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BOSTON -- For the past two days, the Boston Bruins insisted their late-season funk was in the rearview mirror. There would be no more blown leads in the third period and no more lackluster starts. The skilled and physical Bruins would return.

Well, the Bruins kept their promises as they overcame an early Toronto Maple Leafs power-play goal and scored the next four goals, dominating the Leafs 4-1 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.

David Krejci had a goal and two assists, Wade Redden had a goal and an assist and Nathan Horton and Johnny Boychuk both lit the lamp for the Bruins. Tuukka Rask looked solid between the pipes, making 19 saves, with James van Riemsdyk’s power-play goal in the opening period the only shot that beat him.

For the Leafs, James Reimer was under siege all night as the Bruins poured 40 shots on him.

Lucic-Krejci-Horton line clicks again: One of the big question marks heading into this series was whether Milan Lucic, Krejci and Horton could find their magic again. If Game 1 is any indication, the band is back together and the magic is there. In addition to Krejci’s three-point performance and Horton lighting the lamp, Lucic had two helpers and continued to look more like the Lucic who used a combination of grit, size and skating to earn two straight seasons of 20-plus goals. The chemistry was back as Horton and Lucic got to open spaces to benefit from Krejci’s playmaking skills, and Krejci looked a lot like the player who was a candidate for the 2011 Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

Bruins defense provides offensive boost: Prior to Game 1, coach Claude Julien lauded Redden for his recent play and puck-moving skills. Redden continued to impress with his goal and an assist, but the Bruins' entire defense did a great job of moving the puck and creating offense in Game 1. In addition to Boychuk's goal, Bruins defensemen helped in peppering Reimer and controlling neutral zone play.

Power play looks better: While the Bruins’ power play (1-for-5) can certainly still be better, it did convert once and moved the puck a lot better. The passes were crisp, and there was less hesitation. If that continues, the scoring production will increase.

Suspension coming for Ference? Andrew Ference could very well be sitting out a game or more after elbowing Leafs forward Mikhail Grabovski in the head in the first period. No penalty was called, but the replay clearly shows an elbow to the head.

Bruins have two goals called back: Things could have been even worse for the Leafs if not for two Bruins goals being called back. The referees and replay officials got it right in calling back a Tyler Seguin shot that clearly rang off the post 1:10 into the second period. But Patrice Bergeron’s no-goal was a bit questionable as the referees claimed the whistle was blown before Bergeron pushed it into the net. But even if the refs were wrong, the rule states if they intended to blow it and didn’t do it in time, then it’s still not a goal.

Bad blood boils at end: In addition to Ference’s questionable hit to the head of Grabovski, there was plenty of hard hitting throughout the game. As time wound down in the third period and it was clear the Bruins would win, the Leafs decided to let the Bruins know they were still there, taking plenty of extra hits after the whistle and then stirring things up at the final buzzer. The result was a Chris Kelly-Leo Komarov fight. It should be a physical Game 2.

Hamilton and Peverley sit: Not surprisingly, Julien kept Dougie Hamilton in the press box as a healthy scratch. The defenseman struggled in his last few games of the regular season, and Julien seems to have opted to take the learning-from-up-top route he took with Seguin as a rookie to start the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs. While Rich Peverley might have had an off season, one would think Julien would prefer playoff and Cup experience in the lineup instead of an inexperienced Kaspars Daugavins. But it was Daugavins playing with Kelly and Jaromir Jagr for Game 1.

Here’s what the rest of the lineup looked like:

Forwards
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton
Brad Marchand-Bergeron-Tyler Seguin
Daugavins-Kelly-Jagr
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton

Defensemen
Zdeno Chara-Dennis Seidenberg
Ference-Boychuk
Redden-Adam McQuaid

Goalies
Rask
Anton Khudobin

BOSTON -- Rookie defenseman Dougie Hamilton was recognized Thursday in a pregame ceremony and given the Boston Bruins' Seventh Player Award.

The award is given annually and voted on by the fans to honor the player who goes "above and beyond" and "exceeds expectations" during the season. In his first year in the NHL, Hamilton, 19, has five goals and 11 assists for 16 points in 42 games, including a plus-6 rating.

The former first-round pick (ninth overall) in the 2011 NHL entry draft is tied for third in the league among rookie defensemen in points (16), third in assists (11) and tied for third in goals (5).

Despite the award, Hamilton was a healthy scratch Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Past winners of the Seventh Player Award include Tyler Seguin, Brad Marchand, Tuukka Rask, David Krejci and Milan Lucic.

BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins exploded for a season-high six goals in a 6-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday, and the defense was stepping up and creating chances. Defenseman Dennis Seidenberg had three assists, Andrew Ference had a goal and an assist, and Dougie Hamilton had an assist. While the defense as a whole could've been much tighter in their own end, they were making better outlet passes, taking more shots and creating more chances overall.

"For us it's always been about supporting the attack and we want some good offense," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "The guys that seem to be doing it pretty good have been Hamilton and even [Matt] Bartkowski's come up and Ference is there a lot of times. But tonight we had everybody, which was good. Whenever the opportunity was there, Z [Zdeno Chara] jumped in and had an opportunity in the slot area. So it was nice to see everybody contributing in regards to that, because if you are going to score and get better offensively you need some support on the attack and the D's are the guys that can give you that."

Seidenberg believes that the defense corps should be more active in the offensive zone.

"We would love to get involved offensively. I mean, it's nice for [defensemen] to get points here and there, but again, you try in the game," Seidenberg said. "Sometimes it works better than others, and it was just a matter of us putting the pucks in the right places and getting pucks to the net."

The knock on Julien and his system is that he is a defense-first coach who would rather use a trap-like system every game than give his defensemen the green light to jump into plays and create offense. But Seidenberg disputed that notion.

"Are we a defense-first type team? Yes, we are. But, as we all know, a good defense leads to a good offense and we try to show that on the ice every night," Seidenberg said. "All you have to do is look at the stats the last few years and they speak for themselves. We've been right up there in goals scored, and that's because we are allowed to jump into the play when the time is right and if we see an opening. That is part of our game, and some nights we do it better than others but it's there."

Seidenberg also realizes the consequences of such an attack if the defensemen and forwards aren't on the same page. That has been the problem the past few weeks.

"We need to trust each other out there and if the play isn't there or we don't have the support we need it's going to end up an odd-man rush the other way," he said. "That's been happening too much lately and we need to correct that. But we try to contribute offensively whenever we can."

BOSTON -- Bruins center Patrice Bergeron left halfway through the second period of the Bruins-Senators game and will not return. There was no further information on his status. Bergeron was coming back to help in the defensive zone and inadvertently ran his head into the elbow of Senators center Colin Greening. He fell to the ice and took some time to get up before heading down the ramp to the Bruins dressing room.

With Bergeron's history of concussions -- three in his career -- there was obviously major concern at TD Garden. Bergeron, who currently leads the team in points with 31 and assists with 21, missed the majority of the 2007-08 season with a severe concussion. He suffered another concussion the following season, but returned to play. He then missed time in the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals with his third concussion but returned to action once again.

Bruins defenseman Dougie Hamilton left the game briefly in the third period after laying a huge hit on Erik Condra. Hamilton seemed to get the worse of it and exited for the dressing room, but returned to play moments later.

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 -- Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien called it “fishing” for an angle when asked about goaltender Tuukka Rask's first game against the Philadelphia Flyers since the devastating collapse in the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs.

It was the Eastern Conference semifinals, and Boston gained a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series with Rask as the team’s starting goaltender. Philadelphia, however, won the next four games -- including rallying from a 3-0 Game 7 deficit -- en route to a series victory.

Then-Bruins goalie Tim Thomas struggled with a hip injury late that season, so Boston relied on Rask in the playoffs. The young goaltender outdueled the Buffalo Sabres’ Ryan Miller in the first round before the Bruins faced the Flyers.

With Rask in net, Boston won the first three games by the scores of 5-4 (OT), 3-2 and 4-1 before the team imploded and lost the next four games. Rask was tired and couldn't steal one of those four games, in which he gave up a total of 15 goals (a 3.75 goals-against average).

In 2011, the Bruins had their revenge and swept the Flyers in four games in the second round of the playoffs with Thomas in net. Including those games and eight regular-season matchups, Rask has had to watch a total 12 games against the Flyers from the bench.

Until Saturday.

Rask posted his second shutout of the season with 23 saves to help Boston to a 3-0 win over the Flyers at TD Garden. After the game, he said the 2010 collapse did not serve as any motivation.

“It’s in the past,” Rask said. “As I’ve said before, we won the whole thing the year after. Things happen in hockey, and for a goalie, if you start thinking that certain matchups are better for you than others, you’ve lost half the battle. It was just a game, like any other.

“I won three games in that playoff series, too, but too bad I just lost the last four. It’s hockey. Things happen in hockey. That year, it was Philly. It happens.”

It really isn’t about just one game against the Flyers. Rask has had to prove that he can handle the workload as a true No. 1 now that Thomas is a thing of the past in Boston. Rask has been outstanding this season, posting a 12-2-3 record with a 1.97 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage. The shutout was the 13th of his career.

The Bruins are two games shy of the halfway point of this lockout-shortened, 48-game season, and Rask’s play has helped Boston become one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

“I feel good,” Rask said. “Taking the last game [against Toronto] off, it was good to get a little rest, but I’ve felt good throughout these games. It’s going to get busier and busier, so I think it’s really good to keep both goalies going.”

Rask didn’t have to be at his best on Saturday because the defense in front of him was great. When the final buzzer sounds, and your team’s goalie finished with a shutout, it’s an indication of the overall defensive play.

“Really good, the best so far this year,” he said. “We did a great job.”

Rask said he could see every shot and could make the save cleanly or control the rebound. Philadelphia didn’t create many quality scoring chances, but when they did, Rask was ready. In the third period, the Flyers had 11 shots, and despite seeing only 12 in the first two periods, Rask was sharp in the final 20 minutes.

“It’s never easy, but whenever you don’t see that much traffic, or that many shots in the game, it’s kind of mentally tougher to stay sharp,” Rask said. “But when they got those shots, I felt pretty comfortable.”

Bruins forward Tyler Seguin saved a shutout for Rask -- literally -- in the waning minutes of regulation. The Bruins were on a power play when the Flyers created a short-handed opportunity. Rask came out of the net to charge a loose puck, but Philadelphia gained control and shot at the open net. Seguin sprawled out on the ice to make the save and preserve the shutout.

“That was Tyler? I thought it was Dougie [Hamilton]. OK, it was great, great,” Rask said with a laugh. “He was telling me he would have caught the guy when I sprinted out of the net. It’s good to see he’s got my back and he’s got those goalie skills, too. It’s good to see. You’ve got to keep it exciting, right?”

If there were any doubts about Rask as the No. 1 goaltender in Boston, he’s erased those so far this season. There are still 26 games remaining, including what should be a deep run into the postseason for the Bruins.

It won't be his shutout performance against the Flyers on Saturday that will stand out but his entire body of work in 2013. With Rask, it really is about the present and not the past.

The same goes for the defense that protects him.

“I don’t know if I can say, ‘back on track’ until I see it on a consistent basis,” Julien said of his team’s defense. “Today was probably the first day I felt much better about our game without the puck in our defensive zone. We didn’t give them much; they didn’t have a ton of scoring chances, but obviously we've got two tough games [coming up] with Ottawa and Pittsburgh on the road, and we’ll need that kind of game to win those.”

BOSTON -- Bruins rookie Dougie Hamilton already had gotten at taste of the Bruins-Canadiens rivalry back on Feb. 6 when his team scored two unanswered third-period goals to erase a 1-0 Montreal lead and went on to win 2-1 at the Bell Centre. But on Sunday the Habs turned the tables on Hamilton and the Bruins, pulling off a similar comeback with two unanswered third-period goals of their own to win 4-3.

Hamilton scored his second goal of the season in the loss and his first in this bitter rivalry. While he was disappointed that the Bruins lost and fell two points behind Montreal in the standings, Hamilton was still smiling from another thrilling experience against the hated Habs.

"I was kind of excited for it and I think it was pretty fun with our fans on our side. Just unfortunate that we lost it in the third," Hamilton said. "I think with our fans getting into it, it was I fun to play them and play them here, but it would have been a lot better if we could’ve held on in the third."

Hamilton played in similar rivalries during his three seasons with Niagara in the OHL. He feels a similar atmosphere and rivalry with Montreal.

"We had a couple teams that we played in the playoffs, I think one of them was probably Oshawa, we played them two years ago," Hamilton recalled. "They just wanted to be dirty versus us so you kind of get used to that a little bit and it makes it a more intense game. I thought that was kind of similar to tonight."

But Hamilton knows that if the Bruins are to beat the Habs the next time they meet -- April 6 in Montreal -- or beat any team for that matter, they need to get back to their game and erase the mistakes they have been making of late.

"I think it’s a little unfortunate that we had those bounces and they scored those goals, but it’s not really a good feeling in the room right now," he said. "The way we’ve been playing in the third and how we’ve been doing, it’s a weird feeling so hopefully we can get back to how we did before."

BOSTON -- When the Boston Bruins returned home from their recent five-game road trip, rookie defenseman Dougie Hamilton opened his fridge and knew what he had to do.

“It might be time for a grocery store run,” Hamilton said.

So, after Wednesday’s practice, he and roommate Adam McQuaid went food shopping. Their shopping list is usually the same: chicken, rice, potatoes and pasta.

The two recently became roommates. McQuaid, who comes from a big and close family, thought it would be a good idea to help the 19-year-old Hamilton adjust to living on his own for the first time.

“It’s always nice if you can be in a situation to help somebody out,” McQuaid said. “I couldn’t imagine, at his age, having so much to adjust to. It’s been a good experience and it’s nice to have someone around.

“We both have similar personalities and it’s a pretty quiet house. It’s weird how we can be sitting in the same room with not much being said and we can be comfortable at the same time.”

McQuaid said the two are not the video game types and they mostly watch a lot of reality-TV shows.

“It’s been great, especially Quaider letting me live with him,” Hamilton said. “He’s been showing me what to do and driving me around. He’s been helping me cook and teaching me how to do the laundry and stuff like that. It’s been great and I enjoy living with him. I’m pretty happy and pretty lucky I got that opportunity.”

McQuaid does most of the cooking, but Hamilton is in charge of lunch.

"I’ve got a pretty good grilled cheese that I cook,” Hamilton said with a smile. “That’s my go-to lunch.”

“He can make a mean grilled cheese. He’s made one for me and it was pretty good,” McQuaid said. “I’m trying to keep him off that diet as much as possible, but that’s his go-to.”

Hamilton’s rookie season has been a productive one. He has one goal and seven assists for eight points in 16 games. In the locker room and on the ice, his teammates don’t treat him as a rookie and that has helped his transition to the NHL game.

“I think I’m comfortable,” Hamilton said. “I’m working hard right now learning the D-zone here and the system because it’s a lot different from what I was used to in junior. Once I learn it, it will be better for me. It’s something when you learn it becomes second nature, and right now I have to focus on it pretty hard and make sure I’m doing those things and hopefully soon they’ll become a habit.”

Facing high expectations coming into this season, Bruins rookie defenseman Dougie Hamilton got off to a great start.

An injury to fellow blueliner Dennis Seidenberg meant Hamilton got thrown into the fire immediately, as the ninth pick of the 2011 draft saw 23:27 of ice time in just his second NHL game alongside his childhood idol, Bruins captain Zdeno Chara.

The 19-year-old Hamilton didn't disappoint. In his next three games he produced four assists.

But over the next six games, Hamilton hit the typical rookie wall, failing to register a single point.

Since then, Boston coach Claude Julien has reduced Hamilton's minutes in each of the last three games. In the Bruins' 4-2 win over the Lightning on Thursday, Hamilton was down to a season-low 10:00 of ice time.

Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli made it clear that he is still very impressed with the rookie and understands this is just the normal progression of a skilled youngster in the NHL.

"Everyone forgets the questions in the summertime when if he was going to have periods where he's going to adjust and he's going through that right now," Chiarelli pointed out. "He's a 19-year old defenseman playing in the best league in the world and he's going to have these times or games where he's going to have to adjust. Maybe at times there's too big of a gap ... and he's going through that now. But he's still capable of making very good plays and defending and he does that."

Though Hamilton's minutes decreased over the last three games, it appears Julien's strategy is paying off as Hamilton's production and comfort level have progressed again.

Hamilton had a goal and an assist in the Bruins' 5-3 loss at Buffalo on Feb. 15, and then in the win at Tampa Bay, he chipped in with two helpers. Chiarelli and the Bruins are thrilled with his production and are ready to ride the rookie wave with Hamilton as the season goes on. They believe in the veteran cast surrounding Hamilton and are confident he will only learn and improve.

"I think anytime you can get a 19-year-old defenseman to play top minutes in your top four it's a bonus," Chiarelli said. "But you'd be foolish to not expect some blips along the way. So he started strong and the other pair not so strong and hopefully Dougie where he goes through these lapses and these little areas where he has some struggles within the game, hopefully the veterans he plays with can pick up his game."

The Bruins blew a 2-1 lead in the third period, giving up three unanswered goals to the Sabres in a 4-2 loss at Buffalo. Seemingly in command while ahead by only one goal thanks to the play of Sabres goalie Ryan Miller (30 saves), the Bruins fell apart by allowing three straight goals to Tyler Myers, Christian Ehrhoff and Cody Hodgson. Drew Stafford also scored on Bruins goalie Anton Khudobin, who made 22 saves.

Dougie Hamilton scored his first NHL goal and added an assist on a second-period Rich Peverley goal. David Krejci and Tyler Seguin also had helpers in the losing effort.

Bruins collapse late instead of starting slow: So many times this season, the Bruins have waited until late in the second period or into the third period to put their collective pedal to the medal and turn their game up a notch. A prime example was Tuesday's game against the Rangers, when Boston scored three unanswered goals in the third period to force extra time, before losing 4-3 in the shootout. Friday was the total opposite as the Bruins played a complete game for the first 40 minutes, taking a 2-1 lead into the final frame and then seeming to lay back and let the play come to them. The bottom line? Whether it's a lack of effort to begin or end the game, the Bruins aren't giving their all for three periods lately, and that needs to change.

Miller unfazed by Bruins: Following practice on Thursday, Gregory Campbell told ESPNBoston.com that the Bruins needed to make things more difficult for Ryan Miller. They did that to an extent but not enough for a goalie who, right now, seems to be the only reason his team has any chance of salvaging what has been a horrendous start to the season. Despite the Bruins slipping two past him, Miller remained unfazed. His teammates fed off his play in staging a comeback they desperately needed. If teams are to beat Miller, they need to keep the pressure on him throughout the whole game.

Hamilton looks like a veteran again: Hamilton's power-play goal was a thing of beauty. After a few so-so games, the rookie defenseman looked like a poised veteran rearguard once again. Hamilton started that scoring play and then finished it with a rifle past a screened and out-of-position Miller. Hamilton also had a helper on Peverley's go-ahead goal 2:29 into the second period. The youngster is starting to make a strong case for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.

Seguin looks better: Plenty of criticism has been heaved at Tyler Seguin lately, but on Friday, Seguin looked to be skating harder, sacrificing his body more and using his offensive instinct to create chances for the Bruins. A perfect example of that was his assist on Hamilton's goal. Seguin helped move that puck around and was in the right place to make the play happen.

Lucic making his presence felt: Milan Lucic was everywhere in this game. He was getting back in the defensive zone as well as helping the transition out by skating hard down the wing and using his size to push the play. Lucic has admittedly had his periods of inconsistency over the past few seasons, but thus far, he seems to be on a mission and skating hard. With his size and presence, that can mean nothing but good things for the Bruins.

Lines stay the same: Despite some calls from the media and fans to have Seguin with Krejci and Lucic, Julien stuck with the same lines. It wasn't surprising, considering Seguin is struggling at both ends of the ice right now, and keeping him with Patrice Bergeron can only help him settle his game down and get back to basics. Here's what the lineup looked like:

Forwards
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Tyler Seguin
Chris Bourque-Chris Kelly-Rich Peverley
Daniel Paille-Greg Campbell-Shawn Thornton

Defense
Zdeno Chara-Johnny Boychuk
Dennis Seidenberg-Dougie Hamilton
Andrew Ference-Adam McQuaid

Goalies
Anton Khudobin
Tuukka Rask

WILMINGTON, Mass. -- The Air Canada Centre should be exhilarating Saturday night when the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Boston Bruins in a Northeast Division matchup.

Of course, a lot of attention will be on Bruins rookie defenseman Dougie Hamilton, who will be playing in front of his hometown team. In fact, all three players involved in the now-infamous 2009 trade between the Bruins and Maple Leafs will be on display with Hamilton, Bruins forward Tyler Seguin and Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel.

The Maple Leafs acquired Kessel from Boston on Sept. 18, 2009, in exchange for Toronto's first- and second-round picks in the 2010 NHL draft, which turned into Seguin and Jared Knight, respectively. Not only that, the Bruins also received the Leafs' first-round pick in 2011, which ended up being Hamilton.

On Saturday, Hamilton will be on the ice along with Seguin and Kessel at Air Canada Centre.

"It's exciting," Hamilton said. "I grew up watching games in that rink and dreamt of playing there in the NHL. I guess I always dreamt of playing for the Leafs, but as I've gotten older, it will be cooler to be on the other side."

To say the Bruins have dominated the Maple Leafs in recent history would be a huge understatement.

Boston swept the Leafs during the 2011-12 season and outscored them 36-10 in six games. The Bruins also have a 23-5-5 record in their past 33 games against the Maple Leafs. Boston is 12-2-3 in its past 17 games at Toronto.

This season, Toronto coach Randy Carlyle and the Maple Leafs are 4-3-0 for eight points. They're playing better hockey.

"With Randy there, they're certainly a team that's competing very hard and he's going to get the most out of his players -- he always has," said Bruins coach Claude Julien.

The Leafs already have wins over Montreal, Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Washington. The Bruins have a chance to end a tough stretch of four games in six nights on a positive note with a win in Toronto on Saturday night.

"Every game for us has got to be viewed as almost a must-win and tough games," Julien said. "You can't take anybody for granted. [Thursday's loss] was a perfect example, we didn't take [Buffalo] for granted, it just means anybody can win on any given night.

"So we have to make sure we go in there with the right intentions, and doing that, and then coming out with a win gives us a 3-1 record this week with four games in six days. That would be a pretty good accomplishment. If not, we finish .500, which for us is not good enough."

The Maple Leafs do present a challenge for Boston. This season could be different, and the Bruins understand that.

"They're playing with a lot of confidence and they're beating some really good teams," said Bruins captain Zdeno Chara. "We've got to be ready for them. They're skating well and playing with a lot of energy. For sure, it's going to be a tough game."

Maple Leafs center Nazem Kadri leads the team in scoring with three goals and four assists for seven points. Kessel has four assists with a minus-2 rating.

"They've been playing well," said Bruins forward Gregory Campbell. "They've bought into their system and their coach has them playing really well. Good teams never want to lose two games in a row, so it's important for us in another divisional game, a game that's attainable if we work hard. It would make it a pretty good week for us with a pretty tough schedule, a tough week, but it's not going to be easy. I think we're up for the challenge."

In a piece for ESPN Insider, Grant Sonier ranks Dougie Hamilton No. 4 on his "Rookie Rankings," up from No. 6 in the preseason. Writes Sonier on Hamilton:

You only have to listen to Bruins coach Claude Julien talk about this towering defenseman and you get the sense he is going to get more and more opportunity.

To read the rest of Sonier's analysis of Hamilton, and to see who is ranked ahead of him, click HERE (Insider access required).

Rookie defenseman Dougie Hamilton will stay with the Bruins this season and not be sent back to juniors, general manager Peter Chiarelli told reporters before Monday night's game at Carolina.

The news is no surprise, but the Bruins needed to make a decision. This season, underaged junior players are allowed to stay with their NHL teams for five games without burning a year of their entry-level contracts. Once they play six games, the entry-level contract kicks in. It's highly unlikely, but the Bruins still have the option to send Hamilton back to juniors by the April 6 NHL trade deadline, but they would still eat a year on his entry-level contract.

The 19-year-old Hamilton has come as advertised with three points in four games heading into Monday's game. He has racked up veteran minutes and shown veteran poise and decision-making more and more each game.

"We really like his composure, and his vision of the game, and how he moves the puck. He's been extremely good for us," coach Claude Julien told reporters at the Bruins' morning skate.

On Wednesday night in the Bruins’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Rangers -- a nationally televised game -- Bruins rookie defenseman Dougie Hamilton gave his team, the league and hockey fans a glimpse of why he was chosen No. 9 overall at the 2011 NHL Entry Level Draft. Not only did Hamilton earn his first NHL point with a power play assist on Brad Marchand’s second period tally, he displayed veteran poise and confidence throughout the game. After logging 23:27 of ice time on Monday in the 2-1 shootout win over Winnipeg, Hamilton played 18:55 on Wednesday, and led all Bruins defenseman with 4:23 of power play time.

After the game, coach Claude Julien praised Hamilton.

“He was so poised and confident,” Julien told the Boston Globe. “If anybody thinks he can’t play in this league, they should take some time to watch this game. I really, really liked his game.

Just as everyone has been impressed with Hamilton’s play through his first three NHL games, so has Hall of Famer and former Bruin Ray Bourque. But Bourque isn’t as surprised as some may be with Hamilton’s smooth transition from junior hockey to the NHL. Bourque was drafted No. 8 overall in the 1979 draft and found himself in a very similar situation that helped him just go out and play his game.

“I think he is with a veteran team and the surroundings and people he gets to play with is just great for him,” Bourque told ESPNBoston.com. “Yes there’s high expectations in some ways but in other ways he’s just asked to come in and do his job. He doesn’t have to be the franchise guy and that’s a really good situation to be in and I was in a similar spot when I came in with all the talented veterans around me. You just get to relax, go out and play and do your job.”

Bourque -- who went on to play 1,612 games in 22 seasons, with 1,579 points -- didn’t have to deal with the hype Hamilton is experiencing now due to increased media attention and social media. But the father of Hamilton’s current teammate Chris Bourque thinks Hamilton is already prepped for such hype.

“That’s how he grew up and I’m sure he’s used to that,” Bourque said. “He’s had success in the OHL and junior hockey and at the World Juniors and there’s so much hype around that so I’m sure he’s learned to deal with it at an early age. So with Twitter and Facebook and dealing with you guys [the media], I’m sure he’s a cagey vet that way already. Given this is totally different and on the biggest stage but this is where you want to be and I’m sure that’s not bothering him too much. Growing up in Canada, being a top draft pick, this is what you dream of and I’m sure because of that he’s embracing it all.”

Bourque also believes that Hamilton’s humble ways, which he witnessed in their first encounter during training camp, will help him as the season and his career go on.

“I met him during camp actually,” Bourque said. “I was meeting Chris at Tresca (Bourque’s restaurant in the North End) and he was walking in as I was walking out and I was like ‘hey how ya doing?’ and he said ‘hi’ back. We chatted a bit and that was it. But seems like a good, quiet kid and that’s a good way to be right now for him and for a little while.”

BOSTON -- There was plenty of hype surrounding 19-year-old Dougie Hamilton as his NHL debut approached, but the Bruins’ rookie seemed unfazed by it all Saturday night after getting that first game under his belt.

"I really don't pay attention to that stuff and for me it was more fun," said Hamilton, who played solid in 13:40 of ice time. "I'm used to all that hype from the World Junior Championships and playing for Hockey Canada so it's not new."

But it wasn't just the international experience that helped prepare him for the NHL, it was also Hamilton's parents Doug (rowing) and Lynn (basketball) who competed -- and met -- at the 1984 Olympics.

"They have dealt with all of that hype and stuff and they kind of taught me how to deal growing up and over last few years," said Hamilton of his Olympian parents, who were at TD Garden for their son's first game. "They were calm tonight for sure. But maybe didn't like it when the camera went on them."

Hamilton was asked what he thought of the local media and how they've treated him so far.

"The media here is a little annoying," he joked. "No just kidding, but it's really no big deal to me. I got so many leaders around here and they help me not pay attention to anything positive or negative. They don't let me get too high or too low."

Hamilton had to be pretty happy after playing his first NHL game and helping his team win ... right?

"I'm happy to reach that milestone but I have so many more goals," Hamilton said. "There's no need to get too high. I want to keep getting better. This was fun but it's behind me now."