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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 -- Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand returned to the lineup Wednesday night for the Boston Bruins' 3-2 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

Bergeron had been out since suffering what the team called a moderate concussion April 2. Marchand suffered a mild concussion April 10 when he took an elbow to the head from New Jersey Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov.

"They both played well and they both played hard," coach Claude Julien said. "You know, it's unfortunate they didn't get rewarded with anything tonight, but they had some great opportunities."

Marchand acknowledged that the time off may have actually been good for him.

"I felt good and I felt maybe with the little rest I had, I was able to get my legs back a bit," Marchand said. "I was skating hard and didn't feel like I missed a beat. I still practiced pretty much every day and you get it back quick. So that's good."

BOSTON -- Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand will return to the lineup for the Bruins tonight, providing a much-needed boost for a squad that has lost its last two games and has been under scrutiny for its recent play. But there will be no Carl Soderberg in the lineup tonight, and that may not be such a bad thing for the Bruins and Soderberg.

Coach Claude Julien said that even though there are only six regular-season games left after tonight’s tilt with the Sabres at TD Garden, the Bruins don’t want to rush the Swedish star’s acclimation to the NHL.

“He’ll do the warm-up tonight. He just [got] in last night and he’ll get a chance to practice with us tomorrow,” said Julien. “It’s as much for him as it is for us. There’s a change in time, and there’s the fatigue of travel and everything else. Not knowing much about our system, he’s going to have a chance to watch tonight -- and see some things. Hopefully he sees the right things.

"I think it’s to his benefit and to our benefit for him to sit and watch. It’s better than just throwing him out there and watching him ad-libbing. He’s a big, strong guy that’s a good skater. I saw some good things. We put him on the power play there at the end of practice to see how he handled the puck. We like what we see from him.”

The Bruins will also do their best to make sure Soderberg knows immediately that he is part of the Bruins family both on and off the ice. The core of this team has done a great job of that in the past, specifically when Chris Kelly, Rich Peverley and Tomas Kaberle arrived at the 2011 NHL trade deadline and became key parts of the team's Stanley Cup run. While Kelly didn’t have to make quite as much of a transition coming from Ottawa as an NHL veteran, the welcome he received from his new teammates then was crucial to him, Peverley and Kaberle filtering into the culture of the team.

“It was a bit of transition for me, too,” Kelly said. “But the guys here are very accepting and they made Kaberle, Rich and myself feel very comfortable when we arrived, and that has continued and will continue for whomever becomes part of this team,” Kelly said.

Kelly realizes that it is now his job as a Bruin to do the same for Soderberg.

“I think it’s our job to make him feel as comfortable as possible,” said the Bruins alternate captain. “It’s a huge jump and transition, not only on-ice but off-ice. Swedes normally speak English very well so that won’t be a problem, but just the culture. We need to make it as normal as possible for him and make sure he feels comfortable in this room and knows we’re here for him and he’s part of this team now.”

As for Soderberg, he seemed comfortable already on Wednesday morning and was only uncertain about adjusting to the smaller NHL rinks.

“I don’t know [about the adjustment to North American ice surfaces]. We’ll have to see,” he said in his first Boston media scrum.

But he had nothing but praise for his new team.

“Great team,” said Soderberg. “They work hard, and they’re big players.”

WILMINGTON, Mass. -- Bruins center Patrice Bergeron is likely to return to the lineup Wednesday night against the Sabres at TD Garden, with coach Claude Julien saying it was “highly probable” Bergeron would play.

When he does return, Bergeron obviously will give a lift to the Bruins both offensively and defensively as the 2012 Selke Trophy winner’s two-way play has been sorely missed since he suffered a concussion on April 2 and missed the last six games.

But while Bergeron’s skill was absent from the Bruins lineup as he battled to recover from his fourth concussion, his leadership wasn’t. Last Thursday morning, prior to the Bruins’ 2-1 loss to the Islanders, Bergeron addressed his teammates in a players-only meeting and let them know that he felt they could be better.

“At some point in the year, everyone in my position has to do that and make sure that the team realizes how good we can be as a team,” the Bruins alternate captain said. “I just told them it’s about getting back to basics and playing how we can play and how I know we can play.”

Bergeron has had the privilege of learning from some true leaders over the course of his career, dating back to his rookie season of 2003-04 when Marty Lapointe took him under his wing as a mentor and allowed the 18-year-old from Quebec City to live with his family as he adapted to an English-speaking community. Bergeron also played with Glen Murray and then Mark Recchi as he became an alternate captain for the Bruins. All three helped mold Bergeron as a leader and now he feels he knows when he needs to address his team.

“My first year I learned from one of the best,” Bergeron said of Lapointe. “Marty for me was an amazing leader. Then [Recchi] obviously and [Murray] too, but [Recchi] was really important because I was older and an assistant captain by then. So it was a time that I needed to really learn a lot about leadership and how to apply it. [Recchi] really took the time to do that and teach me. I learned that it has to come naturally and you have to speak from your heart.”

While the Bruins have lost two games since Bergeron spoke to his teammates, he has seen signs that they’re reverting to the brand of hockey they should be playing.

“I really feel even in the last two games and specifically Carolina, we had some good things happening that had slipped out of our game that were coming back,” Bergeron said. “[Tuesday's] practice was a perfect example because I thought we were going hard the whole time and it all starts in practice. So that’s a good sign and hopefully we can go from there.”

BOSTON -- Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron (concussion) will be examined again Monday afternoon by the team’s medical staff, and there’s a possibility he could return to the lineup Monday night when the team hosts the Ottawa Senators at TD Garden.

Bergeron has missed the last six games after he suffered his fourth career concussion against the Senators on April 2 at Boston. He began skating with the team last week and did so again this morning, while centering Milan Lucic and Tyler Seguin. Bruins coach Claude Julien said he’ll wait to hear from the medical staff before the team makes the final decision.

“It’s just making sure we’re all on the same page,” Julien said. “He’s been feeling a lot better the last few days and seems to be doing extremely well, but when you’ve been through what Patrice has been through, we’re always going to make sure to be extra safe with him even if it takes a little extra time.”

Bergeron said he was cleared to play Saturday in Carolina, but the team thought it would be best to give him some more time for precautionary reasons.

“I’m feeling good,” he said. “I feel like I’m close.

“I obviously want to get back out there. I feel good. I feel confident. I don’t feel cautious, either. We’re taking the time and there’s a reason for that, so I’m not hesitant and I feel good.”

The Bruins will clinch a playoff berth with their next point, so there was some thought, based on the condensed schedule and the amount of games the Bruins have played, to give Bergeron a little more time in order to be rested and healthy for the playoffs.

“Why wait any longer if everything is A-OK and there’s no issues, nothing that can happen that will be able to go back and say he came back too early,” Julien said. “We’re just making sure everything is clear. He’s a smart individual and he’s a person who thinks things through and he’s also not going to take a chance with his career. It’s a mutual thing we have going between him, ourselves as an organization, and that’s the way we’ve treated every player and we’ll continue to do that.”

The Bruins are 3-3-0 during Bergeron’s absence.

“We miss his leadership, his work ethic and everything else,” Julien said. “He’s a good player and he’s an elite player. You don’t replace him, so what you miss is what you can’t replace.”

This is Bergeron's fourth career concussion, but this time the symptoms lasted only one day and it’s been different from the other three.

“I’ve healed a lot quicker and I’ve felt better a lot quicker, so that was good news,” Bergeron said. “We took the time for precautionary reasons. I had a little bit of symptoms the next day after it happened, but after that, that was it, so it was very positive.”

Bergeron was more annoyed than anything else the day after his incidental collision with the Senators’ Colin Greening on April 2.

“A little bit of that, that’s for sure,” Bergeron said of the frustration. “It’s one of those things that’s always hard to go through. I’ve had enough of it, but at the same time I was optimistic by the way I felt and the Bruins did a really good job making sure I was taking the time to heal properly.”

In 35 games this season, Bergeron has 10 goals and 21 assists for 31 points, including a plus-23 rating.

WILMINGTON, Mass -- Bruins center Patrice Bergeron skated with 12 other Bruins in an optional practice Friday at Ristuccia Arena, and as he skated coach Claude Julien told the media that Bergeron is improving and will travel with the team to Carolina for the game against the Hurricanes on Saturday.

"He's skating now and he's skating with us, and he's better off to work out with us than to stay behind,” Julien said.

But Bergeron, who suffered his fourth concussion on April 2, isn't expected to play Saturday.

"I don't think so," said Julien. "We're certainly going to be cautious with him. He's had a history of [concussions] and we're not going to take a gamble with it."

But for a Bruins team in dire need of a lift on and off the ice, the fact that one of their leaders and arguably their best player is nearing a return brought smiles.

“It’d be very big,” said Matt Bartkowski of the mental boost that having Bergeron back would bring. “He’s consistent and that’s what we need to find right now. We had a pretty solid game [Thursday] and I thought we played better even though we didn’t get the result. If we can find consistency every game like he brings every shift, then I think we’d be in much better shape.”

Bruins winger Jaromir Jagr was acquired from Dallas the same day Bergeron suffered the concussion and has yet to play with the reigning Selke Trophy winner. But Jagr realizes just how valuable a player like Bergeron can be and is looking forward to the opportunity.

“I haven’t had a chance to play with him yet or see him play -- if I don’t count the games against him -- but what I hear is he’s a top guy, so it’s hard to play without your top guy,” Jagr said. “There’s not many guys who can make a huge difference during the game and he’s that kind of guy. So it will be a huge plus for our team when he comes back.”

Jagr was asked whether, during the course of his storied career, he has had the pleasure of playing with a player like Bergeron.

“Probably Ron Francis,” Jagr said. “He was very responsible defensively and he had good numbers offensively. He could pass the puck so well.”

When asked how much players such as Francis and Bergeron help those around them, Jagr said they also make life easier for coaches.

“Not only for me, but even for the coaches,” Jagr said with a laugh. “I think they feel a lot better when those guys are on the ice and don’t have to worry about the team scoring against you. It’s a huge plus for them, and coaches don’t get headaches during those shifts.”

BOSTON – While there was no update on the condition of Brad Marchand, who left the Bruins’ 5-4 win at New Jersey in the second period after taking an elbow to the head from Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov, the Boston Bruins had a welcome sight at their optional game day skate Thursday morning as center Patrice Bergeron (concussion) was skating and doing non-contact drills with some of the defensemen.

“It’s a sign that he’s going in the right direction,” head coach Claude Julien said of Bergeron, who has been working out and skating alone in recent days. Bergeron has been out since April 2, missing four games after suffering a concussion.

According to forward Tyler Seguin, Bergeron is already playing a role with his team as he tries to help them get their game going in the right direction again.

“We know he’s a tough guy and to see him out on the ice and around the locker room definitely brings out the spirits in the guys,” Seguin said. “He’s a huge part of our team and a huge player and he still had things to say to us after watching the game last night.”

The Bruins will also apparently get some immediate help on their blue line Thursday night when they host the New York Islanders as Adam McQuaid appears ready to return from a strained left shoulder suffered on March 19.

“Adam’s ready. There’s a good possibility that he’ll be in the lineup tonight,” Julien said.

McQuaid was thrilled to hear that and is looking forward to helping his team again.

“I’m feeling good. I’m cleared and so I guess at this point it’s just a coach’s decision, and hopefully I’ll be in soon,” McQuaid said. “I’m looking forward to it. Especially this being a short season and missing anytime is tough so I’m just looking forward to getting back out there and competing.”

After undergoing offseason surgery for a blood clot, McQuaid struggled to find his game early on and just as it seemed he had turned things around, he suffered the shoulder injury in a 3-1 loss at Winnipeg. But rather than let frustration get the best of him, McQuaid has kept a positive approach.

“It’s obviously not the situation that you want to be in but I’ve tried to kind of change my outlook on things,” said McQuaid who has a goal and three assists in 25 games. “I want to play a hard game and I think that with that come injuries sometimes. So I’ve tried to stay positive and just work hard to get myself ready. Really that’s all I can do because I can’t really change the situations. You just try to take positives out of negative situations.”

Bruins center Patrice Bergeron, who suffered his fourth career concussion April 2, is progressing in his recovery, Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said Wednesday during a radio appearance. Chiarelli sounded encouraged because Bergeron has been practicing on his own and working out.

"On the road to recovery," Chiarelli said on the Toucher & Rich show on 98.5 The Sports Hub. "So it looks good. He's working out and things are looking good."

Bergeron suffered his latest concussion on an incidental hit to the side of the head from Senators forward Colin Greening in Boston's 3-2 win over Ottawa April 2. Bergeron has been examined by concussion specialist Dr. Robert Cantu and received positive results, according to the Boston Globe.

While Bruins head coach Claude Julien was obviously happy to hear this news, he told the media following his team's game-day skate that he won't allow himself to get too excited given the nature of concussions.

"Any time a guy starts to do something," Julien said. "It's a step in the right direction. We keep our fingers crossed and hope he keeps getting better."

BOSTON -- It doesn’t matter what line combinations Bruins coach Claude Julien creates, or which players he has on special teams, there’s no replacing Patrice Bergeron.

The Bruins forward suffered a moderate concussion during Tuesday’s 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators and will be sidelined for the foreseeable future. He’s ranked as the best faceoff man in the league, and can be considered one of the best penalty killers, too.

Along with Daniel Paille, Gregory Campbell and Jay Pandolfo, David Krejci will be added to the mix on the PK.

“We’ve got other guys,” Julien said. “You’ll probably see David Krejci in there. David’s been a penalty killer for us in the past, and since we had lots of penalty killers, we held him back a little bit because a lot of times we’ll come back with his line after we kill, but we need him right now.”

Krejci attends all the meetings for both the penalty kill and the power play. Newly acquired forward Kaspars Daugavins can also kill penalties.

"We’re OK in that department, but you don’t replace Patrice that easily, especially when it comes to faceoffs,” Julien said.

Julien spoke with Bergeron and said he was in good spirits.

"He sounded positive and he sounded good,” Julien said. “Again, you never know with those things, you really never know. Guys have taken a step back, some guys have progressed quicker than others. It’s really a tough thing to predict, as far as how long.”

BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-2 on Tuesday night after acquiring future Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr, but things took a turn for the worse when center Patrice Bergeron was forced to exit the game.

Bergeron suffered what appeared to be a head injury midway through the second period when he was racing back into the defensive zone and slammed his head into the elbow of Senators forward Colin Greening. He fell to the ice and stayed there for a bit before getting up and leaving for the Bruins' dressing room.

"He's a player that plays a big role on our team," Bruins captain Zdeno Chara said. "He's obviously one of our best players every night, so he was missed since he left the game."

Bergeron did not return, and Bruins coach Claude Julien did not have an update on his status following the game. Julien wouldn't speculate what the team would do if Bergeron is sidelined for an extended amount of time.

CLICK HERE to read more on Bergeron's condition.

CLICK HERE to read Bruins reporter Joe McDonald's column on Boston's up-and-down day.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BOSTON -- Patrice Bergeron scored the overtime winner with 1:21 left and Tuukka Rask made 30 saves as the Bruins won their fifth straight to pull into sole possession of second place in the Northeast Division. Nathan Horton had the other goal for the Bruins.

Ottawa got a goal from Jim O'Brien and a brilliant performance from goalie Robin Lehner, who made 44 saves.

Bergeron's grit gets winner: Bergeron's game winner typifies his all-around gritty style. Bergeron as always was down low, paying the price, and was in the right place at the right time to tip home the goal. Bergeron now has a goal and two assists in his past two games, and four goals and 10 assists on the season. But points are only half of arguably the best two-way player's game, which was on display once again Thursday.

Goalie duel: When eyeing this game on the calendar two weeks ago, fans may have been excited to see two early-season Vezina Trophy candidates go at it in Rask and Craig Anderson, but Anderson went down with a sprained ankle last week and instead it was Lehner who faced the Bruins Thursday. The Swedish netminder didn't disappoint, as he almost stole a win from the Bruins with some amazing goaltending. At the other end, Rask was excellent once again as he won his fifth straight start. Two of the biggest saves came in overtime as Rask made two huge stops on an Ottawa power play early in the extra frame.

Thursday night special for Horton: Last Thursday at Tampa Bay, Nathan Horton scored two goals to help his team to a 4-2 win. A week later Horton lit the lamp 5:48 into the second period for his seventh goal of the season. Horton now has three goals and an assist in his past four games, and he continues to have a solid comeback from his past two concussion-plagued seasons.

Lucic's hard work paying off: Milan Lucic might not be scoring goals at the pace fans would like, and he did take a penalty with 31.6 seconds left in regulation, but he deserves credit for how hard he's been working out there this season. Lucic has still been a physical presence and he is doing the little things to help create opportunities for his linemates. A perfect example of that was not just the assist he got on Horton's second-period goal, but what he did to start that play -- walking the blue line and saving the puck from leaving the offensive zone. Lucic now has a goal and two assists in his past three games, but it's the little things that have the big winger making a difference right now.

Penalty-kill streak snapped: The Bruins finally gave up a power-play goal after killing off 27 straight. O'Brien's power-play tally at 14:38 of the second period was the first power-play goal the Bruins allowed since Feb. 6 in a 2-1 win at Montreal. That was their longest streak since they killed off 28 straight from March 1-11 in 2007. Nonetheless, the Bruins came up big when it counted most, killing off a penalty to start overtime.

Letdown hits in second period: The Bruins outshot Ottawa 18-15 in the middle frame, but there were plenty of mental lapses coach Claude Julien couldn't have been happy with. Bad penalties (including the dreaded too many men on the ice), errant passes and a more passive approach in their own end made for a period they were lucky to come out of tied at 1-1. After the morning skate, Julien discussed the infamous letdown that hits teams in their first game back after a long road trip, and it appeared to plague the Bruins in the second period. Thankfully they recovered for the win.

Roster remains the same: There were no changes in the lineup Thursday as Julien kept his forward and defensive pairings the same. 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-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton

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

Goalies
Tuukka Rask
Anton Khudobin

BOSTON -- In the closing seconds of the Boston Bruins’ 5-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes Monday night in Raleigh, N.C., Bruins assistant captain Patrice Bergeron was livid after he was taken out by an apparent slew-foot from the Hurricanes’ Jeff Skinner (NESN has video of the incident here).

It takes a lot for anything to bother Bergeron, but it was clearly upset with the incident and even threw a couple of punches while the linesmen tried to separate the two. Both players were given two minutes for roughing.

“It was just emotions, part of the game,” said a more subdued Bergeron after the team’s off-ice workouts Tuesday morning. “I just told him what I thought and that’s about it.

“That was the first time he did it [to me] but I thought it was uncalled for. The puck wasn’t even close.”

Bergeron said he’s not worried about whether or not Skinner should be fined or suspended for the play.

“No, I’m not going to get into that. I haven’t looked at replay, but I know he did it. At the same time, I don’t really care what happens. I don’t think anything will happen out of it.”

Bruins coach Claude Julien said Tuesday morning he has not seen the replay of the incident, but hopes the league looks at the play.

“To be honest, I haven’t watched it that part,” Julien said. “The league looks into those kind of things. Whether we complain, or don’t complain, it doesn’t really matter because the league is in charge of that. They can deal with it the way they feel.”

Bruins forward Brad Marchand was fined $2,500 for a slew-foot incident in December of 2011.