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CHICAGO -- Opponents have been unsuccessful in trying to contain the explosive offensive surge by the Boston Bruins' top line of Milan Lucic, David Krejci and Nathan Horton during the Stanley Cup playoffs.

That is, until now.

The Chicago Blackhawks have limited that line to only nine points in the first four games of the Stanley Cup finals. Boston's top trio entered this series with a total of 51 points in the previous 16 games this postseason.

Only Lucic has scored in this series, with two goals in Game 1 and one in Game 4, while Krejci (three assists) and Horton (two assists) have yet to light the lamp against Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford.

With the best-of-seven series tied at 2-2 and Game 5 on Saturday at the United Center, Krejci understands his line needs to produce a little more.

"There's nothing to it," Krejci said. "Just play the game. It's not like we've sucked or something the last game. I feel like we just played so-so, and so-so is not good enough. We have to skate hard. We have to hit. We have to pay attention to little details. As far as our line goes, we have to take care of our defensive zone first and go from there."

While the Bruins have been receiving offense from the other lines, including the newly revamped third line of Daniel Paille, Chris Kelly and Tyler Seguin, Bruins coach Claude Julien is not concerned about the top unit.

"They've been pretty good throughout the whole playoffs," Julien said. "I certainly wouldn't be the guy to complain about their performance so far. They've been pretty good. But at one point you get to the finals and everybody wants to give a little bit more. I think they're no different. They're a line that's very proud of what they've accomplished in these playoffs so far and would like to finish on a good note. If we can get a little more from those guys, it would be a bonus."

Boston's second line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and Seguin was the team's most consistent unit during the regular season, while Krejci's line dealt with too many inconsistencies. But once the puck dropped on the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Lucic-Krejci-Horton trio has been solid. Overall it has 60 points in 20 games.

"We have to be big. We have to be playing great," Krejci said. "We have to be playing the way we know how to play, but we also need the other lines to play our hockey. Obviously, the last game we gave up six goals, which is a lot for our team, and that's not how we want to play up-and-down hockey. We've got to play good Boston Bruins hockey and all four lines have to chip in and we've got to keep going."

The Blackhawks have been able to contain Boston's top line in this series.

"They've been playing us tight from Game 1," Lucic said. "They've been keeping a good gap, and as you can tell, they definitely try to take away your space in all areas, in all three zones. We definitely need to be better as a line and we've got to find a way to break through in whatever kind of adjustments that they've made.

"You definitely want to step your game up in order to help your team win," added Lucic. "You want to do whatever you can to contribute. As the series goes along, and every game gets bigger and bigger, and right now it being 2-2, it's come down to the best of three and there's a maximum of three games left in this year's hockey season; when you look at it like that, the focus has to be to put everything on the line because there's nothing left after a potential three games. You want to leave it all out there and hope you can bring your best in order to help your team win."

Ever since Horton aggravated a shoulder injury in Game 1 of this series, he's been limited to two assists after producing seven goals and 10 assists in the first 16 games of the playoffs. Still, he's a plus-23 and his teammates don't believe his injury is affecting his play too much.

"I think Horty's been playing OK," Krejci said. "We haven't been putting the puck in the net but he made a terrific play on the tying goal [in Game 4] when Johnny [Boychuk] shot it, so he's still doing his thing. I don't think we should talk about him; we should talk about us as a line. Each of us has to help each other a little more, and maybe the last couple of games we didn't look like the line that we would like to play in the finals. We know we can do it. We know we can do it against Chicago. We're ready to bounce back."

CHICAGO -- There's been plenty of talk since the Boston Bruins scored all five of their goals to the glove side of Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals.

It didn't matter how many Boston scored because the Bruins still lost the game 6-5 in overtime. Since then, it seems as though Crawford's catching glove is the most talked about piece of equipment in sports these days. The fact is the Bruins have had success beating Crawford to the glove side the entire series, but they're not focused solely on exploiting that area of the opposition's net.

"We obviously know and realize we've scored lots of goals high and low on glove side, but when you have the puck in the slot and you're trying to shoot, you just look to where there's room to shoot," said Bruins forward David Krejci. "You don't necessarily go for high or low glove. You're just trying to shoot as hard as you can and shoot to the open spot. It's just happens that we have more than 50 percent goals on the glove side."

Since the Bruins have exposed a weakness, it's not like they're only going to pummel the glove with shots.

"You've just got to keep working to get your chances no matter what it is," said Bruins forward Milan Lucic. "I've always said it: It doesn't matter what's happened in the past. Goalies in particular are going to turn the page and focus on the next game. We know Corey's been good for them all year long and in the playoffs. He's going to bring his best next game, and for us, we've got to do whatever we can to create scoring chances and when we get them we need to bear down on them."

"I don't think it was done purposely on our end of it," Bruins coach Claude Julien said of the glove-side goals. "We happened to shoot there because that's where the opening was at that time. But I think you can score on other areas, hopefully, on Corey Crawford than just the glove. It's one of those games where a lot of them went on that side. But at the end of the day, you're looking for ways to score goals, and whether tips or screens, it doesn't really matter."

Crawford is solid at closing the five-hole and not allowing any goals to sneak through his legs. The way things are going in this series, that's probably where Boston's first goal of Game 5 will go.

CHICAGO -- With word out that Peter and Bobby Farrelly will write and direct "Dumb and Dumber 2" as a sequel to their original hit comedy, it gained the attention of Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic.

Current Bruins president Cam Neely appeared in the first film as the character "Seabass," and there's talk that Lucic could play Seabass' son in the upcoming movie.

"We'll see," said a smiling Lucic during Bruins player availability Friday afternoon at the team hotel.

Lucic did say he's a big fan of the original movie.

"Of course, I think everyone has always been a big fan of that movie," he said. "It was just something that I was joking around about with Bobby Farrelly. If it happens, great. If it doesn't, that's great, too. I'm just happy to see a sequel's finally coming out."

In a recent interview with the NHL Network, Bobby Farrelly said he hopes Neely will also be available to play his character.

CHICAGO -- Unlike when the Boston Bruins played the Vancouver Canucks in the 2011 Stanley Cup, this year's finals have been tame in terms of gamesmanship.

The Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks have mostly been expressing respect for each other, but that stance changed after the Blackhawks defeated the Bruins 6-5 in overtime in Game 4 Wednesday night at TD Garden. Chicago captain Jonathan Toews shot a verbal missile across the bow of Boston captain Zdeno Chara, saying the Blackhawks are not intimidated by his size or strength and they're not afraid of him.

Chara was on the ice for five of the six goals in Game 4, including the game-winning tally when Toews completely outmuscled Chara to allow Brent Seabrook's shot from the point to beat Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask.

Whether or not the Blackhawks believe they can handle Boston's physical style of play, any comments made won't bother the Bruins, according to veteran defenseman Andrew Ference.

"The Stanley Cup motivates you, not people's comments," he said. "We expect them to be able to take it. We're all playing hockey and we're all hockey players and guys are pretty tough. It's not that we never expect teams to be able to take our physical style of play, but we're still going to play physical because we know it has some effect on the game.

"If that's their game plan, that's their game plan. It really doesn't concern us and the way we prepare for the game or anything."

Bruins power forward Milan Lucic has been a physical force during the Stanley Cup playoffs, especially in the finals. He's been applying bone-crushing, teeth-shattering hits on the Blackhawks and slowing them down.

"We've just got to stick to our game and play the way that we do," Lucic said. "They're a confident group and we knew they were going to be. [Toews] is a really good player, so whatever is said is said and it doesn't really bother us. We've got to focus on what will make us successful."

Have the Blackhawks figured out a formula to contain Chara's size and strength?

"I guess we'll see," added Ference. "That's why you play the game to see if your strategy and your way of playing is better than the other team's. That's sorted out when you hit the ice."

It's unusual to see Chara with a minus next to his name on the score sheet, but his teammates are not worried about it.

"Yeah, without a doubt," Ference said. "You expect great things out of him all the time because he delivers. Just because you're on the ice doesn't mean it's your fault; we've all seen enough games to know that. He has a lot of pride, but he also wants another Cup so I think that's going to trump any other feeling of pride or anything like that. The desire to win is going to outweigh anything."

Overall, Chara is averaging a career-high in the postseason for ice time, but his shot total has declined in the first four games of this series. He has 14 points, including a plus-10 in 20 postseason games this spring.

"Z, he plays lots of minutes and obviously there's going to be some shifts that are not his best shifts but that's how it goes when you play almost 30 minutes a game," said Bruins forward David Krejci. "He's been great the whole playoffs for us, even in the finals. Sometimes it happens you have a bad shift but I'm sure he's going to play a strong game tomorrow and we're going to have his back just like he has our back all season."

CHICAGO -- It’s not known at this point whether Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien will tweak his lineup for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night at United Center, but he did have forward Carl Soderberg skating with the team’s fourth line during practice on Friday in Boston.

After Gregory Campbell was lost for the remainder of the season with a broken right fibula, Julien has had to change his bottom two lines for the finals. While the third unit of Daniel Paille, Chris Kelly and Tyler Seguin has been effective, fourth-liners Kaspars Daugavins, Rich Peverley and Shawn Thornton haven’t seen a lot of ice time.

“Obviously, I was on that line but I haven’t talked to coach yet, so I don’t know what’s happening [Saturday],” Soderberg said. “I’ve been practicing for a long time now, so I feel ready. I’m a big guy and can protect the puck. I can get it deep and go from there.”

Since arriving in Boston late in the season after completing the year with his Swedish Elite League team, the 6-foot-3, 198-pound forward played only six games for the Bruins during the regular season and posted two assists, including a minus-2.

"I’ve been here for 11 weeks now. I’m getting to know the system a lot. I haven’t played games in a while, but if I’m playing [Saturday], I think it’s gone well. I know everything.”

If Soderberg does replace Daugavins in the lineup, the Bruins have confidence in any player on the roster.

“We’ll see what the changes are going to be like,” said Bruins captain Zdeno Chara. “We have to wait and see, but we have confidence in every player we have.”

Since he’s been a healthy scratch the entire Stanley Cup playoffs, Soderberg has been enjoying the journey.

“It’s amazing to be here,” Soderberg said. “I love being here in Boston. Of course I want to play, but I haven’t done that yet. Hopefully tomorrow.”

Chicago Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford discusses his adjustments after giving up five goals in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks haven't lost their respect for Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara, but they have ceased to fear him.

The Blackhawks stopped trying to avoid the 6-foot-9, 255-pound Chara in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals on Wednesday and discovered they could have success against him as they scored five of their six goals with Chara on the ice. Chara finished Game 4 with a minus-3 rating, which was his worst rating of the playoffs.

(Read full post)

Steve Levy and Barry Melrose break down Game 4. The Bruins looked like they were in command of the series heading into the game, but Melrose says give the Blackhawks credit for making it a series again. Melrose says Boston will bounce back and should be fine heading into Game 5.

In the video above, ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun, Scott Burnside and Craig Custance recap the thrilling Game 4 of the Stanley Cup playoffs. LeBrun says that the Blackhawks showed some of their character after blowing a number of leafs, but still being able to bounce back and win. Meanwhile, Custance and LeBrun both said that they didn’t think the loss would have any kind of negative affect on the Bruins mentally in Game 5.

BOSTON -- Although the Bruins lost Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals on Wednesday night and the series is now tied at 2-2, there were several positives to take away and carry into Game 5.

Bruins had a chance to win despite being "average": As Claude Julien said following the Bruins' 6-5 overtime loss, his team was "average" and the Blackhawks "were better than we were." Yet, the Bruins still had a chance to win. This team proved once again that no matter what type of game it finds itself in and no matter what the score, it never quits.

"Like I said, it was an average game," Julien said. "But give the guys credit. We battled back and gave ourselves a chance to win, even though it wasn't our best game. Sometimes you got to do that. We tried to do that tonight. But at the end, you know, it didn't happen."

Of course, some would say the Bruins had no business winning this hockey game. The Blackhawks came out of the gate looking like the team that dominated the Bruins in the first period of Game 2, but much like that game, the Bruins somehow positioned themselves with a chance to win. However, this time, the Blackhawks' intensity never let up and they were able to pull out a crucial win.

Bergeron plays his game: While his teammates completely veered away from the team's tight defensive system and were scrambling throughout most of Game 4, Patrice Bergeron was, well, Patrice Bergeron. Bergeron's two-way game epitomizes what Julien wants the team game as a whole to be.

"Patrice has been extremely good for us throughout these playoffs," Julien said. "He's been good for us forever. He's a guy that comes to play hard every time. Nice to see him having some good success in the playoffs and being rewarded that way."

Bergeron had two goals and was clearly the spark the Bruins needed to hang in this see-saw affair. Once again, he was a leader and the Bruins can count on him every game.

Peverley looks like the Peverley of 2011: Rich Peverley was a key cog in the Bruins' 2011 Stanley Cup run. Peverley and Chris Kelly became critical two-way and versatile players, helping the Bruins shut down their opponents. Both, however, were non-factors for much of the season. And while Kelly found his game recently with a key goal in Game 2, Peverley remained lost until Game 4. Peverley scored the Bruins' first goal on the power play, tying the game at one 14:43 into the first period, and played the complete game that made him so valuable in the B's 2011 Cup run. If he continues that, it will make the Bruins' attack even deeper.

The Bruins know what they did wrong and can correct it: One thing about this Bruins team under Julien's reign is that with the exception of a period during the recent shortened regular season when they used the condensed schedule as an excuse for some losses, they usually hold themselves accountable and they've done that for all six losses in the playoffs. After the loss, the Bruins weren't hiding. They were front and center admitting their faults and already discussing how to correct their mistakes.

"I guess we didn’t communicate enough," Bergeron said. "We know they’re a good team. They have some good transition. We gave them time to, I guess, to get some speed and to attack on our defensemen with some good speed. We got to do a better job of that and look at videos and get back at it in Game 5."

Bruins can quiet the Madhouse: If, as expected, the Bruins do get back at it in Game 5, there's a good chance they can quiet one of the loudest barns in the NHL, "The Madhouse On Madison," and take the Blackhawks fans out of it. The Bruins have shown that home-ice advantage doesn't really exist anymore in the Stanley Cup playoffs. They are extremely good at playing the perfect "road" game. When they play their system, they have the ability to force the opponent to make mistakes and turn their own fans against them. They won the 2011 Stanley Cup on the road in a Game 7, and in convincing fashion.

BOSTON -- Brent Seabrook scored the overtime winner 9:51 into the extra frame as the Blackhawks survived a seesaw affair at TD Garden and emerged with a 6-5 win in Game 4, tying the Stanley Cup finals at two games apiece.

Jonathan Toews (goal) and Patrick Kane (goal, assist) led the way as the Blackhawks had Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask (41 saves) under siege all night. Patrice Bergeron kept the Bruins in it with two goals, and Jaromir Jagr and Zdeno Chara each had two assists. Corey Crawford finished with 28 saves for the Blackhawks.

Blackhawks stars finally show up: Chicago's star players finally did something the Penguins' stars couldn't -- find the back of the net. Kane and Toews each lit the lamp for the first time in the series. Marian Hossa, who actually has played great in this series including an assist in Game 1, had another helper in Game 4 after missing Game 3 with an undisclosed injury. The play of Seabrook, Bryan Bickell and Duncan Keith should also be noted, as they too had monster games. Ultimately, though, Toews and Kane clearly had their best games of the series, and their teammates fed off their play. That's why this series is tied.

Bergeron continues to show offensive flair: With two goals in Game 4, Bergeron has three goals in the last two games and nine in the playoffs. Known more for his defensive game, Bergeron continues to prove he can do it at both ends of the ice. As Bruins head coach Claude Julien pointed out before the game Wednesday, Bergeron doesn't necessarily sacrifice his offensive game. Even though it may seem at times he's more focused on defense, he always brings balance to his game.

"I'm not sure I'm going to agree he sacrifices some offense," Julien said earlier Wednesday. "If he does, he'd probably be a minus player. He recognizes that both sides of the game are important to him. He knows how important it is to our team. He takes pride in that. Could he have more points? Yes. He's also a guy on the ice for more goals against. He's learned to balance that thing properly."

In the playoffs, when every goal counts so much, many people are finally seeing Bergeron for all he is.

Not a Julien-type game: As entertaining as Game 4 was, Julien probably had to check his blood pressure throughout this one. This was the antithesis of a prototypical, Julien-coached Bruins game. The Bruins pride themselves in controlling the tempo and slowing the game down. This game was fast, erratic and just the type of run-and-gun style the speedy Blackhawks thrive on. But give the Bruins credit for hanging in this type of game and once again disproving the myth that they're a trap team or simply all defense. But if they keep playing to the Hawks' strengths, the Bruins won't win this series. It also didn't help that the Bruins left Rask out to dry by allowing 47 shots.

Mixed bag on special teams: It's always great when the Bruins' power play (2-for-5) can light the lamp twice. But they allowed Chicago to score a short-handed goal and their penalty kill had a streak of 29 straight kills snapped as well. Both the power play and penalty kill reflected the Bruins' up-and-down and sometimes sloppy play 5-on-5. That's not what you want from special teams.

Bruins go glove side all night: The Bruins' video scout definitely deserves some mad props as the Bruins knew where to shoot in Game 4. All five goals were glove side on Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford. This scribe, for one, has never seen a goalie victimized in the same spot that many times in a game. That's just another example of how much the Bruins pay attention to detail and prepare their players.

BOSTON -- The Bruins' Zdeno Chara finished the 2012-2013 lockout-shortened season ranked fifth in the league in shots for defensemen. At the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs, he continued that onslaught and recorded 42 shots in the first 12 games of the postseason.

However, in the last seven games, beginning with the Eastern Conference finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Chara has only eight shots on net, which makes one wonder whether the captain is dealing with some sort of ailment. Chara is still averaging 25 minutes of ice time per game, though.

So, why has his shot totals declined?

“It’s just making smart decisions,” said Bruins coach Claude Julien. “Chicago is a team that does a great job fronting. We used to talk about New York, but Chicago does a great job, too. They’re in shooting lanes. Maybe when he gets the puck, they’re in the shooting lanes. He’ll make a smarter decision with the puck than to get it blocked. I don’t see an issue there.

“At the end of the day, scoring chances are there. It’s tight on both sides. But I think last game we had close to, by our count, 20 scoring chances. So they’re there. I’m not going to put too much emphasis that his shot total is down.”

Chara’s defensive partner Dennis Seidenberg explains his side of it, saying Chicago is a fast team and the Blackhawks come at you pretty hard and close the gap when you have the puck on the blue line.

“It’s not always easy to find lanes, and once you shoot they like to take off on you and go the other way,” Seidenberg said. “We have to think defense first in the playoffs. There are games when there’s more opportunities to shoot, and some games you just can’t find the lanes, so you’ve got to be smart about it.”

Chara and Seidenberg are considered the top shutdown defensive pair in the league, and their prowess has been on display in the playoffs.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Seidenberg said. “We’ve been doing it now for a while and we seem to thrive in those situations. We enjoy it and we like to battle hard. It’s fun.”

BOSTON -- Standing in the locker room after the team’s morning skate and speaking with players, one would not sense that the Boston Bruins are preparing for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night at TD Garden.

Bruins players were jovial. They were calm. More importantly, they seemed focused. If Boston can win Game 4, it will have a commanding 3-1 series lead and be one win away from hoisting the Cup for the second time in three years.

How foretelling would a Bruins win be? Of the 25 teams that were up 2-1 in the Stanley Cup finals and won Game 4 to go up 3-1, all have gone on to hoist the Cup (since the finals went to a best-of-seven format), according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

“We’re in a stage right now where I think we just got to stay focused,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “My job is to keep our team focused on the present, not the future. That’s the most dangerous thing right now, is to try to look ahead. We have a job to do tonight -- not tomorrow, but tonight. I think our guys have to be ready for that challenge that we’re going to get tonight.”

“This is a real big game,” Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg said. “It’s either going to be 3-1 or 2-2, so it’s a big change of events tonight. Hopefully we’ll be ready and don’t take it lightly.”

Since losing Game 6 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, the Bruins are 11-2, with both losses coming in overtime. They have outscored opponents 40-21 in that span. Boston has won seven straight at home, outscoring opponents 21-10. They haven’t allowed a goal in their last 186:28 of play at the Garden, in part due to the Bruins’ ability to win faceoffs and sustain puck possession.

Bruins center Patrice Bergeron is considered one of the top faceoff men in the league. He ranked first during the regular season and has continued to dominate in the dot in the playoffs. His 24-for-28 in Game 3 was a big reason Boston dominated Chicago.

“It’s about bearing down every time you’re at the dot,” he said. “But also talking to your wingers and your defensemen to win the battles for you also. It’s not just about the centermen, it’s all five guys. They have some really good centermen over there. They do take a lot of pride in their draws as well. We’ll need to make sure we bear down.”

The Bruins have won each of their four Stanley Cup finals games contested at the new Garden, outscoring the opposition a combined 19-3.

“Tonight will probably be one of the toughest games of the series,” Bruins forward Tyler Seguin said. “Obviously Chicago’s here for a reason. We’re expecting nothing less than them coming out flying, so I think we need to be ready for that, especially in our own building.”

BOSTON -- There’s been plenty of talk amongst Bruins fans and media that the Stanley Cup finals are all but wrapped up after Boston took a 2-1 series lead over the Chicago Blackhawks.

As far as the Bruins are concerned such talk is nonsense. The Bruins have been in enough playoff series to know that momentum is very hard to carry, not just game to game in a series but period to period. They know this series can easily head back to Chicago tied 2-2.

Yes the Bruins may have been the better team since dropping Game 1 in triple overtime, but they know with a few bounces in the last two games they could be on the opposite side of a 2-1 lead in the series.

“I think some people can look at it as momentum but we don’t,” Peverley said of the Bruins rebounding from the tough loss in Game 1. “We’ve learned from both sides of the coin how that can give you a false sense of security. You have to really believe in the game-by-game and period-by-period, even shift-by-shift, and isolate or live in the moment. For anyone to think because we’ve won two straight the series is over, they’re nuts!”

Head coach Claude Julien has been adamant that momentum is overrated in the playoffs and he and his players are staying with that line of thinking.

“Teams that we're playing against are pretty good,” Julien said. “We just have to look at the Pittsburgh series. It was 4-0. As I said before, some games could have gone either way. This is a 2-1 series. Game 1 could have gone either way, Game 2 could have gone either way. Can say the same thing about Game 3. It's about making your breaks, taking advantage of them when you have them.

As I said, you always have to focus on the game that you're going to play that night, which is tonight. I'm not looking at, we've got momentum now we won the last two. I don't believe in that. They understand how important this game is, and so do we. It's going to be a battle out there [tonight].”

The Bruins have done a good job of once again shutting down their opponents’ top players, as Patrick Kane has just one assist in the finals and Jonathan Toews hasn’t registered a point.

But as far as Kane goes, there is one Bruin that knows Kane is the good example of how things can change quickly in a series. Tyler Seguin was teammates with Kane in the Swiss Elite League during the lockout and realizes Kane might be just one break away from finding his scoring touch again.

“Absolutely,” Seguin agreed. “Right when he gets that something, whether it’s that one goal, that one shift, he will explode just from the snap of a finger and be a whole new player. We need to be cautious that he doesn’t breakout but I think we’re playing him hard and I think we just need to stay within our system. We’ve faced some skilled players like that the last few rounds and again it’s about staying within the system no matter who it is, keep playing as a team and realize that’s why we are where we are today.”

BOSTON -- Chicago Blackhawks winger Marian Hossa did not participate in morning skate on Wednesday but is expected to play in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals against the Boston Bruins.

"He's fine," Quenneville said of Hossa.

Jamal Mayers took Hossa's place Wednesday morning, skating with Michal Handzus and Patrick Sharp.

"I expect (Hossa) to play," Mayers said. "I'm going to prepare like I'm going to play and adjust if I'm not."

Hossa was a surprise scratch moments before Game 3 on Monday, suffering from what coach Joel Quenneville called an upper-body injury.

Hossa, who is tied for the team lead with 15 points in the playoffs, participated in warm-ups before Game 3 but was replaced by Ben Smith, who did not take part in the warm-ups.

The Bruins take a 2-1 series lead into Wednesday's Game 4.