ESPN

ESPN.com's Scott Burnside and ESPNBoston.com's Joe McDonald debate the fallout of the Bruins losing out on the Jarome Iginla sweepstakes.

BURNSIDE: Greetings, Joe, must be a lot of long faces among the Boston Bruins faithful today, many of whom might have gone to bed Wednesday night imagining they were going to wake up Thursday and find Calgary captain Jarome Iginla was a Bruin. But that’s not how it shook down as Pittsburgh GM Ray Shero snatched the highly coveted winger away from the B's and added him to an already formidable Penguins lineup in a late-night/early-morning deal. Shero has become a kind of Professor Moriarty to Boston GM Peter Chiarelli’s Sherlock Holmes (or something like that); Shero has also added former Dallas captain Brenden Morrow, whom the Bruins were likewise interested in acquiring. Throw in a couple of recent losses to Pittsburgh (not to mention Wednesday’s blown lead in a shootout loss to Montreal, the surprise leader in the Northeast Division), and there must be significant pressure on Chiarelli to make something happen rosterwise between now and the April 3 deadline. What’s your take on the Iginla switcheroo and where the Bruins are now?

McDONALD: Scotty, my friend, it was a crazy turn of events in Boston. Many, and I mean many, Bruins fans went to bed thinking Mr. Iginla would be wearing No. 12 for the Bruins this weekend. I had numerous text messages from irate fans this morning for that very reason. Tip your cap to Shero for staying in constant contact with the Flames and getting this deal done. I spoke with a few NHL front-office types this morning, and one indicated that Pittsburgh was Iggy's front-runner because of his desire to play with Sidney Crosby. As far as the Bruins, yes, there's pressure on Chiarelli to improve his team before the deadline, but I think he's motivated now more than ever to pull something off. How incredible would it be if the Bruins and Penguins meet in the Stanley Cup playoffs?

BURNSIDE: Oh, that would be a barn burner, for sure. And you know that Chiarelli is quite capable of making trade-deadline magic happen, as was the case in 2011, when the Bruins added key pieces in the form of Chris Kelly, Rich Peverley and Tomas Kaberle (OK, in the case of Kaberle, "key" is a relative term) and went on to their first championship since 1972. If there are areas you think Chiarelli will be targeting, what do you imagine his priority might be? A lot of folks imagine that Ryane Clowe is now in Chiarelli’s sights. The Sharks winger would add a prototypical Bruins forward to the mix with his grit and skill set (a skill set that has been more or less hidden this season in San Jose). Or does a guy like Derek Roy, who isn’t likely to sign in Dallas and could become an unrestricted free agent in July, factor in, given the depth he would bring down the middle and to the power play? There’s also the blue line, where Ryan Whitney’s name has come up frequently in recent days. It seems inevitable the Edmonton defenseman, who grew up in the Boston area and played at Boston University, is going to be traded. Does he end up wearing a Bruins’ jersey when all is said and done?

McDONALD: Even though Chiarelli was left at the altar holding a bouquet of flowers on this deal, you can be sure he has a Plan B. As you mentioned, he's not shy about pulling the trigger, as he did in 2011. He still wants add a forward and a defenseman before April 3. In a perfect hockey world, Chiarelli would like to add to the current roster without subtracting from it. Clowe's name has been mentioned and is a strong possibility. I really like his skill set, and that reckless-abandon style of play would fit perfectly in Boston. Since the Bruins could not land Iginla, what about pursuing a player like Martin St. Louis? I think he would want a chance to play in Boston, and his contract status (locked up for another two years) could fit with what Chiarelli is looking for. The Bruins haven't been scoring goals on a consistent basis and St. Louis would help fix that issue, especially on the power play. On the blue line, a possible return to Boston for Whitney doesn't sound so bad. The Bruins are looking for a veteran presence to add to their mix on defense, and he's a solid choice. Another defenseman who comes to mind is the Islanders' Lubomir Visnovsky. Either way, you can bet Chiarelli will make deals before Wednesday's deadline.

BURNSIDE: Good stuff, as always, Joe. Before we part ways, what’s your sense of this Bruins squad with a month left in the regular season? All teams hit a little rough patch (see the Anaheim Ducks for the most recent example of that), but for a long time I had lumped the Bruins in with the Penguins as a team that occupied a different strata than the rest of the Eastern Conference teams. But the Bruins have won just twice in their past six outings and have been unable, yet, to reel in the pesky Habs. Most assumed the Northeast Division title would belong to Boston -- along with home-ice advantage and the second seed that will undoubtedly come with that position -- but now there’s a germ of doubt. What’s your gut tell you? Do the Bruins end up where most expected they would, atop the division and headed to the postseason as the second seed behind the Pens -- thus setting up at least the promise of a much-anticipated Pittsburgh-Boston conference finals? Or is there too much work yet to be done with this Boston team to be looking that far ahead?

McDONALD: We should do this more often, Scotty, and I'm sure we will with the Stanley Cup playoffs quickly approaching. The Bruins do this every season. There's always a bit of a dull spot where the team struggles in one aspect of its game or another. But the Bruins always come out of it, and they will again this time, despite their recent struggles. Once Chiarelli finishes his task at hand, and the pressures of the deadline are gone, I expect this team to surge down the stretch and into the playoffs. It will be a tight race for the Northeast Division title, but in the end it will be the Bruins in first place. My one remaining question is the play of Tuukka Rask. He's proved he can be a No. 1 goaltender in Boston, but I remain skeptical about how he will perform in big games, especially in the playoffs. With what has transpired in the last 24 hours in regards to Iginla, I hope the Bruins and the Penguins face each other in the playoffs because it would be a gift to the fans from the hockey gods. Hope to see you in Boston soon, my friend.

In an unusually revelatory news conference regarding his team’s failed pursuit of Jarome Iginla, Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said Thursday that he was told by the Calgary Flames on Wednesday afternoon that the star winger would be traded to Boston, only to be informed late that night that the player had chosen the Pittsburgh Penguins instead.

The Bruins thought they were sending defenseman Matt Bartkowski, prospect Alexander Khokhlachev and a first-round draft pick to the Flames in exchange for Iginla, but instead were left standing at the altar.

“We were told around noon yesterday that we had the player, we won the sweepstakes so to speak,” Chiarelli said. “[Flames GM Jay Feaster] just had to talk to Jarome and his agent regarding the logistics of everything. So from that point on there had been some discussions regarding Jarome taking some time, not to decide, just to let things soak in. And then we had our game. Prior to that we made moves, as did they, they scratched Jarome, we made moves, scratching [Bartkowski] and [Khokhlachev]. …

“We relied on the fact we had a deal. Now, these things happen all the time, more than you know, about deals going south for whatever reason. We believe we had a deal. We operated on the premise of the deal. …

“Later that night, around a quarter to 12, I got a call from Jay saying it was the player’s choice and he opted to go to Pittsburgh. So we were out.”

Instead, Iginla was on his way to the Penguins in exchange for the rights to college players Kenneth Agostino and Ben Hanowski as well as their first pick in the 2013 draft.

Chiarelli said he didn’t speak with Iginla during this process, which he said spanned the last couple of weeks, though he did ask to talk to him.

“No, there’s nothing we could have done to convince him,” said Chiarelli, who said he bore no ill will toward Feaster and the Flames or Iginla.

Earlier Thursday, Feaster acknowledged that Iginla's desire to play for the Penguins was the deciding factor in the deal.

"We all understand in this business, a player who has a no trade no move has an opportunity to decide when and whether to waive that, so we dealt with the teams that were given to us by the player and we had a deal with Boston that we liked," Feaster told TSN. "We certainly felt that would have been an acceptable way to go as an organization, the player indicated that he wanted to be with Pittsburgh, and so we got a deal done with Pittsburgh."

Iginla, who has a no-movement clause in his contract, had given the Flames three teams to which he would accept a trade -- the Bruins, Penguins and Los Angeles Kings, a source told ESPN.com. When it came down to decision time, he whittled that list further to just one team: Pittsburgh.

“It’s tough, we’re talking about a really good player,” Chiarelli said of Iginla, who has nine goals and 13 assists in 31 games this season, his 16th in Calgary.

The trade marks the third big move by the Eastern Conference-leading Penguins ahead of next Wednesday's deadline. Pittsburgh acquired veteran Dallas Stars forward Brenden Morrow on Sunday and picked up burly San Jose defenseman Douglas Murray on Monday.

The Bruins, meanwhile, are left with ground to make up.

BOSTON -- For an hour or two on Wednesday night, it seemed Jarome Iginla was going to be a member of the Boston Bruins.

How else can one explain the mood of Bruins president Cam Neely immediately after a crushing 6-5 shootout loss to the hated Montreal Canadiens at TD Garden?

Normally, it's wise to stay clear of No. 8 after a loss, never mind one like Wednesday's, in which the Bruins twice blew two-goal leads in the third period and gave up the tying goal with 8.2 seconds left in regulation. But after this one, Neely was uncharacteristically happy and even was seen smiling in the elevator.

Rumors were rampant throughout the day and night that the Bruins were on the verge of acquiring Iginla from the Calgary Flames, and word was that defenseman Matt Bartkowski, prospect Alexander Khokhlachev and a first-round draft pick could be the price. Shortly after midnight, a TSN report said it was a done deal, and Twitter was abuzz about line combinations and contract extensions.

But after the Flames' 4-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche, Calgary announced that Iginla would indeed be wearing black and gold -- but he was headed to Pittsburgh, not Boston. The Penguins sent college prospects Kenneth Agostino and Ben Hanowski and a first-round pick this year to Calgary.

There are certainly people in the Bruins' organization who thought they had him at one point Wednesday, but the deal never closed.

Why? Because Iginla himself chose Pittsburgh as his team of choice, Flames GM Jay Feaster said at a news conference late Wednesday night in Calgary.

"We began negotiations with teams and in the final analysis, we had offers from three different clubs," Feaster said. "In having those offers, again the player in this trade has a no-trade [clause], a no-move, so the player is part of that process. And so, we worked with the player and concluded a deal this evening with the Pittsburgh Penguins."

Those three teams, according to an ESPN.com source, were the Bruins, Penguins and Los Angeles Kings.

Not only did the Bruins lose out on Iginla, but the trade talks may have contributed to their loss on the ice.

In the locker room after the game, players already had heard the Iginla rumors and were talking about the possible deal. Even coach Claude Julien admitted the trade talks were floating around the room.

"I don't know if it affected the game, but I know it's present," Julien said. "There's a lot of rumors circling around our team, and I called a couple of players in my office just to talk before the game about certain things, and they were a little jumpy. It's present and it's pretty obvious why."

The coach was asked if he'd be glad when it's over.

"If it works out," Julien said with a smile.

The rumors began to heat up when the Bruins recalled defenseman Torey Krug from Providence of the AHL Wednesday afternoon, and later when Bartkowski was a healthy scratch prior to the game.

Then the Flames announced Iginla would be a healthy scratch hours before their game in Calgary. The 35-year-old captain reportedly exited the Saddledome.

In the locker room, the Bruins were disappointed with the loss, but the players seemed at least a little upbeat with the strong speculation that Iginla could be on the way.

"He's a legend. He's a phenomenal player. He's such a great leader," Brad Marchand said. "He's a guy you'd love to have on your team, one of those guys that's definitely a playoff player. If we get him, great; if not, that's how it is."

Yup, that's how it is.

BOSTON -- It was déjà vu for the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night at TD Garden as they saw a third-period lead disappear once again. They blew a two-goal advantage over the Montreal Canadiens and lost 6-5 in a shootout to relinquish first place in the Northeast Division. Not only was this the fifth blown third-period lead for the Bruins in the month of March; it was their second straight against the Canadiens, who came back in the final frame to beat the Bruins 3-2 on March 3.

But having netted five goals for the first time since Jan. 28 to pull themselves out of their recent scoring woes, the Bruins did not seem overly distraught after blowing another lead to their bitter rivals.

"Well, that's the disappointing part, I think. It was nice to see us score some goals tonight; we've been a little dry lately and we managed to score five, so that was nice to see," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "But, unfortunately, we couldn't keep it out of our net, so it ended up costing us the game."

In previous third-period collapses the Bruins folded and didn't resist the opponent's momentum. But they didn't feel that was the case Wednesday. When Michael Ryder cut the lead to 4-3 3:58 into the third period, the Bruins responded with a Tyler Seguin goal 11:50 in. But then penalties, and in the Bruins' eyes some bad bounces, allowed the Canadiens to erase that two-goal lead and eventually pull off another comeback win.

"I would tell you that tonight the lead that evaporated wasn't the same as the other ones I've seen, when we've totally collapsed as a team," Julien said. "Tonight, when everything was fine, we were doing well and then, like I said, a bad bounce, puck bounces, we try to get out, we don't get it out off the faceoff that we win, it turns over, it goes off the face, then we get the penalty. It's an unfortunate break, with eight seconds left to tie the game. I don't think we sat back. We had some chances to score. [Gregory] Campbell had a breakaway there short-handed; we had some chances and we didn't score. But I certainly don't think we held back like we did probably in some other games."

Rookie defenseman Dougie Hamilton seemed a bit more concerned about another blown lead, believing that the Bruins need to correct this issue before the playoffs begin.

"I think it's pretty tough right now," said Hamilton, who scored his fourth goal of the season. "I don't think anyone is happy in the room. We definitely got to learn and learn quickly. I think with the last couple of games that we've had, having leads and losing them, I think that's happened a bunch of times this year and we've got to be better. Hopefully, we can just keep getting better. I don't know how many games we have left, but we got to get ready for the playoffs."

But overall, the Bruins seemed encouraged that the goals were finally coming and didn't seem too worried about their efforts. As far as they saw it, they simply came out on the short end of a seesaw game.

"It is frustrating when you're up by two goals in the third. It happened last time," said Patrice Bergeron, who had a goal and three assists. "We thought we were in control, playing a good game. But, yeah, very frustrating. I don't know. We kept putting pressure. We kept netting those goals in the end. A couple of bounces, maybe a little tighter in our zone, and we should be all right."

Bergeron's linemate, Brad Marchand, who scored his team-leading 14th goal of the season, was not happy with the result either. Marchand wants to cure the third-period problems, but he too was able to take positives from the loss.

"We're very disappointed with how the game finished but we do have to be happy we scored as many goals as we did," Marchand said. "We haven't been scoring like that lately and we played a pretty good game. I thought we probably deserved that win but a couple bounces and penalties and stuff and turned out the wrong way. But, definitely, some things we can take out of that to be happy about."

BOSTON -- For the second time this season, the Bruins blew a third-period lead against their bitter rivals from Montreal and lost a battle for first place in the Northeast Division in a 6-5 shootout loss to the Canadiens.

The Bruins entered the third period with a 4-2 lead, but the Habs scored two late third-period goals -- the second from Andrei Markov with 8.2 seconds left -- then beat the Bruins in the sixth round of the shootout on a Brendan Gallagher goal.

Boston had erased an early 2-0 deficit to get the 4-2 lead as they got second-period goals from Patrice Bergeron, Dougie Hamilton, Brad Marchand and Nathan Horton. And even after former Bruin Michael Ryder scored his second goal of the game 3:58 into the third period the Bruins regained the two-goal lead on a Tyler Seguin goal at 11:50. But Gallagher scored only 28 seconds later to start another Montreal comeback.

Tuukka Rask, who has been criticized by coach Claude Julien as of late for not making timely saves, was not sharp as he allowed five goals on 28 shots. His counterpart Carey Price was pulled after allowing four second-period goals and relieved by Peter Budaj, who made 14 saves in regulation and then stopped six Bruins shooters in the shootout.

Lack of discipline leads to another collapse -- Following his team's game day skate Julien said that two keys to victory for the Bruins on Wednesday would be that they play with disciplined physicality and have a strong start. His team had neither in the first period and for the first three minutes of the second period as they fell behind 2-0 and gave the Habs three power plays in that span. But just before Hamilton's goal and even more so after it, they started buzzing and reverted to the physical game they thrive off. They also stayed out of the box, which translated into a furious comeback that saw them go up 4-2 headed into the third period. But the wheels fell off again as the Bruins lost their composure and allowed three third-period power-play goals.

Keep Marchand, Bergeron and Seguin together -- Julien shuffled his lines again Wednesday and once again had Marchand separated from Bergeron and Seguin. He reunited the trio in the second period and again made a firm case for staying together. For the night, Bergeron had a goal and three assists, Seguin had a goal and two assists and Marchand had a helper to go with his goal. There is no need to mess with success and Julien would be wise to leave that line intact.

Rookie wakes up his team -- Following the Bruins' 3-2 loss to the Habs on March 3, Hamilton told the media how much he enjoyed being part of the Bruins-Habs rivalry and how he wished he had contributed more in that game. He did just that by cutting an early 2-0 Montreal lead to 2-1 and waking his team up from a flat start. Hamilton seems to thrive in big games, which is a great sign for the Bruins and their fans.

Horton finally finds twine -- Milan Lucic ended his goal drought Monday and on Wednesday his linemate Horton did the same, scoring his first goal in five games and only his second in his last 14. Following Lucic's lead, Horton played with more passion and purpose, using his physical edge and size. If he and Lucic can continue it, the line with them and David Krejci might start playing to their potential again.

Bruins can't get power-play goal when needed most -- The Bruins entered the game mired in an 0-for-10 power-play drought, having not scored on the man advantage since March 16 against the Capitals. But Bergeron converted on the man advantage at 17:01 of the second period. The Bruins, however, wasted a golden opportunity in overtime when Alexei Emelin took a hooking penalty 3:40 into the extra frame and the Bruins didn't convert. They finished the night 1-for-4.

Bartkowski a healthy scratch -- With trade rumors running rampant a week ahead of the trade deadline, it was curious to see defenseman Matt Bartkowski as a healthy scratch Wednesday night after signing a one-year extension Tuesday. In his place was Torey Krug, who was called up from Providence earlier in the day. When news broke that Jarome Iginla was a healthy scratch in Calgary, rumors began to run rampant in the press box and on Twitter that Bartkowski would be part of a trade for the Flames captain, but he was still in the press box at the end of the game. Krug looked good in his 2013 debut as he assisted on Bergeron's power-play goal in the second period and Seguin's third-period goal.

In discussing where Calgary's Jarome Iginla might end up if he's dealt before the trade deadline, ESPN's Barry Melrose says Boston would be the perfect spot given the Bruins' straight-ahead, attacking style.

"There's not a lot of changing lanes, not a lot of fancy European stuff going on," Melrose said. "It's just meat and potatoes hockey and that's how Iginla plays."

Meanwhile, Iginla was a healthy scratch from Calgary's game Wednesday night.

Stay tuned.

With the Bruins keeping an eye on Sharks winger Ryane Clowe as a possible trade acquisition, Pierre LeBrun points out that Clowe would need to approve any deal:

Here’s something important to keep in mind as the Ryane Clowe situation plays itself out before next Wednesday’s trade deadline.

Clowe has a full no-trade clause. The San Jose Sharks have to run this thing by him in order to get a deal done.

Which means if, for whatever reason, Clowe doesn’t believe a certain team is a good fit, he can nix it. Although, in the same vein, Sharks GM Doug Wilson did well by Douglas Murray in the move to Pittsburgh, and the sense is that Wilson and Clowe have a good line of communication on what’s transpiring.

A solid playoff performance on a top contender would augment Clowe’s UFA market value this summer, so he’s not against a trade if it makes sense for him.

Of interest is where Montreal fits into all this. Boston is tracking Clowe, among other players on its short list, as a possibility in case it strikes out on Jarome Iginla.

Clowe, though, is exactly what the Habs need, a power forward to complement the skill they have up front. But GM Marc Bergevin isn’t terribly keen, I think, about the idea of giving up prime, future assets for a rental player. He knows his team, despite its success this season, isn’t in the all-in mentality of Boston and Pittsburgh when it comes to the trade deadline. And the Canadiens don’t have the same depth of prospects in the organization as the Bruins and Penguins do.

The early price on Clowe, I’m told, is a first-round pick and another young asset. There’s zero chance the Canadiens trade a first-round pick. Bergevin wants to continue to build his base. He’s got the long-term view in mind.

So my sense is that the Canadiens keep tabs on the Clowe situation but, unless the price comes down, they’re not getting him.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of LeBrun's Cross Checks blog.

BOSTON -- After recalling defenseman Torey Krug from Providence on Wednesday afternoon, the Bruins placed defenseman Johnny Boychuk on injured reserve and had Krug in the lineup against the Montreal Canadiens.

Boychuk took a puck off his foot Friday in practice and has missed the past two games. He participated in the morning skate Wednesday and was to be re-evaluated later in the day. He would be eligible to come off injured reserve and play in the Bruins' next game, Saturday at Philadelphia.

Defenseman Matt Bartkowski, who signed a one-year extension Tuesday, was a healthy scratch.

BOSTON -- The Bruins have recalled defenseman Torey Krug from Providence of the AHL, and he will be available to play against the Montreal Canadiens tonight at TD Garden.

Krug has played 55 games with the P-Bruins this season and has scored 10 goals with 24 assists for 34 points. The 21-year-old blueliner signed with the Bruins late last season after finishing his collegiate career at Michigan State. He made his NHL debut with the Bruins last season and played two games with one assist.

With a week before the NHL’s trade deadline, this is an interesting move for the Bruins. GM Peter Chiarelli has said he would like to add a defenseman before the deadline via the trade market, so if Krug plays tonight, the Bruins may be showcasing him.

Last week, Krug spoke with ESPNBoston.com and said he realizes all the prospects in Providence know their address could change soon.

"To say that none of us here read about anything would be false," Krug said. "But if you get caught up in any of that, you're not going to be doing your job and taking care of your end of the business. For me, it's about controlling what I can control, and whatever happens, happens.

"Right now we're focused on helping the Providence Bruins, and obviously if you get your shot with the Boston Bruins that would be unbelievable, but all the guys in this room aren't focused on that. We think within our room and not outside of it."

This is Krug's first recall to Boston this season.

BOSTON -- Bruins centerman Patrice Bergeron dominates in the faceoff circle.

He leads the NHL with a 62.1 percent success rating in that category, while Nashville’s Paul Gaustad ranks second at 60.7 percent. Bergeron has tremendous hand-eye coordination and studies his craft by watching video -- always focusing on the tendencies of other centermen in the league.

“He’s just a committed guy,” said Bruins coach Claude Julien. “Everybody has a certain strength on faceoffs. For some it’s quickness, for some it’s strength, eye-puck coordination. He’s really good. He’s a strong faceoff guy, so a lot of times he’ll win by strength determination. He’s got a real good eye when it comes to when to put his stick down. He’s an elite faceoff guy.”

While Bergeron (401-for-646) has a better percentage rating, Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby has taken a total of 820 faceoffs this season and he’s won the drop 445 times. Crosby also ranks first in even-strength faceoffs won with 317. Bergeron follows with 315. On the power play, Crosby ranks first (97-for-171), while Bergeron (36-for-61) is 26th in that category.

Even before Bergeron earned a spot on the Bruins’ roster as an 18-year-old out of training camp in 2003, he worked hard in that area of his game.

“I’ve always taken a lot of pride in it,” Bergeron said. “Earlier in my career, I wasn’t as good.”

During Monday’s 3-2 shootout win against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Bergeron went 19-for-28 in faceoffs.

“He’s just a smart guy and he’s strong on his stick, and even sometimes when you’re looking to just tie up his stick and make it a foot battle, it seems like he’s always winning those as well,” said the Maple Leafs’ Nazem Kadri.

Bergeron’s not the only centermen on the Bruins with the ability to win drops. David Krejci (56.5 percent) is ranked 11th, and Rich Peverley, Chris Kelly (currently out with a broken left tibia) and Gregory Campbell are all strong in that area.

“That’s what we’ve talked about as a team. You see us practicing faceoffs almost every day,” Julien said. “We stay on top of that because we feel it’s an important element to our game. You’re a lot better controlling the puck than having to chase it.”

BOSTON -- The Bruins claimed forward Kaspars Daugavins off waivers from Ottawa on Wednesday morning. Daugavins will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season and has a salary-cap hit of $635,000 on his current deal.

The forward made headlines league-wide recently in a game with the Bruins on March 11 when he attempted a rather unique shootout attempt on Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask, keeping the puck on the tip of his stick blade until he reached the net and then trying a spin-a-rama. Rask made the save, and the Bruins won 3-2.

In 19 games this season, the 24-year-old -- who was selected by the Senators in the third round of the 2006 NHL entry draft -- has a goal and two assists.

BOSTON -- First place in the Northeast Division will be on the line once again tonight when the Bruins and Canadiens meet in the third of four matchups (the next and last is April 6 at Montreal) this season.

The last time the Habs were at TD Garden, they erased a 2-1 deficit in the third period to win 3-2. Montreal was able to take advantage of Zdeno Chara being in the penalty box for 17 minutes after he charged defenseman Alexei Emelin for what Chara (and many in the arena) felt was a cheap shot on Tyler Seguin. The Bruins don’t regret that their captain came to the defense of a teammate, but they know they must keep their cool with a Canadiens team that seems to know how to get under their collective skin.

Head coach Claude Julien pointed out after the team’s Wednesday morning skate that the Bruins must play their trademark physical game but within the confines of the rules, as the Habs have the ninth best power play in the NHL.

“It’s pretty simple and the bottom line is you gotta stay out of the penalty box,” said Julien. “They’ve got a good power play. We have to play a certain way but you have to keep it within the rules. If you’re a physical team, you have to be physical but you can’t be stupid with the types of hits you’re giving and do it cleanly. If you do that, then you’re sticking with your game plan. We expect our team to be a physical team every night that we play, whether it happens or not. But we also expect our team to be disciplined, and at the end of the night that’s what you hope has happened.”

Another thing the Bruins lacked in their 3-2 loss on March 3 is a strong start. For the second straight time, the Canadiens will be playing the second of back-to-back games and coming off a loss. The Bruins need to set the tone and not allow Montreal to find their legs.

“We have to have good starts to a game,” Julien said. “We have to set the stage of what kind of game we want to play and it has to be right off the drop of the puck. I think last game, both teams were fairly cautious. It took a while and it wasn’t a high-scoring game. I think both teams respected the other team’s offense and played well defensively, the goaltenders were good, and the same thing is gonna happen tonight because two teams are battling for first. It’s the same scenario and we’re hoping to come out on top this time.”

Of course this time around, the Bruins will be playing in front of their own fans.

“It’s always fun to play the Canadiens,” Caron said. “It’s a great atmosphere and everybody is excited about it. I’m sure it’s going to be a good game tonight. They’re a really good team this year and they’re pretty fast, so we’re going to need to play them pretty hard. We need to play our style and if we do that, we’ll be fine.”

BOSTON -- With the NHL trade deadline looming, this can be a difficult time of the season to focus for some players and that may explain why after playing strong in the first few games after he was called up on March 8, Bruins winger Jordan Caron has struggled a bit. Caron did have an assist in the 3-2 shootout win over the Maple Leafs on Monday, but he knows he can be better and following the team’s game day skate Wednesday, Caron acknowledged that with his name being mentioned in trade rumors (specifically those concerning Flames winger Jarome Iginla coming to Boston) is hard to ignore.

“You just got to take it day-by-day,” Caron said of the rumors. “It’s hard not to pay attention to it because everybody is talking about it but at the same time there is nothing you can do about it. It is out of our control so you just have to come out here and play and we’ll see what’s going to happen in the next week or so.”

One positive he can spin out of the rumors is that another NHL team possibly values him and wants him to play for them. But as Caron said Wednesday, he’d like to stay with the team that drafted him 25th overall in the first round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

“If your name is in there it means your worth something,” Caron said. “You want to play in the NHL so that’s good but for my part, I’d like to stay here and keep playing with the Bruins. But we’ll see what’s going to happen in the next week or so.”

It has been a difficult year of injuries in Providence for Caron -- who had 10 goals and 15 points in 44 games with the Baby Bruins -- and he is looking to find some consistency at the NHL level and finally stay on the Boston roster.

“I hope so and that’s what I’ve been trying to do this year but with the injuries and stuff it hasn’t been easy,” Caron said. “Right now I think I’m playing pretty well though and I’m hoping it continues.”

Bruins head coach Claude Julien said he and his staff have taken into consideration what Caron went through in Providence with injuries and so far have been satisfied with the 22-year old.

“Well, he’s had a tough year. You said it: different injuries, from getting the puck in the eye, to, I think it was a shoulder injury or something like that. So, he’s been through a lot this year,” Julien pointed out. “Every time he got himself going he had a setback. We take that into consideration and at the beginning here he was producing. But in Providence, he did a lot of the things we asked him to do. He was strong along the walls, he was taking pucks to the net more, and he was also a better net-front presence. He was working on the things we asked him to do.”

BOSTON -- After missing two games with a foot injury, Boston Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk participated in the team’s morning skate on Wednesday at TD Garden and will be a game-time decision against the Montreal Canadiens.

“Uncertain,” said Bruins coach Claude Julien. “He’s going to be reevaluated today, and so far he hasn’t been cleared.”

This morning was the first time Boychuk has been on the ice since he took a shot off his foot during practice last Friday in Ottawa. He was wearing a protective guard over his skate this morning and showed no ill effects from the injury.

BOSTON -- With the NHL’s trade deadline a week away, Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli publicly put the untouchable tag on goaltending prospect Malcolm Subban on Wednesday morning.

During his weekly appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Toucher and Rich” show, Chiarelli said he will not trade the organization’s 2012 first-round pick (24th overall).

“I can tell you this: I’m not trading Malcolm Subban,” Chiarelli said. “He’s young. He’s a very good goalie prospect and I see him in our future and being a big part of our future. We’ve got some goalie depth, but I’m telling you I’m not trading Malcolm Subban. There are other players, and we’ve got a fairly well-stocked cupboard of prospects, but I’m not trading Malcolm Subban.”

Chiarelli added that it could be “two to three years” or “might be sooner” before Subban is ready for the NHL.

The Bruins still hope to sign current No. 1 goaltender Tuukka Rask to a contract extension before the end of this season, but Chiarelli said that is not his priority right now.

The Bruins do have goaltending depth with Rask, Anton Khudobin, and Niklas Svedberg in Providence.

Chiarelli and the Bruins are reportedly in talks with the Calgary Flames about veteran forward Jarome Iginla.