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

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

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

BOSTON – Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien said Monday that defenseman Johnny Boychuk will not play tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

As a result of Boychuk’s absence, Matt Bartkowski will play his second consecutive game.

Boychuk, who was seen Sunday afternoon limping out of the Garden, has not been on skates since last Friday’s practice in Ottawa. The Bruins did not have a morning skate Monday.

Bartkowski, who was recalled Friday from Providence, played 13:05 and was a minus-2 during Saturday’s loss to the Leafs. Even though he struggled at the start, he finished the game strong and Julien believes the young defenseman is not a liability.

Since fellow blueliner Adam McQuaid is already sidelined with a shoulder injury, veteran Aaron Johnson has been in the mix the last two games. During Saturday’s 3-2 loss to the Maple Leafs in Toronto, Johnson logged a total of 19:13 of ice time.

“He’s come into our lineup, a guy who hasn’t played much, and at first it’s not an easy thing to step into when you haven’t played much, but he’s been fine,” Julien said. “He’s a guy who’s played in this league and has experience.”

(Editor's note: The fifth in our end-of-season report card series on the 2011-2012 Bruins.)

BOSTON -- Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk had to be helped off the ice midway through the third period of the Bruins’ 5-3 loss to the Penguins on Tuesday after colliding leg-on-leg with Pittsburgh forward Aaron Asham and did not return.

Following the game, Boychuk walked out of the dressing room under his own power but with a limp. He told reporters that he felt “good” but wasn’t sure if he would be at practice Wednesday.

Coach Claude Julien didn’t have much information, but was hoping for good news in the morning.

“Those kind of injuries, you’ve got to kind of let the night go by and the next day you get a better idea,” Julien said. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed right now that it’s not bad news, so that’s all we can hope for right now. He got hit on the side of the leg. It could be a variety of things in that area, but he didn’t feel too bad.

"So we’re going to reevaluate him tomorrow and then probably get a clear idea of what his situation is.”

Boychuk has 15 points in 77 games and has been a regular partner of captain Zdeno Chara on the blue line. He missed two games with a mild concussion Feb. 28 and March 1.

Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk has been nominated for the Masterton Trophy, which is given to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.

“He got an opportunity with us and he took full advantage of it," Claude Julien told reporters at Tuesday's practice, referring to the 2009-10 season when Boychuk, at age 26, broke through for the Bruins, playing in 51 games. "And remember, he was a healthy scratch for a long time before he even got a chance to become a regular on our hockey club.

“But when he did, because he worked so hard as an extra, he kept himself in real good shape and kept himself as sharp as he could. When that opportunity came, he took full advantage of it and in that first playoff with us, he showed a side of him I guess really caught our eye and made us like him even more.”

“It wasn’t really an easy road to get to where I am right now," Boychuk told CSNNE.com. "But to get nominated I think lets me know that people know it wasn’t easy for me. It was always just about working hard to get here and stay here.”

BOSTON -- Johnny Boychuk (mild concussion) will miss his second straight game Thursday when the Bruins host the New Jersey Devils. Boychuck also missed Tuesday’s game against the Ottawa Senators.

While Boychuck won’t play Thursday, he did skate for a second straight day in the morning and is feeling better.

Boychuk expressed some cautious optimism to the media and said at this point he wasn’t worried about missing an extended amount of time like teammate Nathan Horton, who has been out since January 22 after he too was diagnosed with a “mild” concussion.

“No. Not at all,” Boychuk answered if he was worried. “You go out there and see how you feel and you can’t be nervous. You feel good then you feel good. If you don’t then you get off. We’ll see how I feel later on today. Hopefully if I feel good, then I’ll do the same thing tomorrow and hopefully progress.

If I don’t feel well one day, then I take a break, but if I do, I keep going. It’s all depending on the person and how they feel. You don’t want to rush back into anything and then get hurt and be hurt for a longer period of time. So you use your own discretion and the team’s discretion on how to handle it. With Nathan he’d doing what he has to do and handling it his own way.”

Boychuk said that the hit he took Saturday from Senators forward Chris Neil that injured him was a clean hit and he also remembers it clearly.

“Yeah. I remember getting the puck from Timmy [Thomas] and then looking up to see where my centerman was and make the pass and boom! More or less,” Boychuk said. “Then getting up and seeing that he [Neil] was still down, I don’t know if he was scared that somebody was going to beat him up, but good thing he stayed down because I saw ‘Z’ [Zdeno Chara] coming over there.”

Boychuk also expressed his gratitude to Chara for eventually dropping the gloves with Neil later in the game, saying “he showed what a good captain is.”

WILMINGTON, Mass. -- Bruins coach Claude Julien confirmed to the media after practice Wednesday that defenseman Johnny Boychuk skated earlier in the day and is progressing in his recovery from what general manager Peter Chiarelli termed a “mild concussion” suffered Saturday on a hit by Chris Neil. According to Julien, Boychuk, who didn’t play Tuesday against the Senators, has passed all the tests so far to determine if he is symptom free.

Julien said that the Bruins should know more Thursday.

"We saw what happened with [Nathan Horton] and again we've just got to keep our fingers crossed. The protocol is always about going from one step to another and he was on the ice, so I’m saying he did because they’re not just going to throw him on the ice,” Julien said. “He has to go through the protocol so he’s moving forward with it.”

There were some reports Wednesday that Boychuk had only a neck strain, but Julien wasn’t concerned with what the injury is being described as. As far as he and the Bruins are concerned, it is and will be treated as a concussion.

“I don’t really know to be honest with you, but whether it’s termed a concussion or concussion symptoms, I don’t think it really matters because we’re dealing with it as if it is [a concussion],” Julien said. “We’re making sure we’re going through the process of doing it right. Whether you want to deem it one or not, it doesn’t matter. We take the cautious approach to those kinds of things and we don’t want to lose him for a long time because we took shortcuts or whatever. It’s going through the protocol and going day-by-day. So he’s feeling better and we’re moving forward with him.”

Julien was asked if Boychuk could play Thursday against the Devils and while he didn’t rule it out, he stressed that the team is being cautious.

“When they tell me he is ready to play, he’s ready to play,” Julien said. “Right now we’re doing the things to make sure he doesn’t have a setback.”

BOSTON -- Last year, Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk didn't light the lamp with his booming shot until after New Year's Eve. While he has had his fair share of chances this season, he was wondering if he might be in for a long wait again.

But on Tuesday he got his first goal of the season at a key spot, scoring the game-winner 6:41 into the third period to help propel the Bruins to a 5-3 win over the Senators.

"There were a couple where I just barely missed the net, and I finally got one through," Boychuk said. I was just thinking 'hit the net' because I kept missing the net before. Obviously it feels a lot better -- getting that first one. Now you don’t have to worry about it."

Coach Claude Julien was thrilled for Boychuk, who he feels has been one of the few consistent Bruins this season.

"I think Johnny’s been one of our best defensemen since the beginning of the year," Julien said. "He hasn’t had the highs and lows that maybe some others have, but he’s been pretty good for us. I know he’s a player that, to my eyes anyway, is still growing every year, although he’s in his third year with us. He’s a guy that just keeps going and going.

"I like his discipline and his way of playing. He plays guys hard, but at the same time, he has enough confidence to move the puck well. The goal he scored was a typical Johnny Boychuk shot that you’d like to see even more of."

Boychuk was simply happy he and his teammates were able to beat a hot team in Ottawa -- who had won six straight -- and get themselves back on the winning track.

"They’ve been playing really well and we haven’t been playing the best hockey and we know that," Boychuk said. "We just wanted to come out tonight and play together and that’s what he did."

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- How important is Game 5 of the Stanley Cups final between the Boston Bruins and the Vancouver Canucks?

Considering this: Of the 21 previous Cup final series tied at 2-2, the team winning Game 5 has gone on to win the Stanley Cup 15 times.

The Bruins want to return to Boston for Game 6 with a chance to hoist the Cup for the first time since 1972 -- and do it on home ice, no less. The Canucks know it can’t allow the Bruins that chance.

The Bruins did not skate Friday at Rogers Arena due to the early puck drop here (5:20 p.m.). Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk talked this afternoon about the importance of gaining momentum early and scoring that first goal. He also talked about his defensive partner Andrew Ference:

BOSTON -- With temperatures outside TD Garden expected to reach the 90s, the Boston Bruins and the NHL are doing everything they can to keep the ice surface up to par despite the hot and humid conditions.

In fact, the Bruins brought in a dehumidifier for the Eastern Conference finals in order to keep the building dry. The players did not complain about the ice in Game 3 of the Cup final, but it could be a different story for Game 4.

Both teams held game-day skates Wednesday morning here and so far, so good.

“It was OK,” said Bruins forward Rich Peverley. “Obviously, pucks are going to bounce in any rink this time of the year. You have to be sharp and crisp with your passes.”

Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk said the ice in Game 3 was decent, but is ready for it to be a challenge in Game 4.

“Today, I can probably imagine it’s going to be, well, not so good,” he said. “In the last 10 minutes of each period you’re probably going to see a lot of bouncing pucks. You’ve got to make sure to keep it simple, play it smart and play it defensively because if there’s a puck coming at you and it’s bouncing, you better be backing up because at any moment it can bounce and they could get a good scoring chance.”

Bruins coach Claude Julien had the best line of the day when asked about the ice condition.

“I was flying. I don’t know if you guys noticed,” he said with a laugh. “For my standards anyway. It looked really good. It was very good. They made some adjustments to this building and I think it’s been some great adjustments. The guys were pleased with it last game as well.”

BOSTON -- Bruins coach Claude Julien is keeping a positive mindset heading into tonight’s Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk struggled in Game 6 and was on the ice for all five of the Lightning’s goals, including Tampa’s fifth tally in its 5-4 win at St. Pete Times Forum. To his credit, he was also on the ice for all four of Boston’s goals, too.

When asked Friday morning to discuss Boychuk’s play of late, Julien pointed out that he has confidence in all his players.

“Our team needs to be positive and we believe in everybody in our hockey club,” Julien said.

The follow-up question was in regards to the improved play of defenseman Tomas Kaberle, and this time the coach was quick to answer.

“That’s somebody you can talk about positively, and certainly one of those guys that I think last game played pretty good,” Julien said. “I liked his game. He moved the puck well. He was in there. He created some opportunities for us.

“He made some good decisions in our own end. He did a great job. So I know there's been a tendency to be hard on this guy at times, but I would say three out of the last four games, he's been a real good player for us.”

TAMPA, Fla. -- Boston Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk was on the receiving end of a bad hit during Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals Monday night at Boston and had to leave the game midway through the third period. He did not return.

When the Bruins arrived here Tuesday afternoon, Boychuk met with the media and said he’s feeling fine.

With just less than 10 minutes to play in the third period, Boychuk was standing behind the Bruins’ net without the puck when Tampa Bay’s Steven Downie applied a blindside hit, with Boychuk’s head hitting the glass.

Boychuk was clearly stunned on the play and needed assistance off the ice by teammates Patrice Bergeron and Andrew Ference. He returned to the bench late in the game but did not play another shift. He did celebrate with his teammates after they defeated the Lightning 3-1.

“I saw the hit,” Boychuk said. “If it’s suspendable, the league will do it. I’m feeling fine and that’s the main thing.

“I was a little foggy then, but after I got off the ice I felt fine. When I was on the ice, I just wanted to make sure I was OK before I started to skate. I didn’t really want to fall,” he added with a big smile.

BOSTON -- Stopped as he was leaving the arena with teammate Tomas Kaberle, Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk told ESPNBoston.com that he is fine after taking a late hit from Steve Downie midway through the third period that drew a boarding penalty.

Coach Claude Julien concurred.

“Johnny’s fine,” Julien said. “I haven’t had an opportunity to look at it, I haven’t watched the video yet. I know some people have. From what I hear, it’s not a great hit. I’ll maybe reserve my comments a bit more until after I see it."

Boychuk was clearly shaken by the hit. He was wobbly when he got to his feet and needed to be helped off the ice by teammates Andrew Ference and Patrice Bergeron, and by team trainers on his way to the dressing room. He did not return to the game.

BOSTON -- With the game tied at one and the Flyers starting to gain momentum early in the third period, Flyers forward Claude Giroux laid out Patrice Bergeron with an open-ice hit as play shifted out of the Boston zone. Bergeron left the game and would not return. But instead of getting deflated watching one of their best players leave the game, the Bruins just kept going, and four seconds after Bergeron left at 2:42 of the final frame, defenseman Johnny Boychuk let a shot rip from the point that sailed past Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky for what proved to be the game-winning goal in the Bruins’ 5-1 series-clinching win at TD Garden.

“I didn’t really see him go off, but after that it was kind of just. As soon as we scored, everybody, we just started to go again. We needed that,” Boychuk said of scoring right after Bergeron left.

Boychuk said he was happy to help his team complete the sweep, something they were unable to do against the Flyers in the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals when they blew a 3-0 series lead and lost in seven games.

“Oh it’s great. We were up three-nothing and we want to make sure that when we have that chance to close it off, we wanted to close it off and we did,” Boychuk said. “We had everybody going tonight and Timmy [Thomas] played excellent again for us obviously. And we got offense as well.”

Head coach Claude Julien recently switched Boychuk to the point on the power play, and while Boychuk’s goal in Game 4 didn’t come on the power play, it was a perfect example of why Julien has him working the point now on the man-advantage.

“Well obviously that was a big goal tonight,” Julien said of Boychuk’s game-winning blast. “It certainly lifted the whole bench. Johnny’s got a good shot and we know the success that he’s had in the American League in the past on the power play, but for a good portion of the season here, he didn’t seem to be able to find that range or find those opportunities to use his shots so that kind of took away some of his opportunities on the power play.

But we moved Patrice [Bergeron] up front and we certainly were looking for some plays down low, and Patrice [Bergeron] is one of those guys that can create those, but at the same time, we wanted to have a good shot from the point, so Johnny [Boychuk] fit that mold pretty good. ... He seems to have found, again, the range, and found those openings for him to use his shots in the playoffs more than he had during the regular season.”