Patrice Bergeron News

So here we are again. For the second time in what seems like minutes, the Boston Bruins have an NHL Playoff opponent on the ropes.

I mean, can you blame anyone for thinking that? Since coach Claude Julien became Boston's head coach in 2007, the team has been in an NHL Playoff Game 7 eight times, counting this year's stunner against the Toronto Maple Leafs .

Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks, Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins and Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings are finalists for the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL's best defensive forward.

Shawn Thornton brings a certain reputation and everyone knows what it is. The Bruins winger is a fighter, and he takes pride in his craft.

What they were not ready for was the next 28:24. During that span, their lead - and second-round playoff hopes - vanished, leaving fans, players and the media wondering: What went wrong for the Maple Leafs in the 2013 NHL playoffs? Making the playoffs in 2013 was a big deal for the Maple Leafs and their fans.

Boychuk scored the game-tying goal early in the third period last night, setting up the B's for a 2-1 victory in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Rangers.

John Tortorella's message isn't going to change even though his New York Rangers are in an even more desperate situation than before their latest loss to the Boston Bruins.

The Bruins' 5-2 victory over the New York Rangers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series Sunday afternoon might have been the best of both worlds for the coaching staff.

May 10, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins right wing Jaromir Jagr reacts to being defeated by the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 in game five of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden.

Fourth-liners are typically the underappreciated, hard-hat workers of the NHL. They do whatever the team needs, most of which doesn't show up in the stat sheet.

Johnny Boychuk broke a tie midway through the second period, and the Boston Bruins scored two goals in the third to beat the New York Rangers 5-2 on Sunday and take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.

He had been on the ice for more than a minute and a half. His average shift length in the third period had been 44 seconds.

As the 2013 NHL trade deadline neared, the Boston Bruins needed to make a move. They were in the middle of a midseason funk, and were struggling to score on a consistent basis.

Dougie is 19, Torey is 22, Matt is 24. Combine their ages into one AARP membership card and you get 65-year-old Bobby Orr.

In the corner of the Boston Bruins' locker room, hanging from the hooks in Andrew Ference's stall, is a yellow running singlet with the team's "Spoked B" logo on the front.

Pavel Datsyuk is one of the NHL 's most feared scorers, a wizard with the puck who is equally adept at setting up his teammates for easy plays.

Cam Neely may have had a bit more of a personal stake involved, but his reaction to the final game of the Bruins' first-round playoff series against Toronto was about the same as the most hard-core fan.

It was unfolding perfectly for the visitors at Boston's TD Garden on Monday. In the best-of-seven opening playoff round, the Leafs had won the previous two games; surviving late Boston flurries for consecutive 2-1 victories that forced a Game 7 on the Bruins' home ice.

On July 23, 2007, the Boston Bruins made a trade with the St. Louis Blues , swapping Finnish goalie Hannu Toivonen for Swedish winger Carl Soderberg .

Impact: Powe is suspected to be dealing with a concussion and has been out since May 6. He remains day-to-day going forward.