dan Girardi's interpretation of defense on Krug's goal. http://t.co/gOSOjxuvAS—
Michael Hurley (@michaelFhurley) May 19, 2013

Here's Dan Girardi kicking a puck to Greg Campbell for a goal. http://t.co/Ck9JDagACH—
Michael Hurley (@michaelFhurley) May 19, 2013

Here's Dan Girardi, unable to move Bergeron, on Boychuk's goal. http://t.co/j2tKXBvMTy—
Michael Hurley (@michaelFhurley) May 19, 2013

Here's Dan Girardi trying and failing to break up Bergeron's pass to Marchand. http://t.co/R3v3i3VzLD—
Michael Hurley (@michaelFhurley) May 19, 2013

Lastly, here's Dan Girardi in a not-so-great position on Lucic's goal. http://t.co/uegJoiGe1s—
Michael Hurley (@michaelFhurley) May 19, 2013

That’s five Bruins goals, and that’s five instances of Dan Girardi doing something wrong to varying degrees.

In short, Dan Girardi was the Bruins' best player today.—
Michael Hurley (@michaelFhurley) May 19, 2013

Perhaps going forward, the Rangers’ alternate captain tries harder to get out of his own goalie’s line of sight.

–I think Henrik Lundqvist had reason to sorta/kinda blame his teammates for screening him on several goals, and I actually commend him for not throwing Girardi under the bus for what was a horrific, horrific performance in Game 2. That being said, it was more than a little amazing to see “King Henrik” put on his crown hat, complete with the No. 30 in the middle of the crown, before talking with the media. Not all five goals were his fault, but this is a bottom-line, results-oriented business. Imagine if LeBron James went 2-for-19 from the field and then wore a crown before talking with the media? He’d get crushed.

We let Henrik off the hook because he’s not LeBron, and also, those looks — my God, those looks! But if he lets in another five spot on Tuesday, perhaps he ought to keep the crown hat hanging in his locker.

–Tuukka Rask was pretty good, but I don’t think he really stole any headlines for his play in Game 2. That’s mostly fair, but one save in particular deserves a bit more attention.

With 3:41 left in the second and the Bruins leading 3-2, Johnny Boychuk sent a perfect tape-to-tape pass to Derek Stepan. Unfortunately for Boychuk, Stepan plays for the other team, and he passed from one faceoff circle to the other, where Carl Hagelin was set up for a one-timer. Rask used his entire body to get his momentum going from right to left, and as he made his way in that direction, Hagelin’s shot went low to Rask’s right. Somehow, Rask managed to reach back with his right leg and stab the puck with his toe, and he eventually dragged it with him as he slid on the ice in the opposite direction.

It was a subtle stop, in that it wasn’t a flashy catch with the glove or a diving stick save, but it was huge. It preserved the lead, which doubled shortly after the third period began, and it prevented the Rangers from getting the result they wanted in a period they all felt they played their best hockey.

–Rask also got the help of his good buddy, the right post, on a Stepan shot through traffic from close range. The photo of the play almost perfectly captures the mayhem of playoff hockey.

Zdeno Chara (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

–Jaromir Jagr went for a postgame skate a couple of hours after the game ended, something he does frequently, usually with weighted vests and stuff because he is a crazy person who likes to work out like a crazy person. He hasn’t been lighting it up statistically, and he was arguably flat-out bad against the Maple Leafs, but there are certain things he does that just makes you shake your head in awe. Exercising after an NHL playoff game at the age of 41 is one of them.

–We here in Boston have seen what a bad power play looks like, and we’ve seen a bad power play somehow not get in the way of the Bruins’ winning a Stanley Cup. But impossibly, the Rangers’ power play is worse. The Bruins converted just 10 of their 88 power plays in the 2011 postseason, “good” for an 11.4 percent “success” rate. After an 0-for-5 on Sunday, the Rangers are now 2-for-36, for a success rate of 5.6 percent. Five-point-six percent!

You should not get 36 opportunities to play with more competitors than your opponent and only successfully outplay them twice. That shouldn’t happen, and if the Rangers don’t start getting contributions from the power play against the Bruins, they’re going to be toast. The two teams are matched too evenly for New York to let opportunity after opportunity pass by the boards.

–We’ve all known David Krejci to be a very, very good hockey player for a long time now, but it’s still a little weird to see his face on NHL.com as the leader in points in the entire league this postseason.

It’s a testament to his skill and his ability to simply rise to a different level once the thermometer starts to top 70 degrees on a regular basis. After registering two assists on Sunday, Krejci now has 63 points in 68 career playoff games with a plus-25 rating. We learned in 2011 that he could be the best forward on a Cup-winning team, but in a league with Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Evgeni Malkin, Joe Thornton, Pavel Datsyuk and the like, it’s incredibly impressive to see Krejci as the centerman outpacing them all.

It’s surprising to see, too, in the sense that it’s been a somewhat subtle surge of dominance. Outside of his hat trick in Toronto, there hasn’t been much fanfare surrounding Krejci. It’s just been a steady, reliable contribution from the top-line center, who has failed to get on the score sheet just once this postseason and has posted multi-point games five times.

Patrice Bergeron, deservedly, gets a lot of credit in this town for being the best two-way center in hockey. Perhaps it’s time for Krejci to get his proper due.

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

But Boston’s blueliners scored just 23 of the team’s 127 goals (18.1 percent) during the 48-game schedule. Oh, how that’s changed in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

With goals from Torey Krug and Johnny Boychuk in their 5-2 win in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Sunday, the Bruins’ defensemen have now scored four of the club’s eight goals while the team has built a 2-0 series lead.

They’ll look to keep that hot hand going in Game 3 on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.

For the entire postseason, the Bruins have 10 goals from defensemen among the 30 pucks they’ve put behind Toronto’s James Reimer and New York Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist.

“Well they’ve been really good,” coach Claude Julien said about his defensemen. “I think we’ve seen our team – one of the big things that has helped our game right now is how quickly we’re moving the puck up the ice. And we talked about that after the first round, and instead of slowing the game down we had to pick up the pace a little bit. And our young guys have come in and done exactly that and so have our older guys. We’re moving forward with that puck, and our transition game because of that has been better in this series.”

The Bruins have been able to hit defense trailing the play for open shots from the point. The point men have also been able to get plenty of pucks through to Lundqvist in this round despite the Rangers’ longstanding reputation for being incessant shot blockers. In Game 2, the Rangers were only credited with 12 blocks on the Bruins’ 50 shot attempts.

By packing it in around Lundqvist to block shots, the Rangers are daring the Bruins’ defensemen to fire away. And the Bruins are returning the invitation with enough rubber into the back of the net to put them ahead in this series with a commanding lead.

“Well that [packing it in defensively] doesn’t make it easy for the forwards. They do a great job of blocking shots and stuff as well,” defenseman Adam McQuaid said. “So like I said, we try and chip in when we can offensively. Try to step up and be options for them, and we try to make it maybe more of a team effort as opposed to just putting all the pressure on the forwards.”

Consider the pressure alleviated. Depending on the Rangers’ adjustments moving forward, the responsibility for scoring might shift back to the forwards and it will be up to them to reciprocate the gift the defensemen have provided the Bruins.

After Game 2, Henrik might be in for some tossing and turning after experiencing some serious déjà vu.

Early in the third period, with the Bruins leading 3-2, Patrice Bergeron won the opening faceoff and shortly afterwards carried the puck on a 2-on-2 rush up the ice. With Marchand driving to the net, Bergeron carried the puck to the corner of the rink, drawing Michael Del Zotto with him before sending a pass to the front of the crease. Marchand, able to fight through Dan Girardi, got his tape on the puck and redirected it just under Lundqvist’s right pad.

The goal made the score 4-2 in favor of the Bruins with 19:34 left in the game, so it wasn’t quite the back-breaker that Thursday’s overtime goal was. Yet the goal appeared to crush New York’s hopes of clawing back, a thought completely eliminated 12 minutes later when Milan Lucic scored to give the Bruins a 5-2 lead. The rout was on, and while Lundqvist was a bit cryptic with his postgame comments, he seemed to confirm suspicions that the Rangers were taken off their game in the third period.

“We gave it to them,” Lundqvist said after the game, before repeating himself. “We gave it to them. I thought we played great, [but] I don’t think they had to work really hard to get a couple goals there. We just made it really tough on ourselves, so we have to correct a few things and go home and turn this around. It doesn’t matter the score — it’s a loss. Overtime or 5-2, doesn’t matter.”

The bottom line is that the final score doesn’t matter, but in a series predicated on defense and goaltending, the dynamic certainly shifts now. After an imperfect but respectable performance by Lundqvist in Game 1 (45 saves on 48 shots), the safe bet was for a monster performance in Game 2. Instead, he allowed five goals, the first time he’s done that in any game since March 9, 2011, and the first time he’s done it in a postseason game since April 26, 2009. His save percentage in the series now sits at .900, his goals-against average at 3.54. His regular-season numbers? A .926 save percentage and 2.05 GAA.

Despite the outcome, the Rangers won’t panic. Head coach John Tortorella said flatly, “I’m not evaluating our goaltending. I don’t need to evaluate Henrik. We know what Henrik is.”

And, really, the five goals don’t all fall on Lundqvist’s shoulders. Dan Girardi screened the goalie on Torey Krug’s shot, which opened the game’s scoring, and Girardi later kicked a Krug shot right to Gregory Campbell in front of the net for the second Bruins’ goal. Girardi again screened Lundqvist on Johnny Boychuk’s goal, the eventual game-winner, and he failed to break up the pass from Bergeron to Marchand early in the third. The icing on the cake for Girardi came when he made a decent play to drop to the ice to break up a pass, but ended up sliding out of the way and allowing Lucic to easily score the fifth goal. If anyone had a nightmare game, it was most certainly No. 5 in white, not No. 30.

Lundqvist also looked to be suffering through some sort of pain in the third period, and he later confirmed he had some sort of shoulder injury that would require a look from the team’s medical staff.

Excuses beyond his control were there for Lundqvist, and he certainly cashed in on the opportunity to make them, but he is not supposed to be just any goalie. The reigning Vezina winner and almost-unanimous best goalie in the sport should be able to rise to the challenge of playoff hockey and come through with saves no matter the circumstance — maybe not all of them, but at least one of them. That’s what it takes to get through the postseason and win a Cup for a team dependent on defense, and the last two Conn Smythe winners are proof of that.

For the last two games in Boston, dozens of reporters, microphones and cameras crowded around Lundqvist’s locker stall, because he is the superstar, and he is the “king.” His hat with the number 30 inside a crown, which he wore after the 5-2 loss, was there to remind everyone of that.

But one more game from Lundqvist where the king plays like just another goalie, and this series is going to be a lot shorter than most everyone anticipated.

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

The Bruins now lead 2-0 in the series, and while it’s too early to make any grand prognostications about the rest of the series, they’ll be a very confident bunch when they take the ice Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden with a chance to take a commanding 3-0 series lead.

Henrik Lundqvist is going to have to bring his game to another level for the Rangers to have a chance in this series, because allowing five goals on the first 30 shots he sees in any game just isn’t going to cut it.

Third period, 1:12, 5-2 Bruins: Another chance for the Rangers’ power play to do nothing, as Shawn Thornton heads to the box for cross-checking.

Third period, 6:48, 5-2 Bruins: Gregory Campbell and Derek Dorsett just fought at center ice, giving the home crowd even more to scream about. It’s a party in here right now.

Third period, 7:21, 5-2 Bruins: Who saw this coming?

Milan Lucic scored on a Nathan Horton rebound, and the Bruins now lead 5-2. Lundqvist has just 25 saves on 30 shots, and the rout is on in Boston.

Third period, 9:28, 4-2 Bruins: And that is why Henrik Lundqvist, even in games when he allows four goals, is the best of the best.

Jaromir Jagr stood alone at the right post and got a bullet of a pass from Patrice Bergeron at the left faceoff dot. Jagr quickly tried to jam the puck inside the post, probably safely assuming he had his 189th career postseason tally. Lundqvist, however, somehow got his left pad over to the post in time and not only made the save but then fended off several strong attempts from Jagr to keep the puck out of the net.

Third period, 11:50, 4-2 Bruins: Rangers get four shots on the power play, but Rask stops them all. He how has 33 saves, and the Rangers are 0-for-4 on the power play. All that complaining by Ryan Callahan and John Tortorella at the end of the second leads to another fruitless power play.

Third period, 14:36, 4-2 Bruins: The Rangers’ power play will get its fourth chance to get a goal here, Johnny Boychuk gets called for getting his stick in on Carl Hagelin.

Third period, 19:34, 4-2 Bruins: In almost the exact same play from the game-winning goal in Game 1, Patrice Bergeron sends a pass from the corner to the front of the net, where Marchand is there to redirect it past Lundqvist. It was the opposite corner of the ice, but the same exact result, and the Bruins now lead by two.

Third period, 20:00, 3-2 Bruins: Boston is 2-0 this postseason when leading after two periods. The Rangers are 0-1 when trailing after two. Not exactly the largest of sample sizes but we’ll see if the Bruins can hold on to this lead. Third period under way.

End of second period, 3-2 Bruins: The B’s hold on to the lead for the remainder of the period, which is no small feat, considering the 1-0 lead lasted 2:33 and the 2-1 lead lasted 56 seconds.

Rask has 25 saves through 4o minutes, while Lundqvist has just 18 on 21 Boston shots. The physical game continues to slowly intensify, evidenced by the separate incidences of matching roughing minors that period.

The Rangers’ power play, or lack thereof, continues to be a burden for New York. If that doesn’t get fixed soon, it’s just going to be too tough a series for the Rangers.

Second period, 2:01, 3-2 Bruins: The Rangers spent the majority of that power play in the Boston end, but to no avail. Things continue to get worse for that power play.

After the penalty expired though, the Rangers generated a quality chance, with Rask caught slightly out of position as Carl Hagelin gathered a pass in the right faceoff circle. Hagelin fired low toward the left post, and Rask — with all his momentum carrying to his left — was able to kick out the right pad and make a spectacular toe save. It kept the puck out of the net, and preserved the lead for now. He now has 25 saves already.

Second period, 6:03, 3-2 Bruins: Rich Peverley, high-sticking again. Rangers back on the power play. You have to think something is going to bounce their way at some point.

Second period, 7:52, 3-2 Bruins: The open ice leads to all sorts of space for Johnny Boychuk, who took a feed from Brad Marchand, sized up a wrist shot and beat Lundqvist low to the glove side. It’s not often that Boychuk scores on a wrist shot, but the Bruins will take it.

Second period, 8:14, 2-2: The power play gets a couple of good chances, notably a Hamilton blast from the blue line that was redirected on its way to the net, but no goals.

Thornton and Asham just got sent off for matching roughing minors, giving us the second stretch of 4-on-4 this period. Chris Kelly and Derek Dorsett were sent to the box earlier for roughing after a whistle, just like this Thornton-Asham shoving match.

Second period, 11:32, 2-2: The Bruins’ power play will get its first chance. Derick Brassard goes to the box for hooking down Dougie Hamilton on a rush. Brassard actually did a good job of forcing Hamilton to the outside but got too aggressive with the stick and hauled down the big D-man.

Second period, 13:51, 2-2: Good job by both goalies in the last 30 seconds. First, Rask stands tall in perfect position to turn away Ryan McDonagh from in close. And just before this whistle, Peverley aims high to the glove side, but Lundqvist makes the stop. Those are the types of plays both teams need from their goalies to try to slow this game down a bit.

Second period, 16:40, 2-2: Again, the Bruins’ lead lasts mere seconds. This time, Zdeno Chara made a bad decision to try to step up in the neutral zone, leading to Rick Nash breaking in all alone past Chara. Nash fended off Chara’s long reach, protected the puck, and beat Rask, tying this one back up. This has been a really wild opening few minutes to this period.

Second period, 17:36, 2-1 Bruins: Shawn Thornton said he hoped his line could produce a goal to take some off the pressure off the scoring lines. Mission accomplished.

After Dan Girardi reached his skate back to block a soft Torey Krug shot, Gregory Campbell was in the right place to pick up the loose puck and send a backhand right under the crossbar to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead.

Second period, 17:51, 1-1: Wow — incredible pace to the start of the second, with a flurry of shots and opportunities going both ways.

Second period, 20:00, 1-1: Second period, under way in Boston.

End of first period, 1-1: At the end of 20 minutes, things are pretty even. The score is tied 1-1, the Bruins lead in shots 12 to 11, both goalies are active and every player’s been willing to get physical.

The one difference is that the Rangers had four minutes where they got to play with more people than the Bruins, which is normally an advantage in this sport. But the Rangers couldn’t capitalize, and they’re now 0-for-5 in this series and 2-for-33 in the postseason. With two teams that play such evenly matched contests, those power plays really are crucial, and with each one that fails, the frustration and pressure mounts for New York.

First period, 2:29, 1-1: Zdeno Chara slashed the stick of Derick Brassard right in front of a referee, but he didn’t see it as a penalty. His colleague out by the blue line, though, did, and Chara heads to the box for slashing.

First period, 7:27, 1-1: The Rangers’ power play continues on its horrific pace, unable to generate anything at all on the man advantage. New York is now 2-for-32 this postseason, good for a 6.3 percent success rate. That’s borderline unfathomable. The Bruins actually were able to get two shots while shorthanded, while the Rangers couldn’t muster one on the man advantage.

Rask has made eight saves thus far, and Lundqvist five.

First period, 10:44, 1-1: The Rangers’ power play gets the first opportunity of the day, when Rich Peverley gets too aggressive with his stick and catches Rick Nash in the lip. Two minutes.

First period, 11:59, 1-1: The Bruins’ lead lasts all of 153 seconds, after a Brad Marchand turnover at the offensive blue line leads to a Ryan Callahan rush. Dougie Hamilton tried to poke check the puck off Callahan’s stick from behind but ended up just leading him to the net. All alone against Rask, Callahan waited patiently and went right around the downed netminder to tie the game at 1-1.

First period, 14:32, 1-0 Bruins: The kids really are all right.

Following a great defensive play by Adam McQuaid, Torey Krug accepts a Horton feed and after initially bobbling the puck between his legs, he gathered it on his tape and fired a shot on net. The shot beat Lundqvist (who had four saves to that point) and gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead.

Krejci picks up the secondary assist.

First period, 20:00: The puck has been dropped, the Rangers have won the faceoff, and Game 2 is under way.

3:14 p.m.: Here are today’s starters:

Boston

Marchand-Bergeron-Jagr

Boychuk-Bartkowski

Rask

New York

Hagelin-Stepan-Callahan

Del Zotto-Stralman

Lundqvist

3:10 p.m.: Today’s banner captain is Christopher Dumont, a Massachusetts State Trooper who helped save the life of Richard Donohue. The Bruins flag is making its way around the Garden, and we’re just minutes away from puck drop.

2:49 p.m.: Based on pregame warmups, the lineup is the same. That means Boychuk is paired with Bartkowski, and Krug is with McQuaid.

Same lineup for the Rangers, as well.

2:39 p.m.: “The State Of Massachusetts” is blaring over the speakers, and the Bruins and Rangers are on the ice for warmups.

2:06 p.m.: Well, we won’t have to wait for warmups for word on Wade Redden and Dennis Seidenberg. They’re both out, according to Claude Julien, and he’s typically someone who knows those types of things.

Seidenberg’s absence is expected, but Redden was thought to be more of a game-time decision.

It’s a luxury for Claude to not feel he has to rush back the veterans, because of the way rookie Matt Bartkowski has been playing and the way Torey Krug slid in seamlessly in Game 1. I was greatly impressed by the work of Krug, he of three total NHL games in his life, in Game 1, and not just for the power-play goal he scored. He and Bartkowski never played timid and were more of a positive than a negative throughout the game. With rookies, there’s always the risk of one mistake proving costly, but Bartkowski and Krug provided enough confidence for Julien to play them plenty in Game 1 (26:42 of ice time for Bartkowski, 16:41 for Krug), and they’ll get another shot in Game 2.

1:45 p.m.: A two-day break in the playoffs has felt like an eternity, but that long wait for hockey in Boston ends in just 75 or so minutes, as the Bruins and Rangers will take the ice in what is a crucial game for both teams.

The Bruins, obviously, would love to take a 2-0 series lead so that they could go to New York knowing they can win just once in two tries and earn a chance to put the series away in a Game 5 on home ice.

The Rangers, meanwhile, have a lot of questions to answer after an all-around ugly showing in Game 1. The team has been criticized by fans, media and even their own coach for a less-than-stellar effort, particularly in the overtime period. The Rangers certainly competed, but the game has at least opened the door to the possibility of this being a short series. I don’t think that will be the case, but the Rangers will have to have a very different look today to change the story of this series.

I think the goalies also have a lot to show today, too. Henrik Lundqvist is, for my money, the best goalie in the sport, but he didn’t look all-world on that Zdeno Chara goal, which squeezed its way through his five-hole and was eventually knocked in by Lundqvist himself.

Rask has been excellent this postseason, but he likewise let in a softie from Derek Stepan. Both goalies pride themselves on their work, and while both have been outstanding, I think it’s safe to expect their best showings this afternoon.

That means, of course, that goals will once again be tough to come by. After Thursday’s Game 1 final of 3-2 in overtime, 12 of the last 16 meetings between the Bruins and Rangers have been decided by one goal. These two teams, similar in many defensive respects, simply grind each other out.

In a way, it creates what some consider to be a “boring” game, but for the teams involved, it leads to a lot of satisfaction after wins.

In any case, the teams will be on the ice for warmups shortly. Wade Redden might be back in there in place of Torey Krug or Matt Bartkowski, so I’ll provide an update after line rushes on that front, as well as any other changes.

I’ll also be updating live from the TD Garden from puck drop all the way through the final whistle, so check back throughout the game.

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

Redden took part in some of the Bruins’ activities during their off day Saturday. His injury has not been disclosed. Coach Claude Julien says it will be a game-time decision whether Redden can play.

Game 2 is Sunday afternoon at the TD Garden.

Dennis Seidenberg, who has a knee injury, skated on his own before practice. Julien says he doesn’t expect him to be ready to play. Andrew Ference is out with a foot injury.

The Bruins started three rookie defensemen in Game 1 on Thursday night when they beat the Rangers 3-2 in overtime.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

That’s what some Boston Bruins fans are wondering after the defenseman logged his second straight game of 35+ minutes on Thursday night, playing 38:02 in Boston’s 4-3 overtime win over the New York Rangers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Chara has played nearly four hours of hockey in Boston’s first eight playoff games this season, and has gone over the 30 minute mark each of the three times Boston has needed extra hockey to pull out a win.

These aren’t easy minutes, either. Chara is nearly always out there against the oppositions best offensive player; from Toronto’s Phil Kessel (who scored four goals last series) to New York’s Rick Nash.

Hurley: Bruins Turning Power Play Into Positives

More times than not, it’s Chara who gets the best of these matchups.

That was once again the case on Thursday night. Chara did everything the Bruins needed him to do, and then some. He scored the team’s first goal, and assisted on the game-winner in overtime when he poked a Derick Brassard pass away on a New York odd-man rush. He fought for pucks along the boards, and delivered his fair share of hard hits – finishing with six for the game. He also led the Bruins with nine shots on goal, and leads the team this postseason with 34.

While fans sit back in awe, his Bruins teammates have seen it all before.

So 38 minutes of hard-fought, hard-hitting playoff hockey isn’t really all that surprising to some of them.

“No, not really. I know what he can do,” Bruins forward David Krejci said of Chara on Friday. “He’s the best defenseman out there. Maybe he doesn’t have the offensive skills as (Erik) Karlsson and a few other guys out there, but overall he’s been amazing for us. Not just in the playoffs but the last few years. I don’t think there’s anything he can do to surprise me.”

“For him, the way he’s conditioned and the way he prepares, he’s learned to be able to deal with those kind of minutes,” said Gregory Campbell. “But it’s a certain breed of player to handle that kind of situation and that pressure, and he does it successfully.”

“He’s a pretty special player. I don’t think you can really appreciate him until you play with him, and you see his work ethic on and off the ice; the way he carries himself and the leadership he has,” added Campbell.

Chara doesn’t care how many minutes he plays, just as long as his team can put up a “W” when the final horn sounds.

“I’m just trying to help the team as much as I can and whatever coach feel comfortable putting out there, I’m fine with that,” he said following the game Thursday night.

Chara stays in shape with a ridiculous workout regime, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s always on his bicycle. He rides to the TD Garden (when the weather permits, of course) and then rides  stages of the Tour De France in the off-season – just for fun.

But that’s just the physical side of things. Mentally, the 6-9 behemoth wears that “C” on his sweater for a reason.

His leadership was in even bigger focus on Thursday night, as Claude Julien was forced to use three rookie defenseman with injuries sidelining veterans Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference and Wade Redden. In their place, Dougie Hamilton, Torey Krugg and Matt Bartkowski stepped up, and made the most of that opportunity. They didn’t look like rookies seeing their first real playoff action (Hamilton did see some action in three games against the Leafs), but showed poise and a coolness many didn’t expect.

A lot of that had to do with Chara.

“I think everyone can see how good he is and how hard he works,” said Hamilton. “I keep calling him a machine because of how good he is on the ice for the minutes he plays. You can see just being in the room and at practice how hard he works. He’s definitely a role model for me and the leader of our team.”

Listen: Ray Bourque Talks Rookie D-Men On Toucher & Rich

“Thinking about him playing 38 minutes made me kind of sick for a second, like ‘holy crap, how did he do that?’” said Bartkowski. “Not only just playing but he’s out there playing his game and playing strong.”

“It’s playing against their best player and adding offense too. It’s pretty impressive,” the 24-year-old added.

Julien isn’t too worried about the minutes piling up for his captain, because really, he doesn’t have a choice at this point.

“Well, he’s done it twice in a row now,” the coach said Friday. “He’s in great shape, he’s got a couple of days here to recover, so I don’t see that being an issue. To be honest with you, right now we don’t have a choice. You deal with it the best way you can.”

Chara is 36-years-old but still playing like he’s in his late-20’s. These youngsters don’t know how he does it, but are keeping a watchful eye on their leader.

“I don’t know if he plugs himself in at night; I don’t know,” joked Hamilton. “It’s pretty incredible to be able to do that. It’s a huge credit to him and just being able to watch it, we’re amazed by it and it makes it easier on our whole team.”

Kalman: Chara Once Again Bruins’ Blue-Line Workhorse

“I don’t know if I could keep up with some of the stuff I heard he does. Really, it’s just incredible,” said Bartkowski. “He might have just not even slept and rode through the night (Thursday night) for all we know.”

Whether it be his physical play or mental leadership, the Bruins’ success this postseason relies on Chara. He didn’t have the best regular season, but has taken his game to another level for the playoffs.

And with two days to charge the batteries between Games 1 and 2, there is no telling how powerful “the machine” will be on Sunday.

Follow Matthew Geagan on Twitter @MattyGWBZ

The struggles and failures of the Bruins’ power play has been well documented, with the team somehow overcoming an 11.4 percent success rate on the way to winning the 2011 Stanley Cup. Obviously, that team didn’t make it easy on itself with that ineptitude on the man advantage, and if there is any hope for a repeat of Stanley Cup success, the power play is going to have to be much better.

So far, the Bruins appear to be on their way in that regard.

They entered Thursday night’s Game 1 with a 15 percent success rate, after going 3-for-20 in seven games against the Maple Leafs. The first power-play score came from Nathan Horton in Game 1, a go-ahead goal in the first period that held as the game-winner. The Bruins then used two power-play goals, one from Patrice Bergeron and one from David Krejci, to help turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead in the second period of Game 4 in Toronto, which the Bruins eventually won 4-3 in overtime.

The Bruins went 0-for-6 on the power play over the following three games, as they struggled to put away the Maple Leafs before the miraculous Game 7 comeback.

But in Game 1 against the Rangers, the power play played a major role in the 3-2 overtime win. After the Bruins fell behind early in the second period, the power play took the ice with the chance to tie things up. The first unit of Milan Lucic, Tyler Seguin, Bergeron, Jaromir Jagr and Zdeno Chara took to the ice but couldn’t get a goal. After about 90 seconds on the man advantage, over the boards went Krejci, Brad Marchand and Horton, along with rookies Dougie Hamilton and Torey Krug on the back end.

Deep in the Boston zone, Krug chipped the puck to Marchand, who carried with speed all the way to the Rangers’ zone. He fed it back to Hamilton, who then passed to Krug, who let loose a slapper on net that beat Henrik Lundqvist.

As the call on TSN went, “Torey Krug, his first National Hockey League goal ties a playoff game in the third.”

It was a huge moment with a huge impact.

“For his first goal,” Claude Julien said of Krug, “he couldn’t have asked for better timing.”

The power play would not score in its next two opportunities, however, it was the relentless work of the power-play unit in the overtime that completely tilted the ice in Boston’s favor. Players and coaches from both teams both spoke freely about how the Bruins’ power play, which registered six shots on net and another off the crossbar in the two minutes, determined the way the overtime period would play out.

The Bruins kept pouring it on, outshooting the Rangers 9-3 the rest of the way, capped off with Marchand’s game-winning redirect of a Bergeron feed from the corner.

It wasn’t the power-play unit that got that puck across the goal line for the game-winner, but the team did use that two minutes to create momentum and confidence, rather than giving it to the other team.

“That’s what you need your power play to do,” Marchand said. “Obviously, we didn’t have the best power play all year [14.8 percent, 26th in NHL], but we’re starting to come around. If we’re not scoring, then we’re getting some opportunities. You want to get some momentum off of those. In overtime especially, we had some really good opportunities but we didn’t finish. We just seemed to feed off of that and played very well after that.”

And it’s because of that power play — and not despite the power play — that the Bruins won Game 1. It’s a change of pace that is most certainly welcome on Causeway Street, and if it continues, it could be the difference between a late May playoff exit or a trip to the conference finals.

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

Bruins head coach Claude Julien said it was too early to tell if any of his three injured veteran blue-liners could return for Sunday’s Game 2 against New York, but that remains a possibility.

“A little early to say,” Julien said Friday morning from the TD Garden. “Again, it is two days, and two days in the playoffs makes a big difference as far as getting guys back. There’s a possibility, that much I can say. Whether they will or not is too early to say right now.

Veteran defensemen Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference and Wade Redden all missed Game 1 due to undisclosed injuries, replaced by rookies Dougie Hamilton, Matt Bartkowski and Torey Krug.

Listen: Ray Bourque Praises Young D-Men on Toucher & Rich

But instead of getting lost in the spotlight, Julien said the young players helped the Bruins play better in transition on Thursday night.

“They didn’t sit on their heels, they didn’t just freeze and try and move the puck standing still, they carried it when they had the ice. There’s no doubt that gave us a real good transition game, last night,” said Julien. “Whether some of those guys come back or not, we’ve got to keep doing the same thing.”

The Bruins did not pracitce on Friday, but Seidenberg was seen walking in the locker room. He declined to speak to the media, but remains the likeliest of candidates to return on Sunday.

But if he can’t go, Julien and the Bruins can rest a little easier knowing their trio of youngsters are more than up to the task on the blue line.

Krug even contributed in the offensive side of things,  scoring his first career NHL goal early in the third period to tie the game at 2-2.

Read: Krug Not Afraid Of Spotlight In Playoff Debut

“What we’ve seen from him the few games he’s played with us is he doesn’t seem to be intimidated by anything, or any circumstances,” Julien said of Krug. “He comes into our lineup last night and I thought he played just like I’ve seen him play all the time. I didn’t see a guy that was nervous at all. If anything, I saw a guy that was extremely confident at making the executions that he needed to make. Not only, his goal but the plays he made coming out of his own end.”

“He’s a pretty smart player and a pretty confident player,” Julien added.

Tune in to every Bruins playoff game on 98.5 The Sports Hub — the flagship station of the Boston Bruins! Pregame coverage begins 30 minutes prior to every game!

The game was a bit slow early on, as both teams kind of felt each other out with the series getting underway. But Beers says it won’t be like that for much longer.

“You will see a lot of that stuff along the boards as this series evolves. These teams pride themselves on winning one-on-one battles and doing the work that needs to be done along the boards,” said Beers. “There were shifts last night as the game went on in the second and third period, there were times when the Rangers had the Bruins pinned in their own zone… Sometimes you could feel the crowd getting a bit antsy, but it’s something you have to get used to because this is how the series is going to go.”

Read: Marchand Happy To ‘Get The Monkey Off The Back’

“You won’t see the wide open fire wagon hockey you love to see and you saw against Toronto,” he said. “That won’t happen this series, but it’s OK.  You have to win different games different ways and both teams think they can win that way.”

Beers was very impressed with the performances of the young Bruins defensemen Matt Bartkowski, Torey Krug and Dougie Hamilton, who were thrust into action due to injuries to veteran blue-liners Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference and Wade Redden.

“They did a terrific job last night. I don’t know if it’s a long-term solution, normally not, but they did a great job last night,” said Beers. ”Just their composure; you have to to be able to control the fore-check of the Rangers.”

Bourque On T&R: Rookie Defensemen ‘Couldn’t Have Handled (Game 1) Any Better’

“The one thing all three of those guys can do is skate,” he said. :They can all move the puck while their skating, and that’s a good quality to have as long as you’re moving it to the right people and not skating yourself into trouble. It’s good to have those young legs, especially as a series goes on. You saw that from all three of those guys last night.”

Beers also talks about the importance of Patrice Bergeron, and the struggles of Jaromir Jagr:

The Bruins and Rangers needed 15 extra minutes to decided Thursday night’s Game 1, with Brad Marchand’s first goal of the playoffs giving Boston a 1-0 series lead.

Bruins legend Ray Bourque called in to talk with 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Toucher & Rich about Thursday night’s Game 1 win, and was impressed with the trio of young defensemen the Bruins were forced to trot out there due to injuries.

“It was great. I thought they couldn’t have handled the situation any better,” Bourque said of Dougie Hamilton, Torey Krug and Matt Bartkowski. “When you see Krug score with the assist from Hamilton, with both of those guys on the power play at such a young age and (showing) so much poise. They did a great job last night; they were a non-issue as far as mistakes and not doing their job. They’re off to a great start.”

Read: Krug Not Afraid Of Spotlight In Playoff Debut

“They look very comfortable; sometimes the lack of experience — having no fear and going out there and doing your job — [is a good thing]. The three looked very poised and not really starstruck with the situation.”

The injuries to Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference and Wade Redden also forced captain Zdeno Chara to log over 38 minutes on the ice. Should the B’s be concerned about the amount of time he’s playing?

“Even when they have all their guys healthy you still see him around 30 minutes, and with overtime those minutes add up,” said Bourque. “Z is not one from backing off as many minutes as he can. he’s in incredible shape, he’s a tremendous athlete, and it’s no surprise the amount of minutes he’s logging since he’s been here in Boston. He’s been very durable in terms of minutes played, and the guy that wants that put on him to lead the way for the Bruins.”

Kalman: Chara Once Again Bruins’ Blue-Line Workhorse

Bourque also talks about Jaromir Jagr’s struggles with the team, the Bruins’ power play, and John Tortorella’s coaching strategy:

Photo of a 1976 yearbook photo of John Tortorella. (Photo from David Robichaud)

BOSTON (CBS) – As soon as WBZ-TV’s David Robichaud found his Concord-Carlisle yearbook and put New York Rangers head coach John Tortorella’s photo on Twitter Thursday morning, speculation began about what the heck Tort meant with his his various quotes.

Perhaps the most intriguing part of his yearbook photo was the quote, “WHERE IS MUSKY.” Deadspin.com had a feature that speculated it had something to do with dead hobos — though that’s what they had for a few other quotes as well.

But after a little investigative journalism, Robi figured it out. Tortorella was referring to Mike Muscarella – a high school classmate.

“I haven’t heard of Musky in a long time. We know who he is, now we must find him,” said Robi. “It’s my mission now.”

Robi said he was never part of any bathroom brawls, but imagines wedgies were involved. He also said Tortorella didn’t have the stature to be an actual “bully,” but he was certainly a hot head.

“(He was) just super, super competitive. Just in your face. He would not tolerate teammates mailing it in at all; he would never tolerate Manny Ramirez; he would love Dustin Pedroia.”

But he did shed some light on what “Living At Snakes” and “Lana’s Garage” meant.

“Snakes is Jack Watts, he was the high school quarterback,” explained Robi.

As for who Lana is and what happened in her garage, it’s not some long-lost love of Tort’s high school days.

“That’s Lanagan. Lana is short for Lanagan, I think it’s short for Mike Lanagan,” said Robi. “It’s a dude’s nickname.”

Part 1

Part 2

Marchand scored the game-winner for Boston 15:40 into overtime on Thursday night, giving Boston a 3-2 OT win and a 1-0 series lead over the Rangers.

For Marchand, it was all about turning the page from a goal-less series and focusing on the new task at hand.

“It’s a whole new series and we’re happy to play the Rangers,” Marchand said after the game. “They’re a very good team and a very good battle. It’s nice to finally get one there and get the monkey off the back, and hopefully they keep coming.”

Hurley: B’s Capitalize On OT Power-Play, Ride Momentum To Win

The Rangers had the upper hand during regulation, but the Bruins dominated in overtime — putting 16 shots on net. The Rangers managed just five shots, but the B’s were still worried that even though they were dictating the action, one of those silly playoff goals could do them in.

“That’s usually how it goes in the playoffs. One team does very well in overtime and then the other team gets a lucky one. We hit so many posts and had so many very good opportunities. They were bound to get one,” said Marchand. “We’re happy that we’re able to capitalize in these overtime games. They’re very tough games to be in, but we’re happy with the win tonight.”

Kalman: Chara Once Again Bruins’ Blue-Line Workhorse

Hopefully this is the start of something good for the slumping Marchand, who led Boston with 18 goals in the regular season but hadn’t scored in his last 11 games. Marchand became a hero for Boston during their Stanley Cup run in 2011, scoring 11 goals to set a new Bruins record, and he received a message from his then-linemate Mark Recchi prior to Thursday night with a few words of encouragement.

“He just texted me and told me to play my game and not to worry about anything else,” said Marchand. “The goals and stuff will come. It’s nice to hear from him. He’s obviously a guy that I went through a lot when I played with him, and it was good to hear from him again.”

Maybe Recchi should shoot Marchand a text before every game. And on that note, maybe Marchand should get morning skates off as well.

There was a scare early Thursday when Marchand appeared to leave the ice in pain during the Bruins’ morning skate. But head coach Claude Julien quickly dismissed it as anything serious, and now he’s wondering if he should let Marchand leave practice early from now on.

“I think that’s what he needed to do, get off the ice early so he could score that winning goal. Whatever works is good for us,” Julien joked after the win. “I thought Brad, personally, I thought that was one of his better games so far in the playoffs. He skated well, made some great plays, he took pucks to the net and that’s the Brad Marchand that we know. It was nice to see him really bring his A-game to the table.”

“Claude knows I hate morning skates,” said Marchand. “He used to yell at me when we won the Cup there because I wouldn’t even take a stride. I just wanted to get off early.”

Marchand wasn’t the only player on the Bruins second line to struggle during the series against the Leafs, which prompted Julien to swap out Tyler Seguin with Jaromir Jagr. No one was sure how the Marchand-Jagr-Patrice Bergeron line would pan out, but the Bruins head coach said over the last two games, the line has shown a lot of promise.

“We put them together; we weren’t quite sure how it would turn out, but the first game, which was Game Seven, as the game went on, they got a little bit better, but I thought tonight, again, they took another step in the right direction,” said Julien. “They did a great job of cycling the puck down low in the offensive zone, and hanging on to it. That was a good line for us, and we’re going to need that because we don’t want to just rely on the [David] Krejci line to produce, but we want a little bit more out of our other lines.”

After barely making a whisper last series, the Bruins’ second line is starting to make some noise. And it should come as no surprise that Marchand is the one to get that noise started.

Tune in to every Bruins playoff game on 98.5 The Sports Hub — the flagship station of the Boston Bruins. Pregame coverage begins 30 minutes before every game!

That got underway Thursday night, as the Bruins once again won in overtime to take a 1-0 series lead over New York.

Adolfo was outside the Garden after the win to talk to some excited fans leaving the game. It was pure pandemonium out on the streets with people screaming so loud that you’d think it was series clinching win.

The team isn’t scheduled to practice Friday. The Bruins should consider giving defenseman Zdeno Chara both days to recuperate after his Game 1 performance.

Chara logged 38:02 of ice time, mostly against Rangers hulky star forward Rick Nash, and was credited with nine shots on goal and six hits. His goal started the evening’s scoring and he assisted on Brad Marchand’s game-winning goal with a poke check of a Derick Brassard pass during a New York odd-man rush.

This after he logged 35:46 of ice time in the Game 7 win against Toronto on Monday, his second game of more than 30 minutes in that series. In his early days with the Bruins, Chara would average close to 30 minutes a night. This season, he didn’t pass the 30-minute mark at all until the playoffs.

Of course, Chara was able to make the most of his minutes. The only point Nash recorded was an assist when Chara wasn’t on the ice. And in addition to his goal, he helped orchestrate a couple of momentum-building power plays late in regulation and in overtime.

Chara wasn’t among the three finalists for this seasons’ Norris Trophy, but he continues to get all the votes in the Bruins’ dressing room.

“We seem to talk about this guy almost every time because of what he is,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “Tonight was one of those things where the little details make a big difference in the game. That poke check that he made at the right time, and then giving us a chance to come back and score was huge. Zdeno does those things over and over, and that’s why I said to people that even though he hasn’t been nominated for a Norris, he’s been our Norris Trophy winner every year by the way he’s played, and the amount of time he’s played, and the players he’s played against. He continues to do that, and we appreciate that kind of play from him a lot. This is the kind of thing that you get from Zdeno, and tonight wasn’t any different.”

Friday and Saturday won’t be any different either. If Chara doesn’t work out at least a little bit on the day after a game, it’ll be a major shock. And there’s no way they’ll be able to keep him off the ice Saturday when the team returns to practicing.

Chara is an uncontrollable workout beast. That’s paid off in his remarkable career, which still has plenty of years left. And when it’s over, that’s when he’ll finally rest.

Matt Kalman covers the Bruins for CBSBoston.com and also contributes coverage to NHL.com and several other media outlets. Follow him on Twitter @TheBruinsBlog.

Yet Thursday night in Game 1 against the Rangers, Torey Krug tried a philosophy that was a little bit different: Let it fly.

The 22-year-old undersized blue-liner stepped right into regular ice time, with veterans Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference and Wade Redden all shelved with injuries. That trio has a combined 274 games of postseason experience and 106 playoff points, with each player having at least one Stanley Cup Final appearance on his resume. Krug, meanwhile, skated 15 minutes and 47 seconds in the NHL this season.

But you’d never know based on the way he stepped up.

The Bruins trailed in the third period, following Derek Stepan’s goal 14 seconds after the second intermission. Less than a minute later, Steve Eminger was penalized for holding Rich Peverley, and the Boston power play (3-for-20 in the seven-game series against Toronto) went to work. The first power-play unit got a long opportunity but couldn’t score, and the second unit hopped over the boards with time on the man advantage winding down.

Brad Marchand worked the puck back to Dougie Hamilton, hardly a grizzled vet at just 19 years old. Hamilton passed to Krug, left wide open at the top of the faceoff dot, and Krug was able to size up a shot and fire on net. The shot beat Henrik Lundqvist, widely considered to be the best goalie in the world, on his glove side, and Krug had tied it in the third period of his first-ever playoff game.

“It was huge, there’s no doubt,” Bruins head coach Claude Julien said of the score. “For his first goal, he couldn’t have asked for better timing. It just shows how good a player he is. … He certainly did a good job of coming into this situation and just going out there and playing the way he normally does. We asked him to do that, and that’s exactly what he did.”

His game at the pro level is still not fully known. After three years at Michigan State, Krug joined the Providence Bruins for his first AHL season this year. He tallied 13 goals and 32 assists in 63 games, and he registered three helpers in seven postseason games for the P-Bruins.

If there was any worry that Krug might play scared while jumping into the middle of playoff intensity, it was washed away pretty early. From his very first shift, he didn’t shy away from playing the body, registering a hit on Derek Dorsett just 2:01 into the game. Krug, who stands just 5-foot-9, later dumped 6-foot-7 Brian Boyle into the Boston net after a whistle.

Clearly, the spotlight was no problem for Krug.

“It’s kind of crazy,” Krug said. “It’s one of those things that you dream about as a kid. I came up here just preparing as if I was going to play, and I was lucky enough to get into the lineup. I helped the team win, and that was my goal, so I’m very happy.”

Krug said some of the confidence he felt on the ice came from the confidence placed in him by Julien, the coaching staff and the organization.

“One of the things that they stressed early on when I first got here and they continued to stress throughout the game, was play your game. Don’t be scared to make mistakes, do what you do best, there’s a reason you’re here. That confidence that they showed in me went a long way for myself.”

He finished the night with 16:41 time on ice, three shots, three hits, a blocked shot and of course, the crucial power-play goal.

“It was amazing,” Krug said of the whole experience. “I’ve said before that my main goal is to come in here and try to help the team win, and I was fortunate enough to do that.”

He sure was, and a few more performances like that, and he very well could be competing with those veterans for playing time. At the very least, should Julien require Krug’s services again in Game 2 on Sunday, the coach will have a confident young man ready to do the job.

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

The penalty called on Rangers forward Derek Dorsett 2:20 into overtime of Game 1 between the Bruins and Rangers on Thursday night at the TD Garden fell into neither category, as he simply elected to play the body as Rich Peverley tried to skate past him after chipping the puck into the neutral zone. Nevertheless, Dorsett headed to the penalty box for two minutes.

The Bruins did not score on the ensuing power play, but they did seize complete control of the game with a barrage of rubber directed at Henrik Lundqvist. The Rangers’ netminder had to make six saves in the two-minute span, including on slap shots from Zdeno Chara and Dougie Hamilton. Lundqvist got some help from the crossbar on a bid by Jaromir Jagr, but the Rangers were able to kill the penalty and presumably were in good position to turn that into a positive.

But the Bruins wouldn’t let them.

Boston controlled the tempo of the overtime period, outshooting New York 16-5, with Brad Marchand finally ending things 15:40 into the extra period to give the Bruins a 3-2 win and a 1-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Rangers head coach John Tortorella was brief with his remarks after the game, but he made one thing clear.

“We never regrouped,” Tortorella said of his team’s response following the early Boston power play. “It was a surge. We couldn’t stop them. … We got spanked in overtime.”

The penalty call itself might have been a gift for the Bruins, but in the playoffs, games are won by the teams that capitalize on their chances. The Bruins, fresh off one of the most thrilling finishes in the franchise’s 88-year history, are on a good roll with doing that.

“It’s overtime. You have to keep going,” said Patrice Bergeron, who delivered the assist on the game-winner. “You’d like to see the puck go in, especially with the shots, but I thought we stayed with it. We got the momentum and we created some offense off of it, so I thought we just carried it on.”

Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi, who blocked five shots and logged 5:42 shorthanded time on ice (both team-highs), didn’t have an answer for not turning the penalty kill into a positive.

“If anything, I think it should have gotten us going because we were out there for a while and got the job done,” Girardi said. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t generate much in overtime.”

Ironically, it was the Rangers’ finally creating an offensive opportunity that led to the Bruins’ game-winning sequence. Derick Brassard, who entered the game as the Rangers’ leading postseason scorer and picked up an assist on New York’s first goal of the night, carried the puck with speed down the right wing. Ryan McDonagh, the scorer of that first goal, drove down the middle of the rink, and Rick Nash, still without a goal through eight playoff games now, trailed on the left wing. Brassard sized up a pass to Nash but missed the winger at the top of the faceoff circle, thanks to a poke check from the long stick of Chara.

Marchand skated to the loose puck and tapped it to Bergeron before wrestling through the grasp of Mats Zucarello on his net drive. Bergeron sent a perfect feed to the crease, Marchand directed it past Lundqvist, and the Bruins proved they weren’t going to let bad luck with posts and crossbars get in the way of a victory on this night.

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

After the Rangers failed on a 3-on-2, Bergeron flew up the right wing with the puck and from the goal line fed Marchand in front. He redirected the pass past Lundqvist and the Bruins lead 1-0 in this series.

Overtime, 5:37, 2-2: Lundqvist covers for the first whistle in nearly three and a half minutes. I thought these two teams were supposed to play slow, boring hockey??

Overtime, 9:01, 2-2: The Bruins have dominated possession this OT, as evidenced by their 13-2 advantage in shots. But this is overtime of the playoffs, and everyone knows it only takes one shot, one bounce and one lucky break to determine a winner.

Overtime, 12:09, 2-2: Another post for Boston, this one after Campbell redirected a blast by Boychuk in the high slot. Tough breaks for Johnny tonight.

Overtime, 15:19, 2-2: The Bruins got a ton of rubber on net, and Horton had a chance to stuff in a rebound toward the end of the man advantage, but alas, no goal for Boston.

Overtime, 17:40, 2-2: Bruins are getting a gift of a power play, as Dorsett gets called with interference on Rich Peverley. That would be an iffy call in regulation, but in OT of a playoff game, that’s a really bad call. We’ll see if the Bruins capitalize on the gift.

Overtime, 18:08, 2-2: Rask sharp early in OT, making a save and batting the puck away out of mid-air, then making a glove save on Derek Dorsett.

Overtime, 2-2: For the 12th time in the last 16 meetings between the B’s and Rangers, the game will be determined by one goal. It will be the next one. Overtime is under way.

The Bergeron line is out there against the Stepan line, and after a brief delay for the Zamboni to come back out and fix a bad spot on the ice, we’re under way.

End of regulation, 2-2: The Bruins had a pretty thrilling power play, with shots coming from all angles, but none of them ended up in the net. In the final seconds of the period, Johnny Boychuk let loose his patented slap shot, and his blast clanked off the post with 0.1 seconds on the clock. It likely would have counted if it were an inch and a half to the right, but that’s hockey for you.

The teams will go and regroup in the locker room after 60 hard-fought minutes. I don’t think anyone can say they didn’t expect a few overtime games in this series, and the fact that the game will be decided by one goal falls right in line with the way these two teams play each other.

Third period, 2:09, 2-2: Rangers power play negated on an interference call on John Moore. It’ll be 4-on-4 for 25 seconds, then the B’s will get 1:35 of power play time.

Third period, 3:44, 2-2: Gut check time for both teams, as Patrice Bergeron, one of the Bruins’ best penalty killers, gets sent to the box for hooking. The Rangers’ power play has been abhorrent this postseason, now at 2-for-30, but this would be a pretty opportune time to break out.

Third period, 5:28, 2-2: The Rangers had sustained possession in the Bruins’ end, but the black jerseys packed it in tight around the net to prevent any opportunities for New York.

There’s 5:28 left, and the game could go either way. That’s the type of hockey both teams play, so I can’t say I’m surprised.

Third period, 11:22, 2-2: Things are picking up a bit here in the third, with both teams desperate to get ahead in the third. David Krejci weaved through the slot 5:50 into the period and beat Lundqvist, but his shot clanked off the crossbar. Play then broke the other way, with Rask having to make an outstanding toe save on Brassard just 20 seconds later. Rask was up for the job though, and the score remains tied. The Rangers have a slight 27-26 shot advantage.

Third period, 17:05, 2-2: It was Matt Bartkowski scoring on Monday, and tonight, it’s Torey Krug.

The rookie D-man found some space at the top of the left faceoff circle. Dougie Hamilton passed it over to him, and Krug sized up a slap shot through traffic. It beat Lundqvist, and we’ve got a tie game.

Marchand picks up the secondary assist.

Third period, 18:51, 2-1 Rangers: The Bruins will get a chance to tie this up on a power play, after Steve Eminger gets called for a pretty blatant hold of Peverley.

Third period, 19:46, 2-1 Rangers: Well so much for the lack of scoring. Stepan one-times a pass from the high slot and simply beats Rask five-hole. Nothing fancy about that one. Hagelin gets the assist, and the Bruins are going to have to come from behind in the third period. Have they ever done that before?

Third period, 20:00, 1-1: There are twenty minutes left in this one … unless of course the lack of scoring keeps up. We shall see, but the third is under way.

Second intermission, 1-1: Bruins have out-hit the Rangers 33-27, while both teams have 14 blocked shots through two periods. Chara and Lucic have a game-high five hits, while Girardi and Boychuk have a game-high three blocked shots.

There’s not much to say about this one that hasn’t already been said. It’s going to take effort to grind out some gritty goals, because opportunities are few and far between. Both teams have cashed in on a little bit of luck to get this one to 1-1 through 40, so that’s going to have to be a factor going forward as well.

End of second period, 1-1: The Bruins sustained possession in the New York end of the ice for nearly two full minutes at the end of the period, but after a stoppage in play with 15 seconds left, Rick Nash breaks free up the right wing. Bartkowski played the body and kept Nash from creating a scoring opportunity, but the puck ends up making its way to Ryan McDonagh at the left point. He teed one up in the closing seconds, and the shot had eyes. It found its way through several bodies and beat Rask high to the blocker side.

The goal tied the game and should give the Rangers a ton of momentum heading into the third. Bad goal for the Bruins to give up at a very bad time.

Second period, 3:47, 1-0 Bruins: The B’s kill off another penalty, this one an interference call on McQuaid. Claude just used his timeout, so keep that in mind. He had to, because the PK unit was stuck out there for a long time, and Chara just iced the puck, and McQuaid is stuck at forward, so the team needed to regroup a bit.

Second period, 7:37, 1-0 Bruins: And we have ourselves a goal.

Nathan Horton aggressively chipped a puck off the boards in the defensive zone, sending Krejci on a rush. He pulled up at the top of the circle and waited for some reinforcements, and he passed to Zdeno Chara. With the puck on edge, Chara sent a blast toward net, and again it trickled through Lundqvist’s pads. The puck was in the crease behind Lundqvist, and with Horton crashing, Henrik knocked it into his own net. The Bruins will take it.

Second period, 9:48, 0-0: And just as I say that, the Bruins get a pretty good opportunity, with Horton redirecting a Chara wrister from the point. Lundqvist was able to adjust and make a pretty nifty glove save.

Second period, 10:21, 0-0: Well, the Bruins killed off the Chara penalty, and we’re about midway through this one in a scoreless tie. Shots are all square at 14-14, and we continue.

Where it looks like both teams are going to get their best chance to score is in a big muck of humanity in front of the net. They’ve already stabbed at some loose pucks and sent them toward nets. Whether the shots went wide, or whether D-men blocked them away, they haven’t found the net yet, but that is the likeliest scenario for the tie-breaker in this one.

Second period, 13:49, 0-0: Johnny Boychuk has returned.

Second period, 15:22, 0-0: Big opportunity for the Rangers, who go on the power play after Chara hooks Nash in the neutral zone. Another terrible call, but it makes up for the one on Pyatt.

Second period, 15:34, 0-0: The Bruins’ power play gets a couple of one-time slap shots from Krejci and Seguin, but no goals. Shortly after the power play ended, Horton sent a hard wrister on net, but Lundqvist was there to make the save.

Second period, 17:38, 0-0: Johnny Boychuk took a hit from behind by Taylor Pyatt, and Boychuk immediately dropped to the ice. He remained on his stomach for a minute after his head made hard contact with the glass, but he was able to skate to the bench and he did not go down the tunnel. He remained on the bench for 30 seconds, but he then made his way down to the “quiet room.” As I mentioned earlier, the Bruins can ill afford to lose any D-men.

Pyatt gets a boarding penalty. It wasn’t a malicious hit, as it was more Boychuk’s head being in a bad spot, but the result of the hit seemed to draw the penalty.

Second period, 20:00, 0-0: Let’s see what the second period brings. Like … maybe … a goal? We shall see.

End of first period, 0-0: This game has come as advertised. Both teams are sound defensively, neither is afraid to step in harm’s way, and both goalies have looked pretty good.

Both teams got one good scoring opportunity — the Rangers when Del Zotto hit the crossbar, the Bruins when Lundqvist let a Hamilton shot squeak loose behind him — but offense has been hard to come by, and goals will have to be earned in this one.

Del Zotto did get hurt at the end of the period, when a Bergeron shot went straight up and caught the D-man directly in his left ear. It looked painful, and he was down on the ice for a bit, before skating off under his own power. It’s the playoffs, and he plays for Tortorella, so he’ll be back, but, well, ouch.

True to form, the Rangers blocked 10 shots that period, while the Bruins were able to get 11 on net. Brad Marchand created a pretty good chance in the closing seconds. After his wraparound bid was blocked, he threw the puck in front, where Jaromir Jagr was holding his ground, but no Bruin could get a stick on the puck in the frenzy.

So here we are, tied 0-0 after 20 minutes. It’s pretty much what everyone expected.

First period, 4:00, 0-0: This time it’s Lundqvist who gets lucky, after he lets a Dougie Hamilton shot from the point squirt through his legs and sit behind him for a couple of tantalizing seconds. As soon as Lucic broke for the free puck, though, Lundqvist scattered back to cover up.

First period, 5:11, 0-0: Not much to report, as this one’s played out pretty much as we expected. Shots are tied 7-7, and scoring opportunities have been limited. The physical game is starting to pick up, with the Bruins credited with 12 hits and the Rangers credited with 11. Lundvist looks to be in a zone, especially when he ever-so-casually held the post on a Danny Paille wraparound, and this one remains scoreless.

First period, 8:46, 0-0: The Bruins catch the first break of the night, when — after the third straight Boston icing — Michael Del Zotto beats Rask, but his shot catches the crossbar square and bounces away. Still scoreless.

First period, 11:39, 0-0: Tyler Seguin slipped the Rangers’ defense and was all alone in the left faceoff circle, but Lundqvist was in position to make the save. Good opportunity, but it’s tough to beat Henrik with an unobstructed shot like that.

First period, 13:31, 0-0: No score yet. No nothing yet, really, but the Bruins’ fourth line has done a good job of not only preventing anything from happening in the defensive zone but also forcing some chances down the other end. If the Bruins can get some scoring out of that line, against this goalie, it’ll go a long, long way.

First period, 15:13, 0-0: There was a minor scare for the Bruins on the opening shift, when Johnny Boychuk left the ice early with some apparent pain. He didn’t miss a shift though, because he’s Johnny Boychuk. Still, it’s a reminder of just how tenuous the Bruins’ situation is on the blue line, as they really can’t afford to lose anyone else, especially early in the game.

First period, 20:00: We are under way in Game 1.

7:36 p.m.: Here are your starting Bruins:

Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Jaromir Jagr

Matt Bartkowski-Johnny Boychuk

Tuukka Rask

Rangers will start:

Carl Hagelin-Derek Stepan-Ryan Callahan

Michael Del Zotto-Dan Girardi

Henrik Lundqvist

7:35 p.m.: Torey Krug is indeed in the lineup tonight.

7:30 p.m.: Tonight’s honorary banner captain is Adrianne Haslet-Davis, the dancer who was injured in the Boston Marathon bombings. You can read more about her here.

As for the game, we’re within 10 minutes of puck drop, so get your popcorn ready.

7:18 p.m.: A pregame thought for ya — as bad as the Bruins’ power play has been in recent years, it’s at 15 percent right now through seven postseason games. The Rangers? They’re at just 7.1 percent, with two goals on 28 chances. Don’t expect a power-play goal bonanza tonight.

The Bruins might not even get many opportunities this whole series. The Rangers were disciplined in the first round, averaging just 6.0 PIMs per game. The Bruins averaged 9.1 PIMs per game in the first round.

7:10 p.m.: Torey Krug looks to be Adam McQuaid’s defensive partner for tonight. Here’s how the lines looked in pregame warmups:

Lucic-Krejci-Horton

Marchand-Bergeron-Jagr

Peverley-Kelly-Seguin

Paille-Campbell-Thornton

Chara-Hamilton

Bartkowski-Boychuk

Krug-McQuaid

Rask

For the Rangers, it looks like John Tortorella will keep Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi separated, as McDonagh was paired with Anton Stralman and Girardi with Michael Del Zotto.

7:05 p.m.: No Seidenberg, no Ference, no Redden on the ice for warmups. They won’t be playing tonight.

6:45 p.m.: It’s officially time to move on from Game 7.

It was one of the most thrilling games we’ve ever seen, but it doesn’t mean much now, as the New York Rangers are in town for the opening game in the conference semifinals.

It should be a heavy, physical matchup, with every shift of every game being a true grind.

That will be a tough test for the Bruins, who are down three D-men to start the series. Dennis Seidenberg is unlikely to be on the ice tonight, and it’s a safe bet to expect Andrew Ference and Wade Redden to be out of the lineup as well. That will require Dougie Hamilton and Matt Bartkowski will have to play a lot older than they are, and Torey Krug may have to as well.

Hamilton and Bartkowski played just fine in Game 7, but this is a whole new series, and John Tortorella’s forwards will definitely be looking to attack the young D-men any chance they get.

As for how the lineup shapes up, I’ll post an update when the teams take the ice for warmups shortly, and I’ll have live updates from the Garden all the way from puck drop to the final horn, so check back throughout the night.

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