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BOSTON -- In the final five minutes of Boston's 8-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night at TD Garden, some of the 16,839 in attendance began to chant: "We want Tuukka."

It was unwarranted given that Malcolm Subban, who was in net for the Bruins, was in his first full preseason game. The rookie and former first-round pick (24th overall in 2012) received plenty of encouragement from coach Claude Julien after the game despite the tough performance.

“It was one of those nights, unfortunately, our guys in front of him certainly left him out to dry a little bit,” Julien said. “We made some real bad mistakes. It’s easy to point the finger at him, but if anything we all have to take the blame for that and that’s for leaving him out to dry.”

Subban made his debut Monday in Montreal, playing the final 30 minutes against the Canadiens, and earned the win with his 12-save performance.

Despite the number of bad goals Thursday against the Canadiens, Julien wanted Subban to fight through it and finish the game.

“This is a good learning thing for a goaltender,” Julien said. “This is what he’s going to be facing and he’s got to fight through these situations.”

It was evident Subban was not happy with his performance.

“No matter what I did, the puck just found its way in. Some bad bounces, but I didn’t do my part tonight,” he said.

Julien didn’t have to explain much because Subban realizes the team he faced Thursday night is one of the best in the league with talented veterans.

“They’re a good team and it can only get better from here. I’m not looking at it that way. I’m looking at it a positive way,” Subban said. “It’s probably a good thing, now I can be more focused obviously and start the game better. Going down 2-0 pretty early like that didn’t help.”

The Red Wings gained a 2-0 lead in the first period. Justin Abdelkader scored a power-play goal at 5:01, before Dave McIntyre gave Detroit a two-goal advantage at 16:07 when he scored during a delayed penalty.

The Red Wings gained a 4-0 lead with a pair of second-period goals by Henrik Zetterberg (3:28) and Danny DeKeyser (9:17).

The Bruins' Jarome Iginla scored his third goal in two games when he notched Boston's first tally. He was camped out in front when a shot by Bruins defenseman Matt Bartkowski hit his skate and beat Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard at 11:47 of the second period.

Speaking of three goals in two games, Bruins' Nick Johnson accomplished the same feat when he made it 5-2 at 11:32 of the third period. However, that was all the offense the Bruins were able to produce.

Detroit added three more goals to pull away.

“I guess when you let in eight goals, focus probably isn’t there all the way,” Subban said. “I guess I thought I was focused, but obviously not. I’ve got to be better the next opportunity I get.”

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BOSTON -- After Boston's top four defensemen of Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg, Adam McQuaid and Johnny Boychuk, it will be a true competition between Dougie Hamilton, Torey Krug and Matt Bartkowski for the final two spots on the blue line.

Hamilton, Krug and Bartkowski have all played well in the first week of camp and into the preseason exhibition schedule. But one of those three will serve as the healthy scratch once the season starts, so the competition should be intense and healthy.

"We don't have to spell that out to them," said Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli. "I spoke openly to the group about competition. I'm really looking forward to seeing the competition at all levels, at all positions.

"Common sense would dictate right now that it would be those three guys for those two spots. They've embraced it and they've played well. I thought Dougie had a good game [Tuesday night]. He was strong on the puck and made some good plays and closed well as the game progressed. Torey and Bart, the other night in Montreal, they both played well."

Chiarelli added that no spot is guaranteed, but when asked if he would be comfortable seeing Hamilton play for the P-Bruins at some point instead of watching from press level as the healthy scratch, the GM said: "My goal is to have him in the NHL."

* With two exhibition games in the books, all four goalies have each played half of a game. Tuukka Rask and Niklas Svedberg played Tuesday night against the Washington Capitals, while Chad Johnson and Malcolm Subban played Monday at Montreal. The latter three are competing for the backup role behind Rask.

"We're all competitive and we all want to be out there," Rask said. "I haven't paid too much attention to that yet but I'm sure as the camp keeps going further and further I'll get to practice with the other goalies and see how they're doing."

Camp has been split into two groups, so Rask has been on the ice with Svedberg all week.

"I thought he made some key saves out there," Rask said of Svedberg's performance Tuesday night. "I thought he was solid."

* Bruins forward Daniel Paille did not practice Wednesday, but both Chiarelli and coach Claude Julien said it had nothing to do with hockey, simply saying Paille was ill and expected back on the ice Thursday.

* While it's a possibility Gregory Campbell could return to game action Thursday night against the Detroit Red Wings at TD Garden, teammate Patrice Bergeron still needs more time, according to Julien, but the coach added it's a possibility Bergeron could play Saturday at Detroit.

* Rask's spirited temper is in midseason form. During the last drill of Wednesday's practice, he took a couple of shots up high and had a few goals scored on him. He stormed off the ice, smashed his stick into pieces against the boards and threw his gloves down the hallway. Afterward, he was fine, saying he's not a fan of the neutral zone scrimmage.

* The Bruins made their first round of cuts Wednesday afternoon. Camp invites Scott Campbell, Jack Downing, Steven Spinell and Ben Youds will join the Providence Bruins training camp, while Tyler Randell and Adam Morrison have been assigned to Providence.

The Bruins can move on from Nathan Horton and let him enjoy playing under the radar for the Columbus Blue Jackets because, after one exhibition game at least, his replacement in Boston, Jarome Iginla, fit perfectly on the team’s top line along with David Krejci and Milan Lucic.

After Horton’s surprise departure from Boston during the summer as a free agent, Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli signed Iginla in hopes the future Hall of Famer would have an impact in Boston.

During the first four days of training camp, the chemistry between Lucic, Krejci and Iginla was evident. It continued during the Bruins’ first preseason game against the Montreal Canadiens Monday night at Bell Centre.

Iginla scored a pair of goals as the Bruins defeated the Canadiens, 6-3, as Lucic added three assists and Krejci contributed a goal.

VERY SPECIAL: Boston’s power play, which has struggled the last few seasons, was tremendous against Montreal. Sure, it’s only a preseason game, but Boston went 4-for-6 on the PP and showed quick puck movement and quality goals. The top unit Monday night of Iginla, Lucic, Krejci, Carl Soderberg and Torey Krug was outstanding.

KRUG IMPRESSIVE: The phenom rookie defenseman doesn’t want to be a flash in the pan, and by the way he played in the first preseason game, that won’t be the case. He provided three assists to help Boston to victory. He burst onto the scene for the Bruins last spring during the Stanley Cup playoffs and made significant contributions to help Boston reach the finals. He entered camp in great shape and with one goal: to earn a roster spot. Krug, who has shown an ability to get his shot from the point through on a consistent basis, assisted on Iginla’s second goal of the night. Krug also quarterbacked the power play. So far this preseason, he’s been paired with veteran blueliner Adam McQuaid.

IN GOAL: The Bruins had goaltenders Chad Johnson and Malcolm Subban split net time against the Canadiens. Johnson started and played the first 30 minutes and allowed three goals. Subban made his NHL preseason debut and did not allow a goal in his 30 minutes of action. Early in the third period, however, Subban learned he’s no longer playing junior hockey. He mishandled the puck to the left of his net, then was penalized for playing the puck outside the trapezoid. Subban played against his older brother, Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban, for the first time in their respective careers. Malcolm picked up the win with his 12-save performance, while P.K. scored a goal for Montreal.

BATTLING FOR A SPOT: There are two forward positions up for grabs in Boston’s lineup this season, and while the young homegrown prospects in camp are all in the mix, newcomer Nick Johnson made his presence known in the first preseason game, scoring a pair of goals. Johnson has 104 games of NHL experience with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota Wild and Phoenix Coyotes. Boston signed the 27-year-old forward as a free agent in July.

LINED UP: Here are the lines used against the Canadiens:

FORWARDS
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Jarome Iginla
Matt Fraser-Carl Soderberg-Craig Cunningham
Anthony Camara-Ryan Spooner-Nick Johnson
Daniel Paille-Alex Fallstrom-Shawn Thornton

DEFENSE
Torey Krug-Adam McQuaid
Matt Bartkowski-Kevan Miller
Tommy Cross-Zach Trotman

GOALTENDERS
Chad Johnson
Malcolm Subban

UP NEXT: With the first of seven preseason games in the book, the Bruins travel to Baltimore on Tuesday and will face the Washington Capitals.

BOSTON -- After Bruins players spent Day 1 of training camp undergoing physicals and testing, assistant captain Patrice Bergeron said he feels good and is ready for the on-ice sessions to begin Thursday at TD Garden.

It’s been less than three months since he suffered torn rib cartilage, a broken rib on his left side, a separated right shoulder and a punctured lung that ended up collapsing and forced him to spend three days in the hospital after the Bruins lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup finals last June.

Bergeron admitted earlier this week that he’s still experiencing some “tenderness” in the rib area but said he doesn’t believe there will be any limitations once practices begin.

“I don’t think so,” Bergeron said. “I guess we’ll go with feel with what happens on the ice. So far I’m feeling good and I’m ready to start tomorrow.”

Despite feeling the effects of the broken rib, his lung has completely healed and he was able to complete his running test Wednesday without any issues. During the team’s recent captain’s practices, Bergeron was able to handle a little bit of physical play, but he’ll be tested in the coming days before a decision is made on whether he’ll play in the exhibition games.

“Honestly, if I feel fine in the first couple of practices and I feel I can bang around and play physical during the one-on-one and stuff like that on the ice, I’ll pretty much feel like I’ll be ready to get going and move forward," he said Wednesday. "I guess the next couple of days will really tell me where I stand with the lingering issues.”

For other players, especially the younger prospects, the first day of physicals can be a bit taxing.

“Oh man, the anxiety,” said Bruins defenseman Torey Krug. “You prepare all summer. I have so much confidence going into the testing that I’m going to do better than last year. I’m going to pass all the tests, but there’s just something about it with management and the coaching staff sitting there watching you test; it adds that element to it. Your heart’s racing and you spend a lot of energy. It’s a tough day, but everyone in here is prepared for it. It’s something you look forward to right when it was the last game of last season.”

There’s also a mental aspect to the testing.

“We do our best to put ourselves in great physical shape to come in and be successful during the testing, so that extra element of the management and coaching staff watching is something you have to overcome mentally and make sure you’re sharp and focused,” Krug said.

After the testing was complete, Bruins coach Claude Julien said that every player passed and there were no disappointments or surprises.

WILMINGTON, Mass. -- Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli recently said he’s expecting an influx of younger players to make contributions this upcoming season and beyond.

Defenseman Torey Krug, 22, is among that group of young players and he’s already given fans a sneak peak of what to expect. Injuries to key Boston defensemen during the Stanley Cup playoffs last spring allowed the Bruins to see how Krug would handle playing on such a big stage.

The 5-foot-9, 180-pounder was thrust into second round action against the New York Rangers and quickly proved crucial. Krug became a phenomenon in Boston when he scored four goals in five games against the Rangers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Defensively, he was strong, too.

In the conference finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and in the Cup finals against the Chicago Blackhawks, Krug experienced the NHL at it finest. He dealt with a few growing pains along the way, but proved he can play at this level.

With the official start of training camp less than a week away on Sept. 11, Krug is among several players already participating in captain’s practices at Ristuccia Arena. When camp ends and the 2013-2014 regular season begins, Krug wants to remain in Boston and avoid a trip to the AHL. His goal is to become a top six defenseman for the Bruins, joining the likes of Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg, Adam McQuaid, Johnny Boychuk and Dougie Hamilton.

“That’s what I expect. That’s what I want to do,” Krug said. “My goal is to be on the team opening night and throughout the season, but management is the one making that decision, so I’m just going to keep my head down, remain confident and do what I do.”

After making his NHL debut with the Bruins in the final two regular season games of the 2011-2012 season, Krug returned to Michigan State to finish his classes and watched the Stanley Cup playoffs on television. During that offseason, he had the mindset he needed to get bigger and stronger in order to compete at the NHL level.

His experience during the 2013 playoffs and Stanley Cup run gave him a new perspective on his offseason workouts.

“This summer I changed a little bit,” he said. “I wanted to get more explosive. My style of game is all about explosiveness and my first three steps. Obviously, you always want to get stronger, so I also concentrated on that so I could battle with the bigger guys in front. That was pretty much what I concentrated on.

“Last year I had no idea what to expect going into my first pro camp. I went down to Providence and worked on whatever I could during the lockout. This summer coming into camp, it’s a little more exciting. I’m more comfortable in the room. With the group of guys in here it’s a family atmosphere. So, coming in I’m more comfortable and my confidence is high. I’m just going to keep my head down and go to work.”

A second-year pro, Krug has no idea what to expect from a full 82-game NHL season and the grind that comes along with it.

“It’s going to be different,” he said. “In Providence we played three games in a weekend then you have a whole week of practice to regroup. Here, you have three games in a week -- Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday -- or whatever the schedule it. It’s a little bit different with less time on the ice for practice and development but you need to really make sure you take care of yourself.”

Given his success during the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs, the organization and its fans will expect similar contributions from Krug this season.

“Yeah, I’m OK with that,” he said with a smile. “I have those expectations of myself. Obviously, I’m not going to be scoring goals at that rate that I did in the playoffs, but that’s what I want to try to do. As long as I’m helping the team win that’s all I care about. That’s the reason I came to Boston to win a Stanley Cup and that’s the goal at the beginning of each season and that’s the way you have to approach every game.”

CHICAGO -- After dissecting their 4-3 triple-overtime loss to the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals, the Boston Bruins are not blaming rookie defenseman Torey Krug for his turnover that led to Chicago's second goal of the game.

The Bruins had a 3-1 lead when Krug had control of the puck in the Boston zone along the half wall. With the Bruins in the midst of a change, he didn't want to chip the puck out toward the bench and risk a possible too-many-men penalty. So he attempted a centering pass to teammate Kaspars Daugavins, but Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw intercepted the pass at the blue line and gained control.

Shaw's pass to teammate Dave Bolland resulted in a goal at the eight-minute mark of the third period. Chicago then tied the game 3-3 only four minutes later to force overtime.

Since arriving on the scene, Krug has become a sports sensation in Boston. His four goals in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Rangers helped the Bruins reach this point of the season. He's also been reliable defensively, but he struggled in Game 1 against the high-flying Blackhawks.

Krug's ice time was limited and he finished with only 19:36 after six periods of hockey in Game 1.

Because of the 22-year-old defenseman's mistakes, the thought would be maybe Bruins coach Claude Julien makes a lineup change for Game 2 and inserts fellow rookie blueliner Matt Bartkowski. When listening to Julien's comments during Thursday's off day, it doesn't seem like a change will be made on Boston's back end.

"When you look at games, there are a lot of mistakes made," Julien said. "Some end up as goals, and some you're able to recover from. We certainly shouldn't look and judge this player on one game where he might have been average instead of real good, like he has been. Those are part of a player getting better, and it doesn't mean we lose confidence in him, because we still had the confidence to put him out there in overtime. He's also the kind of guy to produce the kind of goal we needed. It is what it is. It's easy to focus in on one thing, and yes, it was a mistake to throw that puck up the middle, but if you look back at the play, I didn't think we had a good line change, and he didn't have a ton of options. There could be some blame shared on that goal."

Krug wasn't dwelling on the play, because the team's focus is now on Game 2.

"I didn't beat myself up -- especially during the game, you've got to be ready to go back out on the ice," Krug said. "The best players, they forget mistakes like that. They learn from them, but then they have a short-term memory. For me, it was about getting ready to get back out there the next time my name was called. Come overtime, I was ready to go."

After Wednesday's game, Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask described Krug's play as a "terrible turnover," but Julien made it a point Thursday to say Rask wasn't placing blame on one particular player.

"I don't think he was blaming Krug," Julien said. "He probably had the right to say the same thing. It wasn't a good turnover. He didn't have that many options either with a tough line change and everything else. Mistakes are part of the game. Whether he made that turnover, he still scored four goals for us in the [New York] series where we need him to score. If you balance it out, there's a lot more positives in Torey's game than there is in that one mistake."

Bruins veteran defenseman Andrew Ference, who inadvertently redirected the puck off his skate into the Boston net to account for Chicago's game-tying third goal, also wasn't blaming Krug for the turnover.

"We've all been there," Ference said. "Everybody has made passes that don't work out. So what? That's the game. Nobody expects perfection. You know the other team is going to get chances. You move on. What's done is done. We've always been successful at really not paying too much attention to what's happened, what's gone on, whether it's history from 50 years ago or what's done on the last shift. That's been a good approach for us. Whether it's experienced guys, young guys, the general atmosphere in the room is fairly consistent."

BOSTON -- Bruins rookie defenseman Torey Krug grew up in Michigan as a Detroit Red Wings fan, so he’s not too keen on the Chicago Blackhawks.

The 22-year-old blueliner already has experienced a Cinderella-like Stanley Cup playoffs, his first as a pro. That he’s about to face the Blackhawks in the Cup finals only adds another chapter to his inspiring story.

He’s become a phenomenon in Boston for his on-ice contributions since being recalled from the Providence Bruins of the AHL in time for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series against the New York Rangers. He scored four goals in five games against the Rangers and contributed in every aspect of the game.

Against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the conference finals, Krug learned how quickly the game could speed up when facing a better, more high-powered offense in the postseason. Still, he played well and hasn’t changed his game.

“I don’t think there are any adjustments that I’ve made,” he said after the Bruins’ practice Sunday morning at TD Garden. “I’m just trying to be more efficient, especially as the playoffs go on. Some games you might feel a little more tired, so you just try to be more and more efficient, and that’s what me and Adam [McQuaid] keep trying to do.”

As far as the speed, that’s the one adjustment he’ll need to figure out on the fly.

“It’s picked up,” he said. “The desperation level has picked up quite a bit and everyone’s out there trying to do whatever they can to win hockey games. I mean, you saw in the last 30 seconds [of Game 4] all five guys on our team were in the crease, and that’s how it’s going to be from here on out.”

Boston called Krug into service due to an abundance of injuries on the blue line, but once veterans Dennis Seidenberg and Andrew Ference returned to the lineup, fellow veteran Wade Redden became the odd man out due to Krug’s play.

“He’s been fine," Bruins coach Claude Julien said of Krug. "I think so much expectations came from him after that New York Rangers round."

Regarding Krug's play in the East finals series versus the Penguins, Julien said, "Maybe he didn’t score [zero goals, one assist], but when you look at the opportunities he had, he still got some good shots through, and even the last game he made a rush that ended up in a good scoring chance.

“He’s still playing with a lot of confidence. He’s doing the things that we expect him to do. I said that the other day, he makes mistakes like everybody else once in a while, but they’re not big mistakes and he fights through it to repair them. Definitely he’s been a good player for us.”

Despite Krug's limited experience, his teammates have been impressed with his ability on and off the ice. He listens and learns from the veteran defensemen and has been receiving plenty of positive feedback.

“It’s great when guys are patting you on the back,” Krug said. “When you contribute, you feel like a bigger part of the team, especially me coming in so late. It’s a good feeling when guys are doing that.”

Besides a trip to the Stanley Cup finals as a rookie, Krug’s reward from Game 4 of the conference finals was a sliced-open bottom lip and stitches.

“It’s not bad, a little sore but worth the price,” he said. “I needed something on my face to be a little gift, I guess.”

BOSTON -- The third defensive pair of Adam McQuaid and Torey Krug has been a key component for the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

While Krug made his postseason debut for the Bruins against the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, McQuaid has been an integral part of Boston’s blue line since 2010. The 26-year-old defenseman is big, strong and consistent with his play, so much so you almost don’t realize he’s out there.

His style of play also invites the possibility of injuries, which is part of the landscape of the NHL. McQuaid suffered an upper-body injury late last season and missed the playoffs. Even though he missed a total of 16 games during the lockout-shortened 2013 season, he was healthy and ready to this postseason.

“It’s been fun,” McQuaid said. “It’s been nice to be back in the feel of the playoffs. It was definitely tough to watch last year. We say you play all season long to give yourselves a chance to play in the playoffs, and you see once you get to the playoffs anything can happen. To play all season and then not to be able to play in the playoffs last year was tough, so I was excited about the opportunity this year.”

When a team has a defensive core that includes the likes of Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg and Andrew Ference, it can be easy to sometimes overlook the contributions of McQuaid, Johnny Boychuk, Dougie Hamilton, Krug and Bartkowski.

“[McQuaid] was a pretty important part of our team when we won a few years ago and probably flew under the radar because of how well other players played,” said Bruins coach Claude Julien. “But when he stays away from injuries and he gets his momentum going in his game, he’s a really reliable defenseman, and you’ve see him at times play against top lines because he’s capable of doing that. Certainly in the position that he’s in right now in that third pairing, he gives us a pretty good player there.”

In the first two games of this series against the Pittsburgh, the Bruins’ defense has done a solid job of limiting the Penguins offensive chances. Boston hasn’t surrendered much time and space, and when they have, goaltender Tuukka Rask has been there to make the timely saves.

“They have a lot of talent, a lot of fire power, guys who are very capable of making plays and finding the back of the net,” McQuaid said. “We have to expect their best. They’re a very talented team and we’re going to have to make sure we’re at our best.”

McQuaid’s rookie partner hasn’t been playing like it’s his first Stanley Cup playoff.

Krug has been sensational since being recalled from the Providence Bruins in time for Game 1 of the Rangers series. The 22-year-old blueliner was promoted out of necessity since Seidenberg, Wade Redden and Ference were all out of the lineup with injuries.

Krug hasn’t disappointed and he’s registered four goals and two assists for six points, including a plus-4 rating in seven games. Because of his ability in all aspects of the game, Julien is not afraid to go with a rookie in the playoffs.

“I think it’s pretty obvious when you look at him, even in this Pittsburgh series, the plays he makes. He’s got a good sense for the game, he sees the openings,” Julien said. “He’s calm with the puck, he doesn’t throw it away for nothing. Does he make mistakes? Just like everybody else, once in a while. But as far as do we know what we’re going to get, I think we have an idea, but until he shows it, you never know. That’s why we told him right off the bat to go out there and just play his game and not to play on his heels, and we were going to correct whatever needed to be corrected. You have to have confidence in the guys you put in your lineup, and they need to feel that confidence. We were able to do that and he was able to give us what we wanted.”

Defensively he’s hasn’t been a liability and his play has caught the eye of former Bruin defenseman and Hall of Famer Ray Bourque. No. 77 has texted Krug a few times after games.

Krug was a teammate of Chris Bourque, Ray’s son, in Providence.

“I’m really close with his son, Chris, and they’re a good family,” Krug said. “Ray, being who he is, is a guy I look up to and he’s been sending me very encouraging text messages. It’s a great feeling. He’s a guy I watched growing up and you idolize and hope one day you can impact the game like he did.”

The Penguins are a much more skilled offensive team than the Rangers, but it hasn’t effected Krug’s game.

“Pittsburgh is definitely different than the Rangers,” Krug said. “I think it all comes back to being the same player I was against New York. I’m trying to be efficient, playing with the puck more than the other team, taking control of that puck and taking care of it. It’s all about efficiency and not putting yourself in bad situations.”

BOSTON -- The Bruins won their second consecutive overtime game in the Stanley Cup playoffs, taking a 3-2 decision over the New York Rangers to take a 1-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Brad Marchand scored 15:40 into the extra frame to get his first of the playoffs and send TD Garden into hysteria for a second straight game.

Torey Krug had tied the game, 2-2, 2:22 into the third period after the Rangers took a 2-1 lead on a Derek Stepan goal 14 seconds into the third. Zdeno Chara also scored for Boston and Ryan McDonagh scored for the Rangers.

Tuukka Rask (33 saves) and Henrik Lundqvist (46 saves) began what should be a great goalies’ duel.

Marchand breaks through at right time -- Maybe Marchand should leave the morning skate with an injury more often. After having to be helped off the ice at the team’s skate Thursday morning, Marchand ended up playing and finally found the twine with his first goal of the playoffs. While he hadn’t scored, Marchand has been playing better and utilizing his speed. That speed played a major role in his overtime goal as he and Bergeron connected for the winner.

Mr. OT comes through again -- Bergeron is starting to build a reputation as an overtime player. After scoring the winner in overtime of Game 7 in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Bergeron, along with Chara, jump-started the breakout that led to Marchand’s overtime winner and gave Marchand a beautiful feed.

Chara letting it rip, racking up minutes -- One of the hot topics heading into this series was how the Bruins would get shots through the Rangers, who block shots with the best of them. Well, that’s what Chara’s 108 mph shot is for, right? Chara used that blistering shot to open the scoring 12:23 into the middle frame. Chara let one rip that Lundqvist couldn’t handle and the puck was then inadvertently knocked into the net by a Rangers player in front. Chara now has two goals in the playoffs and even if he doesn’t score with his shot, the more he lets it rip, the better the chances the Bruins will score. Chara also assisted on Marchand’s game winner. In addition to providing offense, Chara once again racked up the minutes on ice with three regulars on the blue line out with injuries. Chara finished with an astonishing 38:02 of ice time.

Blue-line rookie trio gets job done -- Already depending on two rookie defensemen, the Bruins welcomed another rookie rearguard to the blue-line corps to help fill in for veterans Andrew Ference, Dennis Seidenberg and Wade Redden. Torey Krug was called up on Tuesday and wasted no time in making his presence felt, tying the game on a power-play goal 2:22 into the third period. It was Krug’s first NHL goal. Meanwhile, Matt Bartkowski and Dougie Hamilton continued to fill in admirably, with Hamilton picking up a helper on the Krug goal.

Depleted defense gets scare -- The Bruins -- already hurting on the blue line -- got another scare. Johnny Boychuk appeared to suffer an upper-body injury when he was the recipient of a high hit from Rangers forward Taylor Pyatt early in the second period. But Boychuk quickly returned after a trip to the training room.

Seguin and Jagr switch spots again -- Coach Claude Julien had Tyler Seguin back down on a line with Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley and had Jaromir Jagr riding shotgun with Marchand and Bergeron to start the game. Here’s what the forward lines looked like:

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

BOSTON -- It's looking increasingly likely the Bruins will be without one or more of their injured trio of defensemen when they begin the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Rangers on Thursday night at TD Garden. Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference and Wade Redden were all missing from practice Wednesday, and there were no updates on any of the blueliners from coach Claude Julien after practice.

"Not really. Again, you saw none of them on the ice today. That's the situation," Julien said. "I'm in the training room every day talking to my trainers. A lot of that stuff is day-to-day until we get them through. There's injuries; there's no hiding that fact, except that sometimes you can get players through those and sometimes you can't. Sometimes it's better not to practice and just to play. We're going to look at that situation. At the end of the day, my final roster will be decided before the game."

For now, Julien is hoping Matt Bartkowski -- who scored the first goal of his NHL career in the Bruins' 5-4 Game 7 win over Toronto Monday -- and Dougie Hamilton can build off the minutes they saw in Monday's win and their playoff experience thus far.

"I think, again, we went down to five D's [defensemen] in the first couple of minutes of the game," Julien said. "When you look at the ice time they got, they got quite a bit and they did a great job. For them, it's important that they build on that and take the confidence that they had in that game and carry it into the next series."

On Tuesday, the Bruins recalled Torey Krug from Providence to boost their blue-line depth. The rookie defenseman has never played a Stanley Cup playoff game in his life, but he knows that he must follow in Bartkowski's and Hamilton's footsteps and just be himself on the ice, if he ends up playing Thursday.

"One thing that Bart has told me, and that the coaches have reinforced in me, is to play the same game I was playing in Providence," said Krug. "Bart came up and played the same way he was playing in Providence. It's important for me to stick to my roots."

Julien said that's exactly what he and his staff want from Krug, Bartkowski and Hamilton.

"That's what I encouraged our guys to do -- 'You guys go out there and play your game.' I don't want them to feel the pressure," Julien said. "I don't want them to not be comfortable or have the ability to play as well as they can. It's about encouraging them to do those kinds of things. We know our players well enough that we know what they're capable of bringing. It's about putting them in those positions to be able to play that way and bring that part of their game to the team."

Julien also said that positive reinforcement is key for this young trio to succeed in the pressure environment that is the Stanley Cup playoffs.

"I think it's more about showing confidence in the guys that are going to be playing if that's the case," Julien said. "Right now, the guys that played last game, you look at Hamilton and Bartkowski, I thought they handled themselves really well, especially with five D's. The confidence in those guys seems to be getting better all the time. It's a matter of stabilizing, I guess, your team the best you can and move forward. When you look back at situations that we see in the past, there's guys that have walked into a team and done extremely well because they just go out there and play."

BOSTON -- The Bruins have recalled defenseman Torey Krug from Providence of the AHL, and he will be available to play against the Montreal Canadiens tonight at TD Garden.

Krug has played 55 games with the P-Bruins this season and has scored 10 goals with 24 assists for 34 points. The 21-year-old blueliner signed with the Bruins late last season after finishing his collegiate career at Michigan State. He made his NHL debut with the Bruins last season and played two games with one assist.

With a week before the NHL’s trade deadline, this is an interesting move for the Bruins. GM Peter Chiarelli has said he would like to add a defenseman before the deadline via the trade market, so if Krug plays tonight, the Bruins may be showcasing him.

Last week, Krug spoke with ESPNBoston.com and said he realizes all the prospects in Providence know their address could change soon.

"To say that none of us here read about anything would be false," Krug said. "But if you get caught up in any of that, you're not going to be doing your job and taking care of your end of the business. For me, it's about controlling what I can control, and whatever happens, happens.

"Right now we're focused on helping the Providence Bruins, and obviously if you get your shot with the Boston Bruins that would be unbelievable, but all the guys in this room aren't focused on that. We think within our room and not outside of it."

This is Krug's first recall to Boston this season.

BOSTON -- On Friday morning, the Boston Bruins cleaned out their dressing room stalls, had their exit interviews with coaches and management and headed into a summer they never expected to come so early.

Instead of practicing and preparing for the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, they were still scratching their heads and wondering what happened. Did the defending Stanley Cup champions really just lose a seven-game series to the seventh-seeded Washington Capitals?

"To be honest I woke up yesterday and even again today feeling like it was just a dream," said winger Brad Marchand. "It's really weird to be done so early after how far we went last year. I think we're all still pretty shocked and wondering how that happened."

But it's no dream. There will be no Duck Boats rides through the streets of Boston with the Bruins hoisting the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy for adoring fans, as the Bruins did on a hot summer day last June. The reality is the Bruins didn't become first to repeat as Stanley Cup champions since the 1998 Detroit Red Wings.

Instead, it's time to regroup and look ahead to the 2012-13 season. On Friday, Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli was already doing that, promising that while this team may have underachieved, he has no intentions of breaking up a core that won the Stanley Cup last June and has had only two first-round exits in the past five seasons.

"We obviously have some guys to consider whether we sign them or not," Chiarelli said. "From the makeover perspective, certainly we're not going to do anything to makeover this team. You hear me talk about the parity in this league and our first-round loss in seven games this year can be another Stanley Cup Final next year, it's that close. You saw the number of teams in the West; you kind of see the new four teams in the West and you see some different teams in the East so you just have to be prepared."

Chiarelli has seven unrestricted free agents in forwards Brian Rolston, Chris Kelly, Gregory Campbell and Daniel Paille and defensemen Joe Corvo, Greg Zanon and Mike Mottau. The Bruins also have two restricted free agents with goalie Tuukka Rask and forward Benoit Pouliot. Chiarelli said he intends to sign Rask, and didn't rule out Pouliot. The GM said he remains in negotiations with Kelly, Paille and Campbell. Corvo told ESPNBoston.com that he is set on testing the free-agent market and doesn't expect to be back next season. Zanon and Mottau are still very much possibilities as depth defensemen, depending on how ready the Bruins believe their blue-line prospects like Dougie Hamilton, Torey Krug and Matt Bartkowski to be.

In addition to addressing his unsigned players, Chiarelli could look for help via trades or free agency. The Bruins could add some bodies up front for depth scoring after struggling to put the puck in the net against the Capitals.

"I'd like to maybe look at a forward to bolster our top nine, but that doesn't mean I'm going to not look at signing Pouliot," Chiarelli said. "It doesn't mean we're not going to consider [Jordan] Caron up there. I just want to look at the trade market and the free-agent market. And we got a couple of good, young players coming too. We got a good defenseman that I think will challenge for a spot like Dougie Hamilton. We got Torey Krug, Matt Bartkowski, and you've seen some guys that are going to challenge but on the major change front, I'm not looking at doing anything on that front. But I would like to add some pieces."

There are two things that Chiarelli must consider as he balances his salary cap while constructing the 2012-13 lineup: 1. the expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement on Sept. 15, and 2. the health of winger Nathan Horton, who suffered his second concussion Jan. 22 (the first was in last year's Stanley Cup finals Game 3). After originally being diagnosed with just a mild concussion, he was never able to recover enough to return to the lineup.

"From an operational standpoint, for my perspective you throw 10 percent on your cap for summer cap accounting," Chiarelli pointed out. "There's going to be a bump in the cap by all accounts because of the growth and revenues and I have to be careful, and I have to try and look in crystal ball-gaze a little bit where we think it will end up. So I have to be cautious as far as summer additions."

Leading into the trade deadline on Feb. 27, Chiarelli was still under the impression that Horton would return shortly. The GM is on record as saying he did search for depth scoring, but there was not as much urgency since he believed Horton was coming back. On Friday Chiarelli was asked if that approach would change in the offseason because of uncertainty.

"I approach it as he's going to be back and healthy, and in a month that may change, but based on the information given now that's my approach," said Chiarelli. "Based on my observation I'm making, that's my approach. Based on what Horton has told me, that's my approach. I consider him an active player for us and when we make our assessments and when we make our decisions that's how we approach it."

So while players, fans and media alike remain stunned at the Bruins' early exit from the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, it appears the GM is once again remaining calm and keeping things in perspective. Chiarelli surely didn't want to be holding his end-of-season news conference on April 27. But if he didn't blow up a team that blew a 3-0 series lead to the Flyers in the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals, don't expect him to blow up the core of a team that is only a year removed from a Stanley Cup.

BOSTON -- While the Bruins lost 5-3 to the Penguins on Tuesday in a game that meant nothing in the standings, the game will always mean something for Bruins rookie defenseman Torey Krug, who after signing with the team March 25 as a free agent out of Michigan State, made his NHL debut.

Krug, who had 34 points for the Spartans and was named CCHA player of the year this season, was paired with Johnny Boychuk (who left the game with an injury in the third period) and played 21 shifts for 18:18 of ice time and after the game was ecstatic to finally achieve a lifelong dream.

“It was a lot of fun -- something I’ll remember forever,” a smiling Krug said following the game. “Unfortunately we didn’t get the result that we wanted, but it was a lot of fun. I’m not even sure if I realized that yet. It’s something I can’t put my finger on, but hopefully in the next couple of days it will settle in.”

As Krug told the media, it was a hectic day with his family coming to town for the game and plenty of well-wishers lighting up his cell phone.

“I got my whole family here in town and just kind of threw my phone off to the side and didn’t listen to it. It was ringing off the hook,” Krug said. “I had a lot of guys at Michigan State watching the game tonight.”

But at the advice of the coaching staff, Krug did his best to block out everything and treat the game like any other and most of all have fun.

“The biggest advice I was given was have fun and be myself,” Krug said. “When it comes down to it, it’s just another hockey game and it’s just a level higher. All the guys said, ‘Have fun, you’re going to remember this for the rest of your life,’ and I think I did that.”

Coach Claude Julien said he thought his rookie rearguard did a solid job of enjoying the moment and, as the game went on, not thinking too much.

“I thought he handled himself well. I like the way he moved the puck,” Julien said of the Hobey Baker Award candidate. “I think everybody who knows the game realized that he’s a good puck-mover, his mobility was obvious, and the only thing I would tell you is that you could see him in the defensive zone really thinking about trying to play within our system, and sometimes he was maybe just a fraction of a second delayed, which is totally normal, but once he knew what he had to do, he went.

So there was no hesitation once his mind was made up, and that will only get better as it becomes second nature, and that’s totally natural for a guy playing in his first game.”