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BOSTON -- A major reason the Boston Bruins are two wins away from their second Stanley Cup in three seasons is the play of forward Daniel Paille, who has emerged as an unsung hero while helping to form a successful third line with Tyler Seguin and Chris Kelly.

Paille scored his second consecutive game-winning goal -- and third of the playoffs -- in the Bruins' 2-0 Game 3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. He's also helping Seguin and Kelly find their games.

"As far as the line, Piesy has been moving his feet. Right now, he's got a hot stick," Seguin said after Game 3. "I'm trying to do the same, and Kells is playing very responsible. I think we're just buying the system."

Paille's speed has taken over, allowing him and his linemates to enter the offensive zone and often gain possession. Shawn Thornton, Paille's regular linemate of the past three seasons, joked that Paille is utilizing his speed more to avoid playing with him again.

"He definitely gets there and he's going to put pucks in areas and be first most times," Thornton said of Paille's speed. "I know that from playing with him because there's a lot of times I iced it and he got there. Those guys are going right now and I think it's more the fact he doesn't want to come back and play with me so he wants to make sure that doesn't happen."

But all joking aside, Thornton is happy to see his good friend and teammate finally get some recognition. As Thornton pointed out, Paille's recent play isn't that different from the way the hard-working winger usually plays.

"He's been great for us all year, probably one of the more consistent guys," Thornton said. "I can't remember exactly how many goals he had, but he played a big role this year and all through playoffs he's been very consistent. So for him to start getting some recognition because he's gotten a couple goals is great. I think he probably could've deserved it before he was scoring goals. He plays big minutes on the penalty kill. He lays bodies. He does a lot of things right out there, so I'm happy for him."

Before being acquired by the Bruins from the Sabres for a 2010 third-round draft pick in October 2009, Paille had a 19-goal season in 2007-08. Since then his highest goal total was 12 in 2008-09 as he found his niche as a solid defensive forward.

But his teammates knew he still had some offensive punch in him. They're happy to see that return at the perfect time.

"Danny has scored 19 goals [in a season]. … That's not an easy feat to do, especially the way he plays," Kelly pointed out after Game 3. "He plays an honest hockey game. I don't think he gets any power-play chances, so for him to score 19 goals, they're hard-working goals, and he's got great instincts."

Paille's other regular linemate is Gregory Campbell, who addressed the media Tuesday for the first time since breaking his leg in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals and expressed his appreciation for Paille's game as well. One of the main reasons the Bruins lost Game 1 of the finals 4-3 in triple overtime was that the Blackhawks' depth players stepped up. The next game, Paille won it for the Bruins in overtime and his new linemates, and the Bruins' depth players have followed.

"You see their third line contributing in Game 1, how important that was for them," Campbell said Tuesday. "For Danny to really step up and really be a leader in that sense, I'm extremely happy for him because he's one of the better guys I've played with, and nicer people. He works hard and he deserves to do well. I'm glad that he's helping the team."

Like Thornton, Campbell joked that maybe he and Thornton have been holding back Paille's offensive skills but knows the reason for Paille's recent success is because his all-around game embodies what it takes to win in the playoffs.

"I mean, I guess we found out the problem: me and Thorty have been holding him back the last two years," Campbell said with a laugh. "He's been big for our team. I've gotten the opportunity to watch him now that I'm not playing with him. He does a lot of things that really help out a team in the playoffs. Playoff hockey is really where he shines. I can relate to that. It's the simple things that might not draw a lot of attention during the regular season, but when it really matters in the playoffs, he's been there for us."

BOSTON -- It has been almost two weeks since Bruins forward Gregory Campbell broke his right leg blocking a shot and remained on the ice for nearly a minute to help his team kill off a power play, a gutsy display that will forever stand out in this Stanley Cup playoff run.

"I feel good," Campbell said Tuesday in his first public comments since the injury and subsequent surgery. "I mean it's been eight or nine days. I had the surgery a week ago Monday. Obviously naturally you have that progression where there's a little bit of pain coming out of surgery. But everybody did a great job, treated me extremely well. The pain subsided very quickly. There's not much I can do at this point, just kind of let it heal."

The injury occurred June 5 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins, a game the Bruins ultimately won, 2-1, in double overtime.

Campbell said that his recovery time is projected to be six to eight weeks and that he should be ready for training camp.

Just how much pain was he in after getting drilled by the Evgeni Malkin shot?

"I mean, it hurt a little bit," Campbell said Tuesday. "It was sore. But your adrenaline's going pretty good at that point. You're stuck on the ice with a couple of the best players in the world. You really don't have much time to think about anything else but trying to help out and kill a penalty."

Campbell also said that he knew something was different about the pain he was feeling, but was not certain he had a broken leg at the time.

"I've got asked that a few times: 'Did you know it was broken?' You know, I can't say with 100 percent certainty that I knew it was broken," Campbell said. "But I felt like it was a different feeling. I blocked a few shots before. This just seemed different. Then once I was able to get back to my feet, I was not positive, but fairly sure that there was something wrong. I don't have X ray vision, so I didn't know at the time that it was broken for sure. Like I said, it was a different feeling."

For Campbell, the injury itself has been easier to handle than the frustration that comes from not being able to be on the ice to help his teammates try to capture their second Stanley Cup in three seasons.

"The emotional part of it, I mean, we're in the Stanley Cup finals now, and I've been a fan of the game for as long as I can remember," said Campbell, who sported a cast and crutches Tuesday at TD Garden. "I've watched probably every Stanley Cup final there is. It's obviously tough not to play.

"But having said that, I'm extremely proud of my teammates and fortunate to be here, fortunate to have been part of the run that I was on. Now I'm cheering them on pretty loudly."

Bruins head coach Claude Julien praised Campbell for gutting out his last shift, as well as for his overall work ethic.

"Well, I think he exemplifies a lot of what we're all about," Julien said Tuesday prior to Campbell's comments. "I've said it before. We take pride in being a blue-collar team. We don't care about calling certain guys superstars on our team. We all want to be on the same level. But there's no doubt, we're happy to see him. He came in yesterday for the first time since we came back. Not only were the guys happy to see him, but they made him feel very welcome by getting on him shortly after he made his presence in the dressing room."

When asked about that, and the newfound fame he's experienced in the aftermath of his gutsy shift, Campbell instead expressed his gratitude.

"I'm not going to put myself in front of anybody else and say I'm the picture of the Bruins," Campbell said. "This Original Six organization goes back a long way. It kind of represents the city, a blue-collar, hard-working city with honest people. When I got traded to Boston, I thought it was tailor-made to my game the way this team exemplifies the heart and soul of what a hockey player should be made of. I was proud to come to this team and play hard for this team every night.

"There's 18 other guys in that room that would do the same thing, and that's what makes us successful, and makes us a hard team to play against. I'd rather be known for my play other than getting hurt. But, like I said, I just want to play hard for the team and for the players in that room."

Joe McDonald and James Murphy recap the Bruins' seventh straight home playoff win.

BOSTON -- Listen to Patrice Bergeron and Jonathan Toews for any amount of time, and there is an almost perpetual calm about them.

Win or lose, up in a playoff series or down, struggling to find the back of the net or operating at an almost otherworldly level, it would be difficult to tell which player represented which state.

Maybe that’s why both have won the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best two-way forward the past two seasons.

Maybe that’s why both represent both the heartbeat of their respective teams, their teams' conscience, as it were.

For instance, anyone imagining that Toews, the Chicago Blackhawks' captain, might have been rattled or visibly disappointed at the team’s 2-0 loss to the Boston Bruins in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals Monday night would have been disappointed.

"We know we’ve got to be better in the next one,” Toews told a gaggle of reporters gathered around his stall in the Blackhawks’ sweltering postgame dressing room. "And find ways to score, get that confidence in that game back. I don’t think we’re discouraged or frustrated at all having said that."

Anyone looking for self-loathing from a man who has scored but one goal in the postseason would likewise be disappointed despite the fact it must be eating away at Toews not to be doing more offensively to help his team.

Regardless of his struggles offensively, Toews remains the kind of player who does not cheat, does not take shortcuts.

On Monday, with Marian Hossa unable to play thanks to an upper-body injury, Chicago coach Joel Quenneville juggled his lines and moved Toews onto a line with Michael Frolik and Marcus Kruger, who normally fulfill fourth-line duties for the Blackhawks, for the early part of the game.

Was the captain surprised that he did not warrant more skilled linemates?

"No. It’s always good to shake things up a little bit,” Toews said. "You might get a little chemistry. And for myself playing against [David] Krejci’s line for the most part with Kruger and Frolik at the start of the game, I think we did a good job and kept them in their end for the most part. We just got to find a way to score."

He certainly did his part.

He led all Blackhawks with five shots on goal. He made offensive plays that could not be finished by teammates. And he kept his talented Bruins counterparts off the scoresheet.

"Part of your job is to keep them off the scoresheet and the other half of your job is to find ways to score big goals for your team. Did one thing, got to do the other," Toews said.

Down the hallway, in a similarly overheated Bruins room, Bergeron’s calmness in the face of a crucial final-series victory belied his significant role in his team’s success.

Where Toews has yet to be rewarded for his diligence, Bergeron’s diligence continues to be a catalyst to the Bruins’ methodical, and what now seems inexorable, march to a second Stanley Cup win in three years.

Bergeron won an incredible 24 of 28 faceoffs Monday night while Toews won only eight of 19.

Bergeron also led all skaters on either team with seven shots.

"Especially against a team like Chicago, you’ve got to go hard every shift,” Bergeron said. "You can’t take a shift off. Our start was something we talked about, and carried that on into the second and third periods as well. I thought we did a decent job. Obviously, it wasn’t perfect by any means, but at this point of the year you’ve got to take the wins and move on and focus on the next game."

Bergeron was, as always, a key defender both five-on-five and on the penalty kill. On this night, the Bruins killed off all five Chicago power plays and now have denied the Blackhawks on 11 straight man-advantage opportunities in the finals. Throw in the 15 straight against Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference finals and one late in the second round, and the Bruins have denied opponents on 27 straight power plays.

When the game was over, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville pointed to the power play and the lopsided losses in the faceoff circle (they won only 16 of 56 draws) as the key moments in the loss.

"Those were basically the differentials in the game," Quenneville said.

In the second period, with the Bruins holding a 1-0 lead, it was Bergeron who delivered the knockout blow by snapping home a delightful Jaromir Jagr feed on the power play.

Still, Bergeron is one of those rare players -- like any Selke winner, frankly -- who thrives on either side of the puck, relishes the moments of defensive strength as much as offensive prowess.

"I take pride in it. I take pride in both sides,” Bergeron said. "Don’t get me wrong here, I love to be in the offensive zone, but yeah, it is about doing the job there and don’t spend too much time [so] we go on the attack."

On the eve of these Stanley Cup finals, Toews denied Bergeron what would have been his second straight Selke Trophy, edging him out by a scant 10 voting points.

It was an award that quickly became swallowed by the drama that has been this final series.

But as the Bruins look to extend their domination at home in the playoffs -- they have now won seven straight at home -- the battle between these two great players and leaders has become at the moment distinctly one-sided.

If the Blackhawks are going to get back in this series, it seems undeniable that Toews will have to alter that equation.

Given the way Bergeron is playing, we’re not entirely sure it can be done.

BOSTON -- After the Bruins took a 2-1 series lead with a 2-0 win over the Blackhawks in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals, Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said that he thought his team made it “rather easy” on Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask in terms of traffic in front of the net and Rask being able to get clean looks at the puck.

While that may have been true at times during Game 3, Rask is making everything look easy, as he did in making 27 saves for his third shutout of the playoffs.

True, the Blackhawks did not generate as many quality scoring chances as they would have liked, but when they did, the Conn Smythe Trophy favorite was ready. That can be a challenge for a goalie in a game like Game 3, when scoring chances were few and far between.

Rask’s ability to handle different types of games -- 63 shots in Game 1, 37 in Game 2 and then 27 in Game 3 -- and to maintain his focus through the ebb and flow of a game are a big reason the Bruins are two wins away from their second Stanley Cup in three seasons.

“He's been focused since Day 1 of the playoffs,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said following Game 3. “You watch him on off days, you watch him, he's quiet, focused, calm. Right now all his energy is put toward his game, how he needs to get his rest, relax. When the game starts, he's a focused individual. Like I said, I've never seen a guy so calm, obviously confident with the way he's played. Probably quietest I've seen him so far, but in a good way.”

Rask said that quiet but alert demeanor has been growing through the course of the playoffs. As he pointed out, the playoffs can be a different animal and Rask has done his best to adapt.

“I think I've gotten used to that already during these playoffs,” Rask said. “There's been a lot of games like this that you don't get quality opportunities, then all of a sudden, there's four or five of them. But you're playing the last five minutes of the game, you know they're going to throw everything at you, what they possibly can.

“For the most part, I think we kept them outside, blocked a lot of shots, took care of the rebounds. That's always a positive sign in my mind.”

Rask has been helped by his teammates blocking shots, but also making sure those efforts don’t become screens.

“We've gotten better, a lot better, as the season has gone on,” Rask said. “They're not trying to play goalie, they're just trying to be in the lane. All the other guys are taking care of their ice, keeping their head up, looking to guys behind them or in front of them.”

That is true, but Rask, who is now 14-5 with a 1.64 goals-against average and .946 save percentage in the playoffs, showed again in Game 3 that his teammates can look to him to be ready for anything.

BOSTON -- On a humid day in the middle of June, ice is out of its element in Boston, a fact that made the playing surface less than ideal in Monday night’s Game 3.

It started even before the game began. According to defenseman Dennis Seidenberg, it was the bad surface that played a factor in Zdeno Chara catching an edge in warmups and ultimately needing stitches above his left eye just minutes before puck drop.

“It was pretty bad,” Seidenberg said of the ice conditions. “When you try to shoot, try to swing your blade on the ice, it feels like it's sandpaper. It's really rough. When you try to pass, the puck bounces.

“That's why you have to keep the game simple, like I said. If there's a play to be made, you have to make sure it's an easy one. If not, you rather choose to go over the wall and out.”

Goalie Tuukka Rask acknowledged the ice conditions made his job more complicated as well.

“The ice was pretty good in the start of the periods. Then pretty quickly it got really chippy,” he said. “It's tough to get the read off of shots when it's really a mess out there with the ice. You just got to be extra careful with the crazy bounces and stuff. You don't want to make any stupid mistakes playing the puck either. You just got to be extra careful.”

BOSTON -- Quality scoring chances are tough to come by against this Bruins team, and especially tough if you don’t create havoc in front of Tuukka Rask. The Blackhawks didn’t do much of that in Monday night’s Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals and the result was a resounding 2-0 Bruins win that could have easily been worse.

"It's a low-chance game. It's a low-chance series. ... It's hard to get A-plus chances,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said after the game. “You have to manufacture the second, kind of ugly goals, tip screens, deflections.”

Rask made 28 saves, but how many of those were quality opportunities?

“Tonight I thought we made it rather easy on [Rask] as far as traffic and finding and seeing pucks,” Quenneville said. “I think we got to be better at going to the net in non-puck areas.”

How do you generate “A-plus” chances? For starters, you can hold your own on the faceoff dot. The Bruins dominated that facet of the game Monday, winning 40 of 56 faceoffs.

Patrice Bergeron was an incredible 24 of 28 (86 percent) on faceoffs in Game 3, with no other player winning more than 8 draws on the game, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Bergeron was also 8 of 10 on the draw against Jonathan Toews, who had won 52 percent of his faceoffs entering the game this postseason, best on the Blackhawks.

“You can talk about that and our power play,” Quenneville said. “Those were basically the differentials in the game.”

The Blackhawks had another 0-fer on the power play, the Bruins killing each of the five penalties against them. Overall, Boston has killed 27 straight penalties.

For the series, the Blackhawks are 0 for 11 on the power play and have generated a combined eight shots on goal (21 total shots), which is two fewer than Bruins had in Game 3 alone, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

“They box you out. They got big bodies,” Quenneville explained. “They blocked shots. I think we had some chances to get some pucks through the net, we didn't. Our entries weren't great. That's something you want to look at.”

By comparison, the Bruins have put 68 percent of their power play shot attempts on goal, including 10 of 12 in Game 3.

“We just keep plugging away with those special teams, but at the same time, I'm not going to change my attitude as far as saying that five-on-five right now is just as important,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “So we got to continue to play well five-on-five.”

BOSTON -- It wasn’t the 8-1 pasting they laid on the Vancouver Canucks in Game 3 of the 2011 Stanley Cup finals, but the Bruins on Monday decisively won their first home game of these finals, 2-0 over the >Chicago Blackhawks, to take a 2-1 series lead.

The Bruins had the Blackhawks on their heels at a raucous TD Garden from the get-go, despite the first period ending scoreless.

It was the rejiggered third line that got the Black and Gold on the board, Game 2 hero Daniel Paille tallying the first goal of the game at 2:13 in the second period.

Paille also contributed on the second goal, taking a roughing penalty in front of the Blackhawks’ net that briefly gave the Bruins a 5-on-3 advantage. Just seconds after Dave Bolland returned to the ice to make it 5 on 4, Bergeron snuck one past Corey Crawford 14:05 into the second period.

The shots were 36-27 in favor of Boston, and there’s no question the Bruins got the better of the opportunities. If not for some big saves from Crawford, the Bruins could have easily scored four or five goals. The Blackhawks were 0 for 4 on the power play.

With the game already well in hand and about 10 seconds remaining in the third period, things got testy in front of the Bruins’ net, Zdeno Chara and Bryan Bickell getting into it and Brad Marchand and Andrew Shaw throwing down near the left faceoff dot.

Goaltender Tuukka Rask was again outstanding, stopping all 25 shots on net for his third shutout of the Stanley Cup playoffs and first in these finals.

The Game 3 victory bodes well for Boston from a historical perspective. When the Stanley Cup finals have been tied 1-1, the Game 3 winners have gone on to win 21 of 25 series since 1939.

Some quick hits:

Paille and the third line make a difference again: Rask may be a Conn Smythe favorite right now and surely has been the MVP of this Stanley Cup finals thus far. But Paille is right behind him. After scoring the overtime winner to bring the series back to Boston tied at one game apiece, Paille got the scoring going again in Game 3 when he made it 1-0 at 2:13 of the second period. He and his new linemates continued to have success, as Tyler Seguin and Chris Kelly got the helpers on Paille’s goal and that line has now accounted for three of the Bruins’ last four goals. It should also be noted that Paille’s hard work led to the tripping penalty on Niklas Hjalmarsson that paved the way for the Bruins' power-play goal.

Rask perfect again: Rask didn’t have as much action as he did in the first two games, with the Blackhawks getting only 27 shots, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t earn his third shutout of the season. Rask was solid throughout, and once again showed he can be ready even when the scoring chances are few and far between. He was huge down the stretch, and his best save probably came on Shaw, the Game 1 overtime hero, during a Blackhawks power play late in the third period.

Seguin and Jagr doing everything but scoring: Seguin and Jaromir Jagr can’t seem to buy a goal right now but they’re doing everything else right. Both players had assists and were constantly creating scoring chances for their teammates and themselves. Seguin finished with three shots and two hits while Jagr had four shots. The 41-year-old Jagr logged 16:38 of ice time.

Special teams helping out: The Bruins' penalty kill continued its amazing run, killing off all five Blackhawks power plays to make it 27 straight penalty kills. Meanwhile, the Bruins power play went 1-for-4, with Bergeron’s power-play tally the lone goal on the man advantage.

Hossa injured in pregame warm-ups and scratched while Chara survives collision with Lucic: Blackhawks winger Marian Hossa suffered an undisclosed injury during warm-ups and was scratched from the lineup as a result. Hossa was replaced by Ben Smith. The Bruins almost lost their own star Slovakian as well, when Chara collided with teammate Milan Lucic. Chara went to the dressing room, received stitches to the back of his head and played the entire game.

Roster remains the same: After some magic line-shuffling with the aforementioned third line in Game 2, it wasn’t a surprise that Julien didn’t change things up for Game 3.

Forwards

Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Jaromir Jagr
Daniel Paille-Chris Kelly-Tyler Seguin
Kaspars Daugavins-Rich Peverley-Shawn Thornton
Defense

Zdeno Chara-Dennis Seidenberg
Andrew Ference-Johnny Boychuk
Torey Krug-Adam McQuaid
Goalies

Tuukka Rask
Anton Khudobin

BOSTON -- Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara received stitches over his left eye after catching an edge and colliding with teammate Milan Lucic before Monday’s Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals.

The injury was initially believed to be to the back of his head.

The two collided on the ice in front of the Bruins’ bench with just more than three minutes remaining in pregame warmups. Both players lost their helmets. Chara quickly went to the dressing room, got the stitches and was on the ice in time for the puck drop.

BOSTON -- Chicago Blackhawks winger Marian Hossa was a late scratch from Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals against the Boston Bruins on Monday.

Hossa, who has seven goals and eight assists in the playoffs, skated during the team's pregame warmups and was scratched with about 15 minutes left before the opening faceoff. An NBC announcer said Hossa was hit by a puck during warmups.

Ben Smith filled in for Hossa. Smith scored one goal in one game for the Blackhawks in the regular season. He had three goals in seven playoff games in 2011.

BOSTON -- Since Gregory Campbell suffered a broken leg blocking a shot in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Bruins head coach Claude Julien has had to do a lot of line shuffling. One result of that has been a decrease in ice time for Shawn Thornton, who played just 4:56 in Game 2 in Chicago.

But while that may seem to indicate that he is not as valuable on the ice as some of his teammates and make some people wonder why Thornton is still in the lineup, Bruins coach Claude Julien made it clear Monday morning in his pre-Game 3 press briefing that Thornton is still an important part of the team.

According to Julien, Thornton brings a lot more than just a veteran presence in the dressing room.

“Let's not confuse something here. He's not in the lineup because of what he brings in the dressing room,” Julien said. “We got a lot of guys that do that. He's in our lineup even though his minutes go down, because he deserves to be there. He's great on the forecheck. He's actually a lot smarter of a player than a lot of people give him credit for. He reads plays well; doesn't get himself in trouble much; gets the puck out of our end. Certainly his presence makes our team better. We've seen that at times when we've had to pull him out. There's no doubt our team is more comfortable with him in our lineup for all the right reasons.”

When asked by ESPNBoston.com, Thornton did not really want to discuss his value to the team or the decreased minutes except to say that he’s doing his job and happy to do it. But his teammate Johnny Boychuk appreciates the job Thornton does and applauded him for doing it and remaining upbeat.

“He’s gotta stay positive and do what’s right for the team and not your interests and he knows that,” Boychuk said. “He knows that and he’s always upbeat giving guys pats on the back, either physically or just telling them ‘good job’ when they come off the ice. That helps. You have to be like that and you have to stay positive. There’s no room for negativity in this locker room. Constructive criticism is always welcome but being positive and reinforcing when guys do something right to let them know it helps with the confidence.”

BOSTON -- With the Stanley Cup finals back in Boston, former Bruins coach and legendary hockey personality Don Cherry has returned to the Garden.

Cherry, better known as “Grapes”, coached the Bruins for five seasons (1974-1979) and lost in two Cup finals during his tenure in Boston. He always speaks highly of this city and this organization and that was no different Monday morning, while the Bruins conducted their morning skate in preparation for Game 3 of the Cup finals against the Chicago Blackhawks.

“I just love coming back here,” he said. “I love hearing the guys with their Boston accent. The security guy let me in my room last night after a few beers and he said, ‘Thanks for coming back, Don. We enjoy it when you’re here.’ I get a good feeling when I come here.

“Even Whitey’s having a trial. I remember him back in the day, what can I tell ya. I remember some of the FBI guys would come on the ice. [Former FBI agent] John Connolly used to come on the ice and skate with us.”

Connolly is currently serving a 40-year prison sentence for murder, racketeering and obstruction of justice, all charges stemming from his association with Bulger.

Turning his attention from the Bulger trial to the Bruins, Cherry has been impressed with Boston forward Brad Marchand.

“The funny thing is, they call him a ‘pest’ but he’s not a pest, he’s a hockey player that’s a little dirty. Maybe [a lot] dirty, but he’s good,” Cherry said. “But he’s not, for sure, he’s not a pest. A pest is a guy who maybe gets four or five goals and gets on the fourth line and stuff like that. He’s my type of guy. He reminds me of Kenny Linesmen, the Rat. Let’s start calling him ‘Rat Junior.’”

After the skate, Marchand was all smiles when told of Cherry’s comments.

“Yeah, it’s definitely a big compliment,” Marchand said. “He’s obviously a legend, especially in Canada. Growing up we’d always watch him and I never thought he’d be saying my name, so it’s definitely a big compliment.”

While everyone has focused on the Bruins’ come-from-behind win against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of the quarterfinals as the turning point for Boston in the playoffs, Cherry believes it was the Bruins’ Milan Lucic's transformation earlier in that game, which proved crucial to Boston’s win.

“He’s the guy who turned the whole thing around,” Cherry said. “They were losing 2-1 at the time and when [Maple Leafs' Dion] Phaneuf took the swing at him and he turned back and confronted Phaneuf and Phaneuf backed down and [Lucic] got a [roughing] penalty. If you remember, in the penalty box Lucic went a little nuts and he turned into Lucic. I have to tell you, he really wasn’t doing much until then and then he turned into a monster. He turned the whole series around, as far as I’m concerned.”

After spliting games in Chicago, the Bruins return home tonight at TD Garden, where they swept all three games in the 2011 Stanley Cup finals. ESPNBoston.com's Joe McDonald and ESPN.com's Scott Burnside check in from today's morning skate in advance of Game 3 to discuss what to expect from both teams.

BOSTON -- As the Boston Bruins were getting on the ice for their morning skate in preparation for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals, injured Bruins forward Gregory Campbell hobbled through the building on crutches and sporting a cast from his right knee to his toes.

Campbell suffered a broken right fibula in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins and did not travel to Chicago with his teammates due to surgery last Monday.

“It was good to see him this morning,” said Bruins assistant captain Andrew Ference as the team prepared for Game 3 against the Chicago Blackhawks at TD Garden. “We’re happy he gets to be in the mix. He was probably driving himself crazy sitting at home the last few days, so you just feel happy for a guy like that to get involved and just feel good to be back around the guys. It sucks to get out of the swing like that, and I’m sure he hated watching it on TV like anyone else.”

Along with Bruins forwards Daniel Paille and Shawn Thornton, Campbell was a key member of the Bruins’ energy line for the past few seasons. He’s also an integral part of Boston’s penalty-killing unit.

His selfless style of play was on display when he blocked a slap shot from the Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin during a power play and suffered the broken leg. Even after blocking the shot, Campbell remained on the ice for more than a minute in obvious pain and helped the Bruins kill off the penalty.

Campbell watched Game 4 of the conference finals from press level, but due to the surgery, he remained in Boston for Games 1 and 2 of the Cup finals in Chicago.

Ference knows what it’s like to be on the outside looking in. He missed the entire semifinal round against the New York Rangers with a lower-body injury before he returned for the conference finals.

“It’s easier when you’re winning,” Ference said. “It sucks watching, but if the result at the end of the day is good, it makes things a lot easier. It’s obviously a bit of frustration involved. You get to a certain point where you get on with it. If you get hurt, it’s just part of the deal. Everybody understands it comes with the territory.

“It sucks when it happens to you, but at the end of the day, what are you going to do? You wouldn’t have done anything different or anything like that, so you just get healthy and you stay positive. Having people around the room, you have to contribute something, whether it’s support to one or two guys, or in general just being a positive impact on the team. That’s what it turns into so you’re not dead weight around the room. If you’re injured or scratched, you have to contribute something.”

Paille and the rest of the team were thrilled to see Campbell hobbling into the locker room Monday morning.

“With him not being able to be around us on the road, we’re definitely going to enjoy his presence and his comments on certain parts of the game,” Paille said with a smile. “We’re all happy to see him again.”

Already a cult hero, Campbell’s stock has risen higher after his gutsy display. A local deli is thinking of naming its chicken soup after him.

“He’s such a big part of our team, and we wouldn’t be where we are right now if he wasn’t here, so it’s great to be around him again,” said Brad Marchand.

BOSTON -- ESPNBoston.com Bruins reporter Joe McDonald will answer your questions about tonight's Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals at 3 p.m. Get your questions in early and join us at 3 p.m.