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Just when it appeared the Boston Bruins were starting to find their game after three solid performances and a 3-0 win Sunday, they fell apart again. Boston allowed two goals in seven seconds to fall behind 3-1 midway through the second period and never recovered, losing 5-2 to the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center.

Matt Read and Oliver Lauridsen netted those quick strikes to as the Flyers broke open a 1-1 game. Scott Hartnell, Jakub Voracek and Simon Gagne also scored for the Flyers, who got 39 saves from Steve Mason.

Wade Redden and David Krejci scored for the Bruins, but it wasn't enough as they fell to 1-4-1 in their last six games and failed to gain ground on the Canadiens, who also lost Tuesday.

Bruins unravel too easily again: Too many times this season, the Bruins haven't been able to recover from mental lapses and bad breaks. That was the case in this game as the Bruins allowed those two goals in seven seconds midway through the second period. There was still 7:06 left in the middle frame, but they seemed to stop creating their own chances after that. From that point on the Bruins appeared to play in a daze, reverting to the funk that's plagued them all too frequently over the past month. Turnovers are also killing this team; again, it seemed to be the ongoing case of lazy play. If the Bruins don't find their game soon, they're going to be one round and out in the playoffs.

Khudobin and Rask victims of teamwide collapse: Anton Khudobin got the hook following the two quick strikes by the Flyers in the second period. He was later put back into the game late in the third period after Tuukka Rask allowed two goals and the Flyers went up 5-2. While Rask and Khudobin weren't great, they can't be completely blamed. On the third Flyers goal, Zdeno Chara made an errant pass off his goaltender and the puck went in the net. The Bruins were turning the puck over way too much in front of their own net, and not many goalies could've saved the day there.

Power play: Once again the Bruins' power play failed to give them a boost they desperately needed. Following the quick two goals by the Flyers, Carl Soderberg was called for high-sticking, but after that the Bruins were the beneficiaries of three straight power plays and had chances to get right back into the game. While they've proven in the past that they can win without a strong power play, this was once again a time when it could've made a huge difference in potentially regaining the momentum.

Campbell sacrifices: Many questioned Bruins coach Claude Julien for putting Gregory Campbell up on the top two lines recently when the coach had to shuffle his lines due to injuries and lackluster play from his big guns. Campbell did respond with a stretch of two goals and three assists in three games, and you can't question Campbell's dedication and desire to win. That was on full display in the first period when Campbell slid in front of a blistering shot by Flyers defenseman Kurtis Foster. Campbell shook it off and came back to play his customary two-way game.

McQuaid returns: After missing one game with a lower body injury suffered in the 3-2 loss to the Penguins on Saturday, defenseman Adam McQuaid was back on the Boston blue line. That meant Johnny Boychuk was a healthy scratch. Up front things stayed the same for the Bruins. Here's what the lineup looked like to start the game:

Forwards
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Rich Peverley
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Tyler Seguin
Chris Kelly-Carl Soderberg-Jaromir Jagr
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton

Defense
Zdeno Chara-Dougie Hamilton
Wade Redden-Dennis Seidenberg
Andrew Ference-Adam McQuaid

Goalies
Anton Khudobin
Tuukka Rask

In the video above, ESPN's Barry Melrose says the Bruins "must become the Boston Bruins again -- that team that is very tough to play against, that team that's in your face, that team that continually attacks you shift after shift after shift" -- in order to become Cup contenders in the East.

"Right now they're giving up too many chances in games, they're blowing too many leads in the third period," he says.

WILMINGTON, Mass. -- The Bruins snapped a four-game losing streak with their 3-0 win over the Panthers on Sunday. Tuukka Rask was sensational with a 28-save shutout performance, but what was also promising -- and actually started to emerge during the last two games of the losing streak -- was the Bruins' transition game.

Unlike the first two games of that four-game skid and even before that during some wins, the Bruins were disorganized coming out of their zone, leading to turnovers and odd-man rushes for the opponent. Recently, their first passes out of their zone have been crisper and smarter. There has been no hesitation and the result has been more offensive chances for the Bruins by moving the puck forward.

“It’s been better and it shows through our games recently,” head coach Claude Julien said following an optional practice Monday before he and his team took off for Philadelphia, where they will face the Flyers on Tuesday night. “The intensity and we’re getting back quicker and we’re making better passes. That’s a big part of our game and when don’t have that it takes a lot of the offense away from our game, because we spend a lot of time in our own end battling along the boards. So it’s been a lot better.”

Defenseman Dennis Seidenberg sees a better overall defensive game recently and also notices improvement in the first pass from the defensive zone into the neutral.

“I think we’ve played solid defensively the last three games,” Seidenberg said. “We didn’t give up too many shots. But the funny thing is, we lost two of those games, and before that when we were giving up loads of shots, we won some games -- so go figure. But the focus needs to be to minimize chances always.

"They’ve been a lot cleaner," he added. "If you look at those games I mentioned with all the chances and shots, the passes out of our zone were maybe choppy and now there is more composure. We’re a little smarter and that’s important.”

Recently acquired defenseman Wade Redden knows that a strong defensive game and transition has always been the bread and butter of Claude Julien's teams and believes things are getting better there but there is still room for improvement.

“I think they’ve always been a good team that way under Claude,” Redden said. “That’s something you always want to work on. Getting the offense chances, starts in our end with us making that good play. There’s been times -- even yesterday -- where we weren’t as crisp as we need to be, but it’s getting there I can see.”

But Redden and the Bruins realize that the transition game needs to be there completely next week when the Stanley Cup playoffs begin, because there won’t be room for mistakes then. With the games meaning so much more, the pressure will be on and the Bruins must carry the puck out of their zone without hesitating.

“The pace and the intensity will be ramped up and I think the big focus there will be to make that first play smoothly or even just hard, because it doesn’t have to be pretty all the time, it just has to get the puck going out of the zone and get your team moving forward. It just starts with no hesitation and making that first play going forward, because whatever it is, the first one is the best one.”

Bruins winger Brad Marchand has kept a diary for ESPNBoston.com this season. Here he reflects on the tragedy in Boston that occurred last week, discusses what the Bruins need to do to get far in the playoffs, what he’s learned from Jaromir Jagr and reveals what competition he has with Tyler Seguin. (As told to Louise K. Cornetta)

When the marathon bombings occurred on Monday, I was actually sleeping. We were supposed to have a game that night, so I was taking a pregame nap. I wasn’t sure if I was going to play or not as I was coming back from my concussion. I was napping and my girlfriend came in and woke me up to tell me what happened. I got up and watched the news and saw everything that was going on. I didn’t know anyone personally that was hurt, but I have very close friends that know people that were. It’s very upsetting.

The whole situation was devastating, especially when children are involved with the death of 8-year-old Martin Richard. A young kid who was a Bruins fan touches everyone’s heart. It was very upsetting. Every time you see his picture or hear his name it brings tears.

I wanted to do what I could to help. I am raffling off a suite for our first playoff home game with the proceeds going to help the Richard family. It’s $5 per ticket and you can enter by going to www.bruinsraffles.org. The idea came to me when I was lying in bed. I had the box for one game. I spoke to my PR guys in the morning and asked if it could happen. They said they would definitely be able to figure something out. They came back to me and said a raffle seemed the best idea. I agreed. I just wanted to help out any way I could.

Wednesday was the first sporting event in Boston. The atmosphere in this building was a whole different feeling. We were very emotional before the ceremony with the video and the anthem. Seeing how everybody came together singing and all the emotions that they had, it was spectacular. Even throughout the whole game, everyone was chanting "Boston Strong" and "U-S-A." When you would hear that, it gives you goosebumps.

I didn’t know that was what was going to happen with the national anthem that Rene [Rancourt] would start singing and then let the crowd take over. It was tough not to look around and watch, but I had my eyes closed to fight back tears. We had a job to do and I was trying to stay focused, but I was fighting back tears thinking about the video and listening to everyone sing the anthem. It was very, very tough to focus because it was so emotional.

At the end of Wednesday’s game, both teams went out on the ice and raised our sticks. The idea came from Buffalo’s captain Thomas Vanek. You don’t usually see that happen at the end of a game. It showed a lot of class by Buffalo staying after the game there and giving a salute. Sometimes you will see it from the home team, but the fact that the away team joined in was a huge thing. Also the Penguins and Panthers wearing police caps during warmups before their games against us, like we did on Saturday, just shows the amount of respect that there is around the league.

On Friday, we were supposed to play that night. I was trying to get ready for the game in case they caught him. We kind of figured that if they didn’t catch him that we wouldn’t be playing. We were told in the morning not to come to the rink for practice and to stay in the house. I kind of walked around the house a little bit just to get my legs going. Pretty much all day I sat on the couch watching the news as I tried to follow what was happening.

After Sunday’s game we gave first responders the shirts off our backs. I met with first responders on Wednesday after our game as well. The whole time I was with them they kept thanking me for being a part of everything that was happening, like meeting them and coming to the game. We were sitting there saying, "No thank you for everything you have done. You guys are the heroes." The way they all explained it is that they have seen so much and went through so much that the Bruins game was a way to get their minds focused on something else, get their minds off it and have something to look forward to. To be part of that and just to make them smile for a little bit, it’s a very special thing that we take a lot of pride in.

In that spirit of getting people’s minds off of things for a few minutes, I’ll talk some hockey now. I guess I should start with returning from the mild concussion I got against the Devils. What happened was the puck was going around the boards, it kind of hopped over my stick, I saw [Anton] Volchenkov coming. I tried to turn my head and when I did I think he kind of extended his elbow a bit and got me on the side of the head.

What does a concussion feel like? It’s different. You almost feel really foggy. You can’t really see right. You just don’t feel like yourself. Mine wasn’t a really bad one, so I didn’t forget what happened. I was able to remember everything, which is good. I just had headaches and was a little foggy. I haven’t had any problems since I came back. Actually, the time off gave my legs a little rest.

We have had a very condensed schedule without a whole lot of breaks. You never like to sit out and watch your team play, but in trying to take the positives out of it, I was able to get rest and recover. I feel better now that I’m back. We play a lot of games here in our last week with four games in six nights coming up. It’s a lot and it’s tiring, but we are well-trained athletes and should be able to battle through it.

Playoffs are coming up and we did clinch a playoff spot. Would we like to finish higher than Montreal? We want to finish as high in the standings as we can. Having home-ice advantage is big in the playoffs. Obviously, the playoffs are the best time of year. It’s very exciting hockey. The fans love it here. I think we will have some hard-fought battles from start to finish and we have to make sure we’re ready for that. We have to play our game, to do what allows us to win. We play four lines. We play very hard, very physical and with a lot of energy. If we can do that, hopefully we will be able to have a good run.

Some quick hits on other hockey items that have been going on:

* The Penguins game on Saturday didn’t go the way we wanted it to. We all know Jarome Iginla ended up in Pittsburgh and not Boston. He is a great player, but he’s just one piece of the puzzle over there. You saw the fans booing him a little bit. But that’s how it goes in hockey and it’s something that creates rivalries. Hopefully we’ll see him again during the playoffs.

* We added Carl Soderberg to the team. He came over from Sweden. He’s a big guy. He’s talented and can score goals. Hopefully he can bring some energy, score a couple of goals and fit in with the guys.

* The rooster shirt we put away for the last little while with everything that has been going on. It was a shirt Andrew Ference got with a rooster on it that the player of the game got to wear postgame. I’m sure it will make an appearance again soon.

* We traded for Jaromir Jagr at the deadline. He’s awesome. He’s a great guy on and off the ice. I was excited because he’s one of the best players to ever play the game. To have the opportunity to play with him, it’s an honor.

I have got to say the first time I played with Jagr was nerve-wracking. I didn’t know what to do. Every time I saw him, I wanted to give him the puck and let him do his thing. He’s a very nice guy. He talks a lot and makes it very comfortable. It’s been fun.

I know I’ve only played with him for a short time, but I’ve already learned a lot from him. He’s always speaking to the guys trying to help them out. He talks a lot about what he sees on the ice. Obviously you respect that as he’s been in the league for so long and is such a great player. He talks about how to support guys, different little plays and how to read off of him. It’s definitely interesting any time you get to talk to him.

I haven’t yet, but I plan on asking him for some autographs. I’m sure he gets hounded all the time, but I will hit him up a couple of times. I’m not sure, but I imagine one or two guys already have asked him. I don’t want to be the first, but I won’t mind being the last.

You probably have seen the photo of a young Milan Lucic with Jagr. I definitely saw it. We were all laughing about it. It just shows how long Jagr has been in the league. He’s one of those guys that we looked up to when we were younger. It’s funny how we get to play with him now. It’s pretty cool for all of us.

I haven’t taken a look back on my own season that I’ve had yet. I consider this another stepping stone. You want to get better every year. Hopefully we can have a long run in the playoffs and I won’t have to look back on the season for a while. Coming into the season, I wasn’t sure what to expect coming off the lockout. I didn’t skate a ton during the lockout or play overseas. I didn’t know what to expect, but I’m happy with how things have gone. [Editor’s note: Marchand has a team-high 18 goals.]. Tyler [Seguin] and I always have a friendly competition over who will score the most goals. It’s not as tight this year as the last couple of years, but we’re still trying to help each other out.

With everything that has happened in Boston, we appreciate and are so thankful for all the support we get. To be part of this city is a huge honor. We take a ton of pride in it. I don’t think any guy on this team would prefer to be any other place than here. The fact that you can see the character in the city and how great people are when something like this happens with how everyone comes together, it just makes being here so much more special. We’re all very thankful to be here.

BOSTON -- The outpouring of appreciation for those who either helped in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings or helped catch the suspects continued at TD Garden on Sunday before, during and after the Bruins’ 3-0 win over the Florida Panthers.

Fans again sang the national anthem in unison and, after the game, Bruins players gave the jerseys off their backs to first responders, law enforcement officers, doctors and even some who ran in the marathon.

“That was great. It was a special moment,” forward Jaromir Jagr said. “We feel lucky to have a chance to actually shake their hands and talk to them because not everyone has a chance to do that, and we feel very lucky to do that. I thought it was a great moment and a great gesture from the Bruins to actually do that, and for us it was easy just to give our jerseys and have a chance to see them, so it was a great moment.”

The “Shirt Off Our Backs” ceremony is actually an annual promotion for fans. But the Bruins said season-ticket holders asked instead for first responders to be the recipients.

Defenseman Andrew Ference also was grateful for the opportunity to thank the 26 recipients of the jerseys and credited them for making it out to the game after such an exhausting week both emotionally and physically.

“The first thing those guys probably want to do is just go home and have some quiet time and collect their thoughts,” Ference said. “For them to get out yesterday for the Sox and today with this, I’m glad that some of them were able to come and just see how much everybody appreciates them. From the teams to the fans, everybody wants to give back and just show our love for them, so it was really great. Everybody stuck around and gave them such a great ovation, and it’s good. I’m happy for them so that they can see from people just how much they’re appreciated.”

The past week has shown to the Bruins, Boston's other sports teams and their fans just how big a role teams play in a community, especially in situations such as the events over the past week.

“I said that earlier this week; I couldn’t be any more proud to be associated with an NHL team, an NHL league, even all of pro sports,” coach Claude Julien said. “You’re looking at what baseball players are doing, basketball, it’s overwhelming how much the individuals and organizations or teams have done to show support for what’s happened.

“It’s everywhere. There’s a lot going on. Even Florida today, they really wanted to wear those [Boston police] hats, so teams coming in are showing their support as well. It’s pretty amazing, but also, like I said, I’m extremely proud at how everybody has gone out of their way to make sure that they’re showing support.”

BOSTON -- Following the Bruins’ 3-2 loss to the Penguins on Saturday, goalie Tuukka Rask, who allowed three goals on 24 shots, did what he always does after a bad game, facing the music and telling the media that he could have been better. But Rask wasn’t the only one unhappy with his play, as coach Claude Julien didn’t pull any punches when asked about his team allowing two power-play goals.

“You’re not going to point a finger, but your goaltender’s got to make some saves too at the right time,” Julien said Saturday. “We needed some timely saves.”

After Julien found out that his goalie was admitting fault and knew he could be better, the coach decided to give Rask a chance to redeem himself right away and started him for the second straight day in Sunday's matinee against Florida. Not only did Rask hold the Panthers’ power play off the scoreboard (0-for-2), he earned his fourth shutout of the season with a 28-save performance that helped the Bruins snap a four-game losing streak.

Julien, who has been critical of Rask’s lack of timely saves at other points this season, was quick to credit his goalie for bouncing back with a perfect performance in the 3-0 win.

“I thought after last night, especially how he stood tall and said, ‘I should’ve had a couple of goals,’ I thought it was important for me to put him back and say ‘here’s an opportunity to go out and battle back and the quicker the better’ and he responded well,” Julien said. “I texted him right after the game last night and said, ‘You’re back in there tomorrow’. So I was glad to see that he played extremely well and that shows a lot about his character.”

Rask’s teammates also were impressed with his ability to put a tough game behind him only a day later.

“Tuukka’s got a lot of character, and he’s played well all year for us, and today was a perfect example,” forward Patrice Bergeron said. “He made some huge saves. Even in the first, early on he made some great pad saves on the rebound. When you see a play like that, it gives us energy to keep going to play in front of him the way we should, and it was great to see his performance this afternoon.”

Rask was asked after the win if it motivates him when Julien is openly critical of him. As expected, he was a bit uncomfortable answering the question but acknowledged that it does.

“I don’t know. What do you want me to say? I mean, yeah, it does,” Rask said. “I wasn’t happy about my performance. So I’m glad I’m on the same page as the coach. The second goal was a slap shot five-hole and the third was short-side low blocker and I don’t let in those goals if I’m on top of my game. It’s 1-1 going into the third and I let in a goal, 2-1 and then another and 3-1, so that’s unusual for me and I wasn’t happy about that.”

Rask said it was key for him to hold the Panthers off the scoreboard not just for Sunday but also for his confidence going forward. He agrees with Julien that he must make those timely saves every game.

“I like getting shutouts, but it was a tight game,” Rask said. “They had some chances and I’m more happy that I didn’t let in a goal and let them back in the game. That hasn’t always been the case for me this year and that’s something to take from this game to build on.”

With only four games left in the regular season and the Stanley Cup playoffs set to begin April 30, it would be easy for Rask to start looking ahead. But he is doing his best to isolate each game and take lessons from them that he can use to be on top of his game when it matters most.

“I think for me the best results come if I just focus on one game at a time,” Rask said. “I can’t think of the future too much. I’m just trying to feel good every game and not worry too much about that.”

Still, he couldn’t hide the anticipation that is building up. Rask hasn’t entered the playoffs as the No. 1 goalie since 2010. After helping the Bruins beat the Sabres in six games in that season's Eastern Conference quarterfinals, Rask and the Bruins unraveled in the second round, blowing a 3-0 series lead and losing to the Flyers in seven games. Rask was asked if he thinks back to that historic collapse as motivation now as the playoffs approach.

“Absolutely. You don’t erase those memories too easily,” Rask said with a smile. “I’m hungry to get more and every year we all want to win the Cup. I can’t wait to start that again.”

BOSTON -- Jaromir Jagr, Dougie Hamilton and Brad Marchand scored and Tuukka Rask made 28 saves for the shutout as the Bruins snapped a four-game losing streak with a 3-0 win over the Panthers Sunday at TD Garden.

With the win, Boston is back in first place in the Northeast Division with a game in hand on the Canadiens and four games left in the regular season.

Rask responds with shutout -- After being called out by coach Claude Julien following the 3-2 loss to the Penguins on Saturday, Rask once again answered the bell, earning his fourth shutout of the season. Following Saturday's loss, Julien, who criticized Rask earlier in the season, sought more timely saves by Rask and cited the goaltending as one of the reasons the Bruins allowed two power-play goals. On Sunday, the Panthers were 0-for-2 on the power play and were blanked for the game because Rask was there for every scoring chance. While this scribe didn’t think Rask was bad on Saturday, he was superb on Sunday, and as he has in the past, quieted critics with his play.

Jagr continues to make an impact -- Since being acquired by the Bruins on April 2, Jagr has been a consistent offensive presence. With his goal Sunday, Jagr has two goals and six assists in nine games with Boston. Jagr also tied Phil Esposito on the all-time game-winning goals list with 118. His puck possession and presence in scoring areas have made him a future Hall of Famer, but his calmness and instincts also become apparent when you regularly get to see him play. The Bruins would benefit from those qualities rubbing off on his teammates.

Soderberg gets first NHL point -- In only his second game, Carl Soderberg registered his first NHL point with an assist on Jagr’s goal. Skating on a line with Jagr and Chris Kelly, who also assisted on the goal, Soderberg appeared more comfortable Sunday. If he can utilize his size and scoring touch more, he should soon be lighting the lamp as well. But through two games, Soderberg appears to be making a smooth transition to the NHL.

Rested Hamilton returns -- After being a healthy scratch on Saturday against Pittsburgh and in three of the last five games, rookie Dougie Hamilton was back in the lineup thanks to Adam McQuaid’s lower body injury. The rest appeared to help Hamilton as he scored the Bruins’ second goal and played a much better all-around game. Hamilton had been struggling as of late, specifically when carrying the puck out of the defensive zone but on Sunday he looked more comfortable and was making smart decisions with the puck.

Lucic still trying to find his game -- With Nathan Horton missing the game with an upper body, Milan Lucic was back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch on Saturday. Lucic skated on a line with Rich Peverley and David Krejci. While he did register three shots and five hits, he still seems to be searching for his game. The Lucic who had two straight 20-goal seasons and barreled down the wing and to the net using his size and grit has been absent for a while now and even with Horton out, if he doesn’t find his game soon, he will be watching from above again.

Here’s what the lineup looked like to start the game Sunday:

FORWARDS
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Rich Peverley.
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Tyler Seguin
Carl Soderberg-Chris Kelly-Jaromir Jagr.
Danny Paille-Greg Campbell-Shawn Thornton

DEFENSE
Zdeno Chara-Dougie Hamilton
Wade Redden-Dennis Seidenberg
Andrew Ference-Johnny Boychuk

GOALIES
Tuukka Rask
Anton Khudobin

BOSTON -- Bruins coach Claude Julien said this morning that forward Nathan Horton (upper body) and defenseman Adam McQuaid (lower body) will miss today's game against the Florida Panthers at TD Garden.

Horton appeared to injure either his wrist or hand in a fight with Pittsburgh's Jarome Iginla in the Bruins' 3-2 loss to the Penguins on Saturday while McQuaid was the recipient of a low and questionable hit from Penguins forward Matt Cooke in the second period. As of noon Sunday, there was no word if the NHL would review Cooke's hit on McQuaid.

Horton has struggled this season, going without a point in his last five games and recording just 13 goals and 22 points through 43 games. McQuaid, who has just a goal and three assists in 28 games, recently returned from a shoulder injury suffered on March 19 that kept him out of 11 games.

BOSTON -- If the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins meet at some point during the Stanley Cup playoffs and Saturday's game is any indication, the Bruins will run into trouble.

The surging Penguins (21-2-0 in last 23 games) scored a pair of power-play goals in the third period en route to a 3-2 win at TD Garden. Pittsburgh won, and continues to win, without stars Sidney Crosby (broken jaw), Evgeni Malkin (upper body) and James Neal (concussion). But it was Penguins newcomer Jarome Iginla who proved crucial Saturday. He scored the go-ahead goal at 4:43 of the third period.

Every time he touched the puck, the 17,565 in attendance booed.

At the trade deadline, the Bruins and the Calgary Flames agreed to a trade that would send Iginla to Boston, but the future Hall of Famer had a no-movement clause in his contract and decided he wanted to play in Pittsburgh. Saturday was his first visit to Boston since then.

The Penguins received goals from Jussi Jokinen, Iginla and Kris Letang in the win. Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin scored for the Bruins.

This game was originally scheduled for Friday night, but it was postponed due to the citywide manhunt for the second suspect of Monday's Marathon bombings. With Boston in lockdown all day, the NHL rescheduled the game for Saturday afternoon, the second time this week the Bruins were rescheduled due to tragic events. On Wednesday, the Bruins were the first professional team to play in the city in the wake of the bombings, and while it was an emotional night, they still lost 3-2 in a shootout to the Buffalo Sabres.

After the suspect was captured late Friday night, there was more of a celebratory atmosphere Saturday at the Garden, but the Bruins came up short and have lost four straight games.

The Bruins gained a 1-0 lead at 10:18 of the first period when Marchand scored his 17th goal of the season, a power-play tally with defenseman Zdeno Chara and goaltender Tuukka Rask getting the assists as Marchand snuck the puck past Penguins goalie Tomas Vokoun.

The Penguins tied the game at 1-1 when Jokinen scored at 5:10 of the second period. The Bruins couldn't respond after Iginla's power-play goal at 4:43 and Letang's man-advantage tally at 8:29.

Seguin scored Boston's second goal of the game with 2.6 seconds remaining in regulation, but it was not enough. The goal was his 16th of the season.

DROP 'EM: Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid dropped the gloves and fought Tanner Glass at 8:01 of the first period. The 17,565 fans in attendance rose to their feet as the two exchanged blows. Late in the second period, McQuaid was injured when he was on the receiving end of a late hip check by the Penguins' Matt Cooke and could barely make it to the bench as play continued. McQuaid needed assistance down the tunnel. He was able to return and tried to bait Cooke into dropping the gloves in the third period to no avail.

HORTON HURT: During a first-period fight with Iginla, Nathan Horton suffered an injury and did not return to the game. The two dropped the gloves at 17:56 and barely tussled before Iginla fell to the ice to end things, probably knowing Horton was hurt. Overall, Horton has 13 goals and nine assists for 22 points and is plus-1 in 43 games this season.

LUCIC SCRATCHED: It's no secret Boston's management and coaching staff have not been happy with Milan Lucic's game this season, especially of late. During the team's practice Thursday, Lucic was wearing a green sweater, which meant he was skating with the fifth line. After that practice, he admitted it has been a disappointing season and said he wouldn't blame Bruins coach Claude Julien if he was a healthy scratch, and that's exactly what the coach did Saturday. Before the game, Lucic was one of six Bruins players who skated, including goalie Anton Khudobin, Wade Redden, Kaspars Daugavins, Dougie Hamilton and Aaron Johnson.

HAMILTON SCRATCHED TOO: For the third time in a week, Julien decided to scratch rookie defenseman Hamilton. The 19-year-old blueliner was a healthy scratch against the New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes but was back against the Sabres on Wednesday. Overall, he has played 40 games and has four goals and 11 assists for 15 points and is plus-5.

DEBUT: After playing the last five seasons in the Swedish Elite League, forward Carl Soderberg finally made his Bruins debut Saturday. He arrived in Boston on Tuesday after the Bruins signed him to a three-year deal on April 13. The Bruins originally acquired him in a trade with the St. Louis Blues in exchange for goalie Hannu Toivonen in July 2007. On Saturday, Julien had Soderberg on a line with Chris Kelly and Jaromir Jagr.

UP NEXT: The Bruins have a total of six games in nine days, and it continues Sunday when they host the Florida Panthers at 12:30 p.m.

BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins honored the victims of Monday's bombings, the police officer killed during the search for two suspects, and the first responders in another emotional pregame ceremony Saturday at TD Garden.

During warm-ups, the Bruins wore state police, Boston PD and Watertown PD hats, while the Pittsburgh Penguins wore "617" patches on their jerseys.

Prior to the national anthem, a moment of silence was held as pictures of the victims -- Martin Richard, Krystle Campbell, Lu Lingzi and MIT police officer Sean Collier -- were shown on the video board and their names read to the applause of the fans.

Then, similar to Wednesday's game, a "Boston Strong"-themed video was played on the board to the music of Phillip Phillips' "Home," only this time it was updated with images of first responders and citizens after the second alleged bomber was caught Friday night in Watertown.

And, as on Wednesday, Rene Rancourt began to sing the national anthem, then lowered his microphone and motioned for the fans to take over.

When the lights came up, chants of "U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A" began.

BOSTON -- Following a day-long manhunt and apprehension of a suspect in the marathon bombings, life takes a step toward normalcy in the region with all three active pro teams in action Saturday. The action kicks off at 12:30 p.m. with a Bruins-Penguins tilt at the Garden that was originally slated for Friday night.

Like most people in and around the city, Bruins players spent Friday watching at home as authorities were in the midst of a massive manhunt to apprehend the remaining suspect in Monday’s bombings. The Bruins were scheduled to play Friday night, but the game was postponed and rescheduled for Saturday afternoon.

“Probably like everybody else I was glued to the TV and staying inside,” defenseman Andrew Ference said. “Obviously I’m pretty proud of what everybody did [Friday] night to apprehend that guy. It was pretty tense moments for everybody, but I’m just proud at the end of the day for them to catch him. It’s sad to see how many people were hurt. It was a bad thing for the city but I good ending, I guess.”

Bruins veteran forward Shawn Thornton, who lives here year round, also kept a close eye on Friday’s events.

“It was pretty suspenseful,” Thornton said. “For a bit I watched some golf to get my head away from it, and kept checking in to see if there were any updates. We’re very proud of the people that tracked him down and the chapter is closed for now.”

It was an emotional scene Wednesday as the Bruins played their first game following the marathon bombings. Players expect more of the same Saturday.

“It’s like the other night [Wednesday] where you get back to some normalcy, but today everybody’s still remembering the people that were hurt but it’ll be a little less heavy feeling with the fact that so many people got to witness live heroism last night,” Ference said. "I think everybody was pretty proud of the authorities, so I expect it to not be as heavy but a little more celebratory.”

Both the Bruins and Penguins were wearing “Boston Strong” black and gold t-shirts Saturday morning, which fans can purchase with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the OneFund. For pregame warm-ups, the Bruins were wearing hats from the Boston Police Department, the state police and Watertown Police. All three were part of the manhunt that ended with the capture of the suspect in Watertown.

“I’m sure there will be a lot of proud people in the stands again today,” Thornton said. “I don’t expect anything different. I heard the streets were packed last night after this happened and I expect that to carry into today with the crowd.”

After the ordeal concluded Friday night, television broadcasts showed the parade of first responders leaving Watertown, Mass., with citizens standing and cheering. The Bruins have always had a close relationship with the first responders of this city, so it was satisfying to see their friends get that type of reception.

“It’s just not last night. The thing about those guys, they have to do that every night,” Ference said. “Last night there was a lot more attention, with the scrutiny of the media and whatnot, but those guys have a tough job the whole year. You’re so proud they get recognized on terms like that last night when they have a national stage. There are a lot of incredible people.”

After Wednesday’s game, Bruins players hosted first responders in a postgame reception at the Garden.

“We heard some pretty crazy stories of what they went through,” Ference said, “and I know we’re a good outlet for them and they were all pretty happy to watch us, but we’ll try to give them something to cheer about and cheer them on as much as we can as well. It’s pretty impressive with what they do.”

There was a prominent picture working its way around Twitter on Friday night of a S.W.A.T vehicle with a Bruins logo sticker on it. That got the attention of the Bruins and their fans.

“It was the battering ram, right? That’s that the first thing somebody sees coming through, that’s pretty cool. I saw that and I hope I never have to see that up close,” Ference said with a laugh. “That was pretty awesome to see those guys do that, and I’m not surprised because those guys they’ve always been big Bruins guys . . . they’re always pretty eager to share how passionate they are about hockey.”

As one Bruins staffer said, if those people protecting the city are hockey fans, we’ll all be safe.

BOSTON -- Good morning from the TD Garden where the Boston Bruins are preparing to face the Pittsburgh Penguins in what should be another emotional, but energetic, game when puck drops at 12:30. The game was initially scheduled for Friday night, but was postponed amid the manhunt for the marathon bombing suspect, who was taken into custody last night.

Security is tight again, with random vehicles being examined at the entrance of North Station garage.

It appears that Bruins forward Milan Lucic will be a healthy scratch since he was one of six players to skate this morning, including Anton Khudobin, Wade Redden, Kaspars Daugavins, Dougie Hamilton and Aaron Johnson.

With Boston in lockdown amid massive manhunt for a bombing suspect, the Bruins this afternoon postponed tonight's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was tentatively rescheduled for Saturday at 12:30 p.m.

The team said a final decision will be made on the game by 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning.

Update: The Bruins announced last night that the game would take place

The Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins canceled their morning skates because of the manhunt for a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings.

Bruins spokesman Matt Chmura said the team has no announcement yet on whether it will proceed with tonight's NHL game at TD Garden.

The Bruins also announced that the sale of playoff tickets, scheduled to start at 11 a.m. on Friday, has been postponed until 11 a.m. on Monday.

WILMINGTON, Mass. -- If, as expected, Boston Bruins power forward Milan Lucic has not merely played his way down the lineup but out of it altogether, there could hardly be a more stark illustration of the concerns facing the team as it prepares for the postseason.

Although coach Claude Julien would not confirm that Lucic will be a healthy scratch Friday night when the Bruins play host to the scorching-hot Pittsburgh Penguins, his use of Lucic during practice Thursday at the team's suburban facility suggests Lucic will be the odd man out.

Even Lucic seemed resigned to the fact that his poor play could see him in a suit and tie instead of suiting up for what many view as a possible Eastern Conference finals preview, something that would have been unthinkable the last two seasons as he scored a combined 56 goals and established himself as a player with a rare blend of snarl and skill.

A contrite Lucic talked about a confidence level that has sunk to levels he hasn't experienced in years and the need to stop looking in any direction other than within for answers.

"You can't just keep making excuses," said Lucic, who has one goal in his last 11 games and just six on the season.

With Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand back from injury (they played in Wednesday's shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres) and with prospect Carl Soderberg looking to get his first taste of the NHL before the start of the playoffs, there simply might not be room for Lucic on the ice.

But give Lucic credit: He acknowledged that being scratched wouldn't be anyone's fault but his own.

"No, I wouldn't blame anyone but myself," he said. "I'm for what's best for the team."

That said, it's a troubling situation given how important a tough, skilled player is come playoff time.

"I've taken pride in being a big part of this team," Lucic said.

Both he and club management are hopeful he can be again. But there is no doubt he has not been the same player to whom the Bruins committed a three-year contract extension before the lockout; the contract pays him an average of $6 million a season.

"He's had a disappointing season," GM Peter Chiarelli told ESPN.com Thursday.

Chiarelli wonders if a lack of training during the lockout contributed to Lucic's struggles.

"He's a big guy that maybe didn't train as hard as he should have, and it's catching up with him a little bit," the GM said.

Is there an issue with effort?

"His game is not where it should be and that's all I'll say on it," Chiarelli said.

Read more HERE.