SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 5/26/2013

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1 SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 5/26/2013 Boston Bruins NHL sets start time for potential Game Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask stood his ground Bruins eliminate Rangers with 3-1 win in Game Rangers couldn t keep up with the Bruins Rangers Henrik Lundqvist couldn t save the day Bruins Torey Krug a very special player Bruins advance to East final by beating Rangers, Bruins get past Rangers at home, next stop Pittsburgh Tickets for Bruins' Eastern Conference finals home games on sale Sunday Game 5, final: Bruins 3, Rangers Bruins ready to turn the page Plenty of reasons for dislike Tuukka Rask shows finishing kick save Buckley: B's no worries after all Notebook: John Tortorella among Claude Julien s supporters League approves Coyotes sale B s land KO punch Gotta love Torey Krug Bruins excited for Pittsburgh, ready for the challenge Chicago Blackhawks Red Wings focus on effort, not Hawks' shifts Blackhawks' Kane: 'Still a lot of belief' Carcillo offers his wisdom about comebacks Hawks quiet talk of epic failure... for now Shaw breaks ice with Hawks' 1st power-play goal in 12 tries Been waiting for those Hawks Hawks storm to 4-1 victory, stave off elimination First goal of playoffs takes load off Jonathan Toews mind Blackhawks beat Red Wings with rousing performance Blackhawks revive power play with two goals Q going back to Toews, Kane and Sharp Hawks captain finally lights the lamp Dialed-in Shaw sticks it to Wings Blackhawks fight to live another day Hawks turn on the power in Game Hawks Quenneville opts for more shake n bake Konroyd's keys to Game Hawks hope juggling lines creates new spark in team Toews lays it all out, lifts Hawks to Game 5 win Hawks heading back to Detroit after Game 5 dominance Colorado Avalanche Star defenseman Seth Jones obvious first pick by Colorado Avalanche Avalanche knows all about Patrick Roy's extraordinary intensity Columbus Blue Jackets NHL: Jackets sign a backup goalie Dallas Stars Writer: Glen Gulutzan fired for Joe Nieuwendyk's incompetence; former GM drove Stars 'into the ground' Boston's series win over New York gives Dallas Stars another first round draft pick Struggling ex-star Brad Richards a healthy scratch for second straight game as Rangers get ousted from playoff Kari Lehtonen's backhand save against Columbus up for play of the year Detroit Red Wings Helene St. James: Red Wings proving sometimes best roster move to make is nothing Blackhawks constructing superline tonight; Red Wings just concentrating on good start Red Wings' veterans stress: 'Don't get ahead of yourself' Mitch Albom: Red Wings can't finish off Blackhawks, now must play on Memorial Day Red Wings lament lack of discipline, poor penalty killing in Game 5 loss Chicago 4, Detroit 1: Blackhawks dominate much like they have most of season The other side: Jonathan Toews, Blackhawks build momentum in staving off elimination Souvenir of the week: Good timing for Euro Twins grace T-shirt Ticker: Don Cherry calls on-the-bench interviews 'rinky-dink' Chicago 4, Detroit 1: Blackhawks bring series back to Detroit with Game 5 blowout Blackhawks pulling out all stops to stay alive in series with Wings Wings miss golden opportunity to close out Hawks Wings overwhelmed by resurgent Blackhawks team Wings' mission now is to match Hawks' desperation Desperation fuels Chicago's determination to extend series Blackhawks regroup, force Wings to Game 6 on Monday Three stars for Game 5: Blackhawks' scorers regain firepower Desperate Blackhawks continue shuffling lines in search of offensive boost against Red Wings Bottom four defensemen have added depth for Detroit Red Wings in series with Blackhawks Red Wings disappointed in their Game 5 effort, as energetic Blackhawks outworked them to stay alive Desperate Blackhawks get pair of goals from Andrew Shaw to beat Red Wings and extend series Red Wings ready for whatever Blackhawks have to throw at them in Game A desperate Blackhawks could reunite Kane and Toews with Sharp for Game Blackhawks facing elimination after charmed season Wings lose chance at eliminating Blackhawks Edmonton Oilers Shawn Horcoff is still an important player for the Edmonton Oilers Los Angeles Kings Kings defenseman Slava Voynov likes to go on the offense Jeff Carter is playing killer hockey for the Los Angeles Kings Kings hope to apply finishing touch in Game Leading series 3-2, Kings look for finishing touch against Sharks in rowdy HP Pavilion May 25 practice quotes: Dustin Brown May 25 practice quotes: Jonathan Quick Stoll skates with the group Varying Game 6 histories Darryl Sutter on vintage NHL environments Montreal Canadiens Tremblay and Roy haven t spoken since trade to Colorado New York Rangers Offense Vanishes; Rangers Follow Fourth Line Gives Bruins an Advantage Once Again Injured NY Rangers defenseman Anton Stralman dealing with facial fracture, according to source, remains out fo

2 Anton Stralman has facial fracture, John Tortorella declines NBC interview Rick Nash comes up short for NY Rangers in playoffs Henrik Lundqvist misses Stanley Cup again in his prime, John Tortorella shoulders blame Derick Brassard impressive with NY Rangers in first playoffs Season ends for NY Rangers after 3-1 loss to Bruins in Game Blueshirts took step backward Power plays Hamrlik weighs retirement after costly miscue Tortorella takes some responsibility as Rangers season comes to an end Inevitable no longer delayed, Rangers ousted in Game 5 by Bruins Three stars for Game 5 between Rangers and Bruins Rangers notes: Brassard learns Andrew Gross: Rangers 'A' game comes too late Rangers eliminated by Bruins in Game 5, John Tortorella likes Derek Dorsett's spunk Rangers were on thin ice from the start Once again, Rangers would have had worse result if not for Henrik Lundqvist Five questions facing the Rangers this offseason Rangers eliminated from playoffs after Game 5 loss to Bruins It s Go Time! Game 5: Rangers at Bruins Game 5: Rangers at Bruins tonight (5:30) pre-game notes Game 5: Rangers-Bruins in review Game 5: Bruins 3, Rangers 1 post-game quotes Ottawa Senators Senators go to school for Penguins clinic Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson finally looks human in playoff series loss to Pittsburgh Penguins Ottawa Senators need to strive for greater success Ottawa Senators learn what it takes to be a Stanley Cup contender during playoff loss to Pittsburgh Penguins Caqptain Daniel Alfredsson undecided about next year's plans Ottawa Senators reflect on their season Jason Spezza admits he wasn't 100% upon return Phoenix Coyotes NHL, Coyotes buyers group to meet with Glendale officials Pittsburgh Penguins Ribbon, wristband solemn reminders for Penguins coach Bylsma Penguins GM Shero: Whole idea was improvement during playoffs Key acquisitions have Penguins primed for run to Stanley Cup Penguins to face Bruins in Eastern Conference final Penguins' quick-strike offense clicks with defense Gene Collier: Penguins' run to Cup is half-full Penguins' Vokoun no overnight sensation Next up for Penguins: Boston Bruins Penguins Notebook: Game 3 lapse sparked turnaround Penguins to face Boston Bruins in Eastern Conference final San Jose Sharks San Jose Sharks' top forwards expect better effort in Game 6 against Los Angeles Kings Purdy: San Jose Sharks must get past Los Angeles Kings' Jonathan Quick Better power play paramount for Sharks in Game Sharks' Burish likely an option for Game Kings' Jarret Stoll skates, not ready to play Toronto Maple Leafs Canucks ask Maple Leafs about Dallas Eakins: report Vancouver Canucks Willes: The Canucks are fully Gillis s team now, and so the mess is squarely on him Head cases await new Canucks coach Canucks scout s honour: show us the players Websites ESPN / Another step toward maturation for Sens ESPN / Sharks veterans in familiar territory USA TODAY / Blackhawks beat Red Wings, stay alive YAHOO SPORTS / Blackhawks respond to must-win playoff challenge with return to regular-season form YAHOO SPORTS / Red Wings' role reversal: Favoritesturned-underdogs have a hero in Jimmy Howard SPORT-SCAN, INC Boston Bruins NHL sets start time for potential Game 6 Matt Pepin, Boston.com Staff May 25, :07 AM If a Game 6 between the Bruins and Rangers is necessary, it will begin at 7 p.m. on Monday at Madison Square Garden, the NHL has announced. Game 7, if necessary, would be Wednesday in Boston, but a start time has not been set. If the Red Wings-Blackhawks series goes to a sixth game, that will be held Monday at 8 p.m. in Detroit. The Red Wings lead 3-1 with Game 5 tonight at 8 p.m. Boston Globe LOADED: Boston Bruins Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask stood his ground By Fluto Shinzawa Matt Bartkowski had a perfect view of Ryan Callahan s breakaway in the third period. Trouble was, Bartkowski and partner Johnny Boychuk were on the wrong end of it, staring at Callahan s number as the Rangers captain peeled off for the potential game-tying strike. I was like, Oh crap. Come on. This isn t actually going to happen, Bartkowski recalled thinking. Unlike Game 4 s wreckage of mistakes, the Bruins had submitted mostly an error-free Game 5. Until that Callahan breakaway. Bartkowski was caught too far up the ice in the neutral zone. Boychuk was also out of position. So when Carl Hagelin slipped the puck past Brad Marchand and onto Callahan s blade, the Bruins could do nothing but curse themselves and hope that Tuukka Rask would eliminate their goof. That he did.

3 Rask waited for Callahan to make his move. In Game 2, Callahan slipped a forehand breakaway past Rask. After that goal, Bob Essensa, the Bruins goaltending coach, told Rask that Callahan rarely goes to his backhand. Naturally, Callahan went backhand. Rask didn t panic. He stayed with Callahan s move and punched out the shot with his blocker at 8:37 of the third. Rask kept Callahan from tying the game at 2-2. You know something is going to happen, Rask said of the third period. They re going to throw everything they can at you and they re going to try to tie the game. Today, it happened to be a breakaway. I just wanted to make one or two big saves in the third and hopefully keep that lead. Rask (28 saves) was money throughout the game. He didn t see the only goal he allowed a Dan Girardi power-play goal through a Brian Boyle screen. Had Rask been softer mentally, he might have cracked under his Game 4 boo-boo. When the Bruins were up 2-0 on Thursday night, the smooth-moving Rask turned into Tumblin Tuukka. Rask caught a rut, hit the deck, and watched as Hagelin scored a game-changing goal. The energized Rangers went on to claim Game 4 in overtime to extend the series. Rask s coaches and teammates evaluated the play appropriately a rare mistake. They knew their goalie was too good to let it ruin his Game 5 approach. Rask proved them right. Those things happen, right? It happens to everyone, Milan Lucic said. I m sure it was on the not top-10 plays of the day. I definitely think we can laugh about it a lot more now that the series is over. Rask outperformed Henrik Lundqvist in the second round. Rask gives the Bruins the edge in goal against Pittsburgh. The Penguins are riding backup Tomas Vokoun following Marc-Andre Fleury s first-round flameout. Lucic rebounds Lucic is now in a three-game pointless streak, his longest of the playoffs. But Lucic s zeros on the Game 5 scoresheet did not represent his threezone effort. In 20:03 of ice time, Lucic ripped off three shots, threw six hits, and blocked two shots. At 13:27 of the first period, Lundqvist robbed Lucic with a sparking glove save. At the other end, Lucic made a strong defensive play late in the second. Boychuk had pinched down the right-side boards, which allowed Derek Dorsett to carry the puck into the offensive zone. Lucic hustled back and flattened Dorsett to eliminate the scoring chance. When he picks up speed, he s hard to stop, coach Claude Julien said. As you saw a couple times in the third period, when he carries the puck and picks up speed, he s like a train. He s hard to stop. He s heavy and he leans in. I ve liked his game since the playoffs have started. Rest up By ending the series on Saturday, the Bruins set themselves up for some much-needed rest. They were given Sunday off. They could resume practice on Monday in preparation for Pittsburgh. The Eastern Conference final is not likely to begin before the Western Conference second-round games conclude. I think it was important for us to end it for all the right reasons, Julien said. We wanted to move on to the next series. We re looking to get a little bit of rest. The time off will give injured defensemen Andrew Ference and Wade Redden more days to heal. While Redden might not displace Torey Krug, a healthy Ference could push for a lineup spot. First-round pick gone The Bruins parted with their 2013 first-round pick by advancing to the Eastern Conference final. It was the condition in the Jaromir Jagr trade with Dallas... Bartkowski hails from Mount Lebanon, a Pittsburgh suburb. Bartkowski recalled having Jagr and Mario Lemieux posters on his wall. It s going to be awesome. It s going to be a blast, Bartkowski said of playing his hometown team in the playoffs. Growing up there, it was a lot of fun watching them. Now being able to play against them will probably be even more fun.... Dennis Seidenberg didn t look out of place in his series debut. Seidenberg, playing alongside usual partner Zdeno Chara, logged 23:37 of ice time. He had two shots and three hits... The Bruins recalled Niklas Svedberg from Providence on Friday to serve as the No. 3 goalie. Svedberg gives the Bruins an extra practice goalie. Rask didn t participate in two practices in New York, which prompted Essensa to man the crease opposite Anton Khudobin. Svedberg will also benefit from experiencing the NHL playoff atmosphere. Svedberg projects to be Rask s backup next season. Khudobin is an unrestricted free agent after the season... Dougie Hamilton, Aaron Johnson, Kaspars Daugavins, Carl Soderberg, and Jay Pandolfo were the healthy scratches... Tickets for Bruins home games go on sale Sunday at noon. Games 3 and 4 against the Penguins will be at TD Garden. Game 6, if necessary, will also be in Boston. The dates have not been set. Tickets are available at TD Garden Box Office, on the Bruins website, or by calling Boston Globe LOADED: Boston Bruins Bruins eliminate Rangers with 3-1 win in Game 5 By JIMMY GOLEN BOSTON (AP) Claude Julien decided not to give his goalie a pep talk after a pratfall in the crease handed the Rangers a goal that had the potential to turn the series around. Instead, the Bruins coach waited until after Tuukka Rask responded with 28 saves to help Boston beat New York 3-1 in Game 5 on Saturday and advance to the Eastern Conference finals. That s what I told Tuukka at the end of the game, You can start laughing now,' Julien said after the Bruins followed their seven-game series against Toronto by avoiding a nail-biter against the Rangers. We probably played with fire in the first round and almost got burnt, Julien said. We knew we couldn t let our guard down (against New York). Because if we did, they would come right back at us. Gregory Campbell scored twice and recent call-up Torey Krug scored his fourth goal of the series for Boston, which will meet Pittsburgh for the right to play for the Stanley Cup. The Bruins reached the third round of the NHL playoffs for the second time since The other was 2011, when the Bruins won the sixth Stanley Cup in franchise history. Tim Thomas was in goal then, and Rask s playoff memories aren t quite so fond. The 26-year-old Finn was the Bruins starter when they blew a 3-0 lead in the 2010 East semifinals against Philadelphia, giving up a 3-0 lead in Game 7 as the Flyers advanced. Boston was up 3-0 in the second-round series against New York this year, with a 2-0 lead in Game 4 when Rask tripped on a rut in the crease and flailed at a slow-moving puck as it rolled over the line. The Rangers went on to win 4-3 in overtime, forcing the series back to Boston for a fifth game. We wanted to make sure we ended this series for all the right reasons, including rest for players who went to overtime in Game 7 against Toronto, Julien said. It also gives Tuukka the opportunity to laugh about that goal. Rask made sure there wouldn t be another collapse, stopping Ryan Callahan on a breakaway with just under 10 minutes to play. Callahan split the defense and went to his backhand, but Rask turned it away with the blocker on his right arm. As a goalie, you expect to make one or two big saves. And today it happened, Rask said. I didn t feel bad about myself after Game 4; obviously, there was a little screw-up there with that goal. But I didn t let that bother me, and I felt like I played a decent game after that. Coming in today, I just wanted to be rock solid back there, and give our team a chance to win the game. Campbell broke a 1-1 tie in the second period, then added an empty-netter with 51 seconds left to clinch it after Henrik Lundqvist was pulled for an extra skater.

4 Lundqvist made 29 saves and Dan Girardi scored for the Rangers, who lost to New Jersey in last year s East finals. I expected more from us, and I hoped for more, Lundqvist said. Right now, it s just an empty feeling, and disappointment. Some years you don t really have a chance to go that far in the playoffs, you just battle hard. I think this year, we had a pretty good team, but there were a few games when we didn t reach our top level. When you play a team like Boston, it s going to be tough to beat them. The Rangers fell behind 3-0 in the series before winning Game 4 on Thursday night to avoid a sweep, thanks in part to two soft goals that caught Rask off-guard. They took an early lead on Saturday, but they could not send the series back to New York for a sixth game. I watched our team fight tonight to extend this series. We get it on a big guy s stick with a chance to tie it, Rangers coach John Tortorella said. So it goes. They were the better team. They deserved to win. Girardi made it 1-0 on a power-play goal with 9:21 left in first, one-timing a pass from Mats Zucarello into the net. The Bruins scored a power-play goal of their own 3:48 into the second when Krug took a pass from Tyler Seguin and hit the top of the net. Ten minutes later, Daniel Paille sent the puck to the net and it got caught up in traffic. Shawn Thornton knocked it to Campbell, who swept it in for the go-ahead goal. The Rangers pulled Lundqvist with 1:15 left, but the Bruins quickly found the empty net on a slow-rolling shot by Campbell. Notes: The Rangers had been 3-for-42 in the playoffs on the power play, but they scored on one for the second straight game... Krejci led all scorers in the playoffs (5G, 12A) entering Saturday s game.... Bruins D Dennis Seidenberg, who was injured in the first minute of Game 7 in the first round, returned to the lineup. Dougie Hamilton was a scratch.... Rangers F Brad Richards, the 2004 Conn Smythe Trophy winner, was a scratch for the second straight game.... Rangers F Derek Stepan took a puck in the face in the first period and skated off but returned a short time later.end of story marker Boston Globe LOADED: Boston Bruins Rangers couldn t keep up with the Bruins By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell Everyone who has ever dealt with Rangers coach John Tortorella or watched him on TV knows he s an ornery guy. He can be short tempered, sarcastic, glib, and potty mouthed. But after the Bruins 3-1 victory Saturday night at TD Garden that eliminated the Rangers from the Eastern Conference semifinals in five games, Tortorella displayed another side the philosophical one. I thought we were slow in the series as far as [the Bruins are] a totally different team than Washington, said Tortorella. I don t think we got to the level we needed to. I think [Boston] is a deeper team than we are, so we needed to play at a different level. We needed to get a number of different things from different players more consistently. But again, I watched our team fight tonight to try to extend this series. One of the Rangers best chances to do that was when captain Ryan Callahan raced in on a breakaway with 11:22 remaining in regulation. He went to his backhand but goaltender Tuukka Rask made the stop. Had he scored, the game would ve been tied, 2-2. We get it on a big guy s stick, Callahan, in the third period and we have an opportunity to tie it, said Tortorella. That s the way it goes, they deserved to win. They were the better team. Tortorella said he made no excuses for his team losing, but last year s team, which advanced to the Eastern Conference finals against the Devils, was healthier and had more of a defined identity than this one did. We don t have our [Milan] Lucic in [Ryane] Clowe and we don t have our [Zdeno] Chara in [Marc] Staal, said the coach. Those are two pretty big players for us. You need to try to find a way, all teams go through it, so please, I m not using it as an excuse, but it hurt us. It hurt our depth, it put people in situations that right now I don t think they re ready to handle those type of minutes that we lose with those players [out of the lineup]. On the other hand, the Bruins were without three defensemen in Andrew Ference, Wade Redden, and Dennis Seidenberg (who returned for Game 5). Torey Krug, Matt Bartkowski, and Dougie Hamilton (who sat out Game 5) all made crucial contributions. Krug had four goals in the series, including one Saturday. They played real well, said Tortorella. It s funny how it works, huh? You get worried about this, that, and the other thing, especially the kid there, Krug? They got a lot of offense from their back end. That was another difference in our series was getting offense from the back end, and he led the way. It s funny how it works as guys come into lineups. Missed chances Callahan said as tough as it was to stomach, the Rangers didn t play as well as Boston throughout the series. I knew their team was going to respond tonight and then play the way they did [after Game 4], said Callahan. We had some chances to tie it there. You know when you get in a hole like that [down three games to none], you give yourself no room for error. Like Tortorella, Callahan said it turned out to be too little, too late. Our power play early on, I think hurt us, he said. Not capitalizing on opportunities there. I don t think we played our best hockey early on in the series. They re an experienced team, too. You have to give them credit, they played well. Faceoff failures Rangers center Derick Brassard was schooled on faceoffs in Game 5, winning just four of the 15 he took. But Brassard held his own on draws for the most part in the series, finishing with 36 wins and 40 losses. Brassard said he learned a lot during the postseason. It was my first playoff experience, said the 25-year-old. I m just looking forward to this summer to work hard and now I know what to expect. Going into next season, I think I am confident I want to be part of this team and I think we have a good group here and can do something special.... Center Brad Richards was a healthy scratch for the second consecutive game. Boston Globe LOADED: Boston Bruins Rangers Henrik Lundqvist couldn t save the day By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell His game sweater was off, but his goalie pads remained on. Henrik Lundqvist sat in his stall in the visitors dressing room at TD Garden Saturday night, stunned at the abrupt end to his team s season following the Bruins 3-1 victory. The Bruins knocked the Rangers out of the Eastern Conference semifinals in five games and it was through no fault of Lundqvist, who battled as hard as possible. In the end though, Boston was the better team, and Lundqvist acknowledged that. When they got going, almost every game, we had a tough time to match it, said Lundqvist. The last couple of games, though, we gave ourselves a chance but it took us a few games to get there. They re a great team. The style they play, they made it really tough for our [defense], they play physical. They really only gave us something the last game [Game 4], a couple of goals there. They play a really solid game, I think. We stepped up our game here the last couple of games, but I still think we had another level the first couple of games and when you play a good team like Boston, you can t afford that. The Rangers made it to the Eastern Conference finals last season before succumbing to the Devils, but this was a different Rangers squad, one whose makeup had changed with a couple of key players missing. But the

5 Rangers offered no excuses. They said the correct team is advancing to face the Penguins in the conference finals. I expected more from us and I hoped for more, said Lundqvist, who had 29 saves Saturday. The way the season went, last year a lot of things went our way and we had a lot of confidence. This year, we had to work through a lot of things to get going and it came down to the last few games. It was a different season. It was just a different feeling. We had to work a little harder to get the result. I think it s real important, we have a pretty young team, that we learn from this. Chances are they can take a few lessons from the tenacity the Bruins displayed. Boston came out flying the first few games, said Lundqvist. It s a combination of them playing really well and us not reaching our top level to beat them. Lundqvist said if the Rangers had started the series with the same energy level and determination with which they ended it, it might have been different. We had great energy here the last couple of games, or half the last game actually, he said. It turned for us on that [Carl Hagelin goal, when Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask fell in Game 4]. It almost felt like we were waiting for something good to happen. It just took too long for something good to happen. I don t know if it would ve made a difference [if they had played better earlier] but they played a great series. Every game, they made it really tough for us. At times when the Bruins were elevating their level of play, the Rangers couldn t match it. Normally when we play Boston, I face 13, 14, maybe 15 scoring chances and around 30 shots, said Lundqvist. Every game here it was over 20 scoring chances. It was a test every game to keep it close. It was definitely a tough game to play. It was fun to be out there, I enjoyed it. It was intense and they really tested us and tested me. I m really disappointed right now, though. It s an empty feeling. None of the Rangers felt the reality had yet sunk in but it will, soon enough. The hardest feeling is realizing it s over, said Lundqvist. I think in the next couple of days, we re going to analyze things and try to figure out what went wrong and what you can do better and you try to learn from it but right now, it s just an empty feeling, disappointment. Some years, you don t really have a chance to go that far in the playoffs. You just battle hard. This year, we had a pretty good team, I just think there were a few games where we didn t reach our top level and when you play a team like Boston, it s going to be tough to beat them. Lundqvist said the Bruins were excellent not only in front of the Rangers net but in front of their own net as well, and the Rangers were hamstrung as a result. Through the entire series, they come hard and they bring in a lot of guys and they just scope for rebounds, he said. A lot of goals they scored were shots with screens and disguises in front. That s why you just have to give them credit, too. We battled hard and I m proud of the way we responded the last couple of games and stepped it up, but I think looking at all the games here, they deserved to win, no question. Boston Globe LOADED: Boston Bruins Bruins Torey Krug a very special player By Kevin Paul Dupont So let s just focus on this one ridiculous statistical comparison before we move on to the finer points of the growing legend of Torey Krug. Yes, the Bobby Orr comparison: Krug, the 5-foot-9-inch defenseman with shots engineered by the Raytheon guided missile division, now has four goals in five career playoff games. Ten days ago, he was an emergency fill-in for a banged-up blue line. Today he s the back line gold standard, a key reason the Bruins could slip by the Penguins in the Eastern Conference finals. Orr, who put the Hockey in the Hub of Hockey upon his arrival on Causeway Street in the 1960s, didn t score his fourth playoff goal until his 17th postseason game. The kid with the buzzcut from Parry Sound, Ontario, was a fairly quick study, but even Orr, who revolutionized the position of scoring defenseman, needed 17 playoff games to fire four into the net. All, by the way, in an era when scoring was much easier. OK, good, we got that out of the way. Now let s end the No. 4 comparisons. Krug is no Bobby Orr. Said another way, there will never be another Orr, which is both a good and bad thing in our town. They build statues for players like Orr, in large part because we don t believe their likes ever will be seen again. If we ve had the best, every-thing else is just the rest. Krug, though, is a very special player. He is small, shifty, quick, and best of all, he shoots the puck a megaton. Best of all, he shoots it accurately, finding the 24-square-foot net the way a certain Foxborough quarterback finds receivers of all heights and widths. Not much pulls me out of the old press box chair anymore, but he did it Saturday with 3:48 gone in the second period with a one-timer he whistled by Henrik Lundqvist. One shot. Game changed. Krug s blast, on a power play, tied it at 1-1, and 36:12 later the Bruins and Rangers were lining up on the ice to shake hands. Bruins with bags packed for Pittsburgh. Rangers with bags packed for a trip back to New York, with the ice machine already powering down at Madison Square Garden. Unbelievable poise with the puck, marveled teammate and veteran defenseman Dennis Seiden-berg. Great skating legs. He jumps to the open areas. And he makes very nice shots... I mean, perfect shots. Witness case No. 3:48, which had Krug skating backward toward the top of the right wing circle on a power play as Tyler Seguin dished across a velvety, flat feed. Skate, skate, skate... load up the backswing... rip the forehander... wham! Krug s rising, laser-fixed shot nearly tore a whole in the top right corner, beating world-class netminder Lundqvist over the shoulder. Few players anywhere in the world, NHL, KHL, or otherwise, can deliver like that. In fact, neither Bobby Orr nor Ray Bourque took that shot. They had abundant other gifts, including powerful and feared shots, but they were built differently, skated differently, shot differently. Two former NHLers who come to mind, just for that one tool in the kit, are Reijo Rexy Ruotsalainen (Rangers) and Risto Siltanen (Whalers). They, too, were small, shifty, and loved to shoot. He s been magic for us in this series, said coach Claude Julien, regarding Krug. We ve always felt good about him in our organization. During the NHL lockout that kept this season on ice until January, Julien ventured to Providence (AHL) to watch Krug develop. The more he saw, the more he liked. True, too, of GM Peter Chiarelli and assistant GM Don Sweeney. The best part is, it s not an isolated case, right? said Sweeney, asked moment s after Saturday s game about Krug s goal. You see that a lot from him, to the point now that you kind of expect it. It s not just his shooting, but his passing, too. His offensive gifts are obvious. Now only 22 years old, Krug signed last spring after three years at Michigan State. If I wanted to play in the NHL, said Krug, explaining his mind-set, then nothing was going to get in my way. However, in part because of his size, management felt he needed to learn more about the pro game than shooting and passing. Some of the learning curve was just getting stronger, building body mass to fend off bigger, stronger players in the NHL. And some of it was positioning and being able to make faster, more prudent reads. All of those less exciting skills ultimately will determine the length and greatness of Krug s career. He has a shot that could lead him to stardom, in a hurry. If he can t fully blossom in the other areas, he could well be the next Ruotsalainen, Siltanen, or even Greg Hawgood. I have to do things like that if I want to stick around, Krug said, referring to his early offensive success. If I m not scoring or making an impact like that, I won t be around. They ll find a bigger guy. They certainly can look for bigger, but the search won t turn up anyone who hits it the way Krug does, who lands it with his accuracy and consistency.

6 We take certain gifts to be self-evident. If all the other parts of being a defenseman fill in as they should, even if only to a point of respectability, the Bruins have on their hands, in their lineup, a very special player. The Krug goal, mused teammate Brad Marchand, gave us a tremendous boost. It made the difference. Not all the difference, but enough of a difference. Let s not get carried away just yet, but we ve seen players like that around here before, haven t we? Boston Globe LOADED: Boston Bruins Bruins advance to East final by beating Rangers, 3-1 By Fluto Shinzawa The Bruins will play the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference final. The Bruins set up the third-round date by beating the Rangers in Game 5 at TD Garden on Saturday, 3-1. Gregory Campbell finished the Rangers with an empty-net goal with 50.4 seconds left. The Bruins, down 1-0 after 20 minutes, scored the only two goals of the second period. They started their rally with a power-play goal by Torey Krug at 3:48. Mats Zuccarello was in the box for hooking. Brad Marchand made the key play by driving over the offensive blue line and pulling up, which opened space at the point. Marchand connected with Tyler Seguin, who saw Krug rolling over the boards. After Krug took the pass, the rookie rifled a one-timer over Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist s left shoulder to tie the score at 1-1. It was Krug s fourth goal of the playoffs, who became the first rookie defenseman to score four goals in his first five playoffs games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Bruins pulled ahead on a fourth-line goal. Daniel Paille picked off a Roman Hamrlik clearing pass to start the attack. Campbell finished the play by driving to the net and burying the puck at 13:41. Campbell s goal capped heavy second-period pressure by the Bruins. It was a man s game, Campbell told NBC Sports Network after the game. The Rangers play hard. It will be good to get some rest for the next round. The Rangers scored the only goal of the first period. After a whistle at 9:45, David Krejci tangled with Carl Hagelin. Krejci was whistled for crosschecking. Hagelin evaded a penalty. During the power play, Brian Boyle set up in front of Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask. With the 6-foot-7-inch Boyle screening Rask, defenseman Dan Girardi ripped a one-timer past the goalie at 10:39 to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead. Rask didn t appear to see Girardi s release. Milan Lucic had the Bruins best scoring chance in the first. After taking a pass from Krejci, Lucic snapped an uncontested shot from the slot. Lundqvist gloved Lucic s shot at 13:27. Shawn Thornton and Derek Dorsett fought at 6:49. Dorsett was having words with Paille when Thornton stepped in. The two continued to throw after the fight was over, which netted them both unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. The Eastern Conference final will open at Pittsburgh. The Penguins are the top seed in the conference and dispatched the Ottawa Senators Friday night in five games. The Penguins present a stark contrast to the way the Rangers play. Pittsburgh is the highest-scoring team in hockey, led by arguably the game s best two players, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Boston Globe LOADED: Boston Bruins Bruins get past Rangers at home, next stop Pittsburgh By Steve Silva, Boston.com Staff Bruins rookie phenom Torey Krug netted his fourth goal of the playoffs, Gregory Campbell of the vaunted fourth line scored twice, goaltender Tuukka Rask rebounded from his performance in Game 4 to stop 28 shots, and the Bruins sealed the deal at home, beating the New York Rangers 3-1 in Game 5 on Saturday to advance to the Eastern Conference finals. The Bruins will now take on the heavily favored Pittsburgh Penguins for the right to play for the Stanley Cup. The Bruins are back in the Eastern Conference final for the first time since 2011, when they won their sixth Stanley Cup after beating the Vancouver Canucks in seven games. "Yeah, it s a great feeling," Krug said about becoming a major contributor so quickly. "I m glad we closed it out tonight in front of a great crowd. It was so loud in there I could barely hear myself think sometimes. It was a great experience." Krug's confidence continues to grow as he gets more experience, and has more postseason success. "It s pretty high," Krug said of his confidence level right now. "It s a good feeling out there, and the more the coaching staff puts me out on the ice, the better I feel. It s a great feeling when your teammates are coming up to you, patting you on the back, and all the credit in the world to everyone." Dan Girardi got the Rangers on the scoreboard first on a power play with 9:21 left in first period but Krug followed up with his fourth goal of the series for Boston 3:48 into the second period on a Bruins power play. It was the red-hot rookie defenseman's fourth goal of the series and postseason. They are the most by a Boston rookie defenseman since Glen Wesley had six in 23 games in the 1998 postseason. "I saw Segs [Tyler Seguin] had the puck up top," Krug said on the goal. "I just tried to get out there. I just hopped onto the ice from the bench and just tried to get open in position to get my shot through. When I take one-timers, I just try to make the goalie make a save with his hands, and fortunately it went in." Ten minutes later, Campbell broke a 1-1 tie in the second period when Daniel Paille fired the puck toward Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, and Shawn Thornton knocked the rebound to Campbell, who banged it in for the go-ahead goal. "The play started with Piesy [Daniel Paille] having the poise to make a good play in the neutral zone and hold onto that puck, and he really used his speed and his strength to carry it in, not just chip it in, but to carry it in and realize that Thorty [Shawn Thornton] was driving and trying to make a play, and I just caught the garbage there," Campbell said. Just like in Game 3, it was the fourth line that put the pressure on the Rangers, and put the puck in the net. "The guys did a good job," Thornton said. "Everyone was going. It was a hard fought game though, give them credit, they played really hard too. I think the guys did a lot of little things properly, get pucks in, get pucks deep. We had a lot of zone time, that was key to a little bit of our success." Thornton also dropped the gloves against the Rangers' Derek Dorsett, taking the Rangers winger down with a TKO in the first period. "Chalk it up to many coffees, I guess," Thornton said on what ticked him off before the fight. "It s over now. The series is over. I m not going to be that guy afterwards to talk about it. So, I thought he was trying to take liberties on my linemate. I wasn t okay with that, and that s the end of it. We were both upset at the end so, you re right doesn t happen too often, but a little wound up tonight, I guess." The Rangers had a great opportunity to tie the score with just under 10 minutes left in the third period. Ryan Callahan came up the middle on a breakaway and tried to go left and beat Rask with a backhand shot, but Rask made the stop of the night. "Well, our goalie coach told me after, I think it was Game 1 when he scored on that breakaway, that he never goes backhand," Rask said. "So I was banking on him shooting and keeping it on the forehand. But he went backhand, and I just extended my leg and blocker there and made the save." Rask took a bit of a beating in Boston for his performance in Game 4, but he was glad to put that behind him with a win in Game 5.

7 "You go into the third period with a 2-1 lead. And as I said, as a goalie you expect to make one or two big saves, and today it happened," Rask said. "I didn t feel bad about myself after Game 4, obviously there was a little screw-up there with that goal. But I didn t let that bother me, and I felt like I played a decent game after that. Coming in today I just wanted to big rock solid back there, and give our team a chance to win the game." Campbell added an empty-net goal with 51 seconds left after Lundqvist was pulled for an extra skater and the Bruins closed it out to get some much needed rest before heading to Pittsburgh next week. "I think it s huge," Rask said on finishing off the Rangers in five games. "We definitely didn t want to go back to New York. We felt like we should have finished the series off last game, but we didn t play good enough. And then coming home for Game 5 we just wanted to play a real solid game and finish things off. And it s big to get a couple of days off and get some rest for the guys." Bruins captain Zdeno Chara talked about how good it felt to rebound after the disappointing Game 4 loss. "Well, the beginning didn t go very good for us," Chara said. They come out hard and they put a lot of pressure on us. We made some mistakes and obviously they got rewarded by a power-play goal, but then we had to probably calm things down after the first, and just start focusing on our game and what we want to do on the ice, and I think it was a really even game. They played a very good game and it was a big challenge the whole game, and it was a one-goal game until we scored again tonight." The Bruins defense was bolstered by the return of Dennis Seidenberg, who played for the first time since suffering a leg injury in Game 7 against the Maple Leafs. "I felt pretty good," Seidenberg said on his return. "I felt comfortable moving the puck. My gaps, my timing was fine, I think. I just can only get better now. " Bruins coach Claude Julien was happy to be moving on to the Eastern Conference Finals. He spoke about the criticism he receives at times in Boston. "I think when it comes to that stuff, I know what Boston is all about," Julien said. "They like their championship teams, they want to win every year; it s a very demanding place. But at the same time, it s a place where you want to be. I enjoy it here. If it means taking some criticism, there s no problem there, because that comes with the territory. As a coach, you do what you have to do and you take the criticism that comes with it. The one thing you don t do is dwell on that stuff because you try and avoid it. I know it s out there, but the biggest thing I do is I kind of stay away from all that stuff and really focus on my job. But I know for a fact that when you win around here you can t ask for a better place. I d rather be in a city that s demanding and loves their team and their sports, than being somewhere where nobody cares. I m willing to live with that." As for the next series, Bruins power forward Milan Lucic put the heat on the Penguins. Literally. "No doubt they re a great hockey club, Lucic said of mighty Pittsburgh. In my mind, they re almost like the Miami Heat of the NHL with all the star power. Probably the two best players in the world (Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin); a 40-goal scorer (James Neal); a former 50-goal scorer and future Hall of Famer (Jarome Iginla); and a Norris Trophy candidate (Kris Letang) on their team. So they definitely have a lot of weapons." Boston Globe LOADED: Boston Bruins Tickets for Bruins' Eastern Conference finals home games on sale Sunday Matt Pepin, Boston.com Staff May 25, :25 PM Tickets for Bruins home games in the Eastern Conference finals go on sale Sunday at noon, the team announced Saturday. Games 3 and 4 against the Pittsburgh Penguins will be at TD Garden. Game 6, if necessary, will also be in Boston. The dates have not been set. Tickets will be available at the TD Garden Box Office, on the Bruins website, or by phone at Boston Globe LOADED: Boston Bruins Game 5, final: Bruins 3, Rangers 1 Saturday, May 25, Mark Daniels All postseason long the B s have struggled to do much the easy way. But tonight they did. The Bruins successfully kept their third period lead to put away the Rangers 3-1 in Game 5. In doing so they ve booked a date with the Pittsburgh Penguins in next week s Eastern Conference finals. The B s entered the third up 2-1 and it easily could ve been 2-2 but Tuukka Rask came up huge when needed. With 11:25 left in the game, Ryan Callahan stole the puck and had a breakaway. It was a perfect opportunity for the Rangers to tie the game. But Rask stayed with Callahan the whole time and made a beautiful kick save. The Ranger put more pressure on the Bruins and Rask throughout the period, but couldn t net the equalizer. Gregory Campbell put the game away with an empty-netter with 50.4 seconds left. Down 1-0 the Bruins stormed back in the second period getting goals from Torey Krug and Campbell. Krug tied the game at 3:48, with a power-play goal from the right point. Mats Zuccarello got sent to the box for hooking at 2:37. And the Bruins, much like the Rangers, took advantage of their first power play. Krug netted his fourth goal of the postseason and the equalizer on a one-timer from Tyler Seguin. The rookie s shot beat Henrick Lundqvist top-shelf, above his glove hand. Campbell put the B s on top at 13:41. Daniel Paille started things off. He forced the turnover in the neutral zone, beat Derek Dorsett up the ice and took a shot on net. There was a lot of traffic in front of Lundqvist and Campbell did a great job of crashing to the net to knock in the rebound. The Rangers struck first, getting a power-play goal from Dan Girardi at 10:39 of the first period. New York got the power play at 9:25 when David Krejci was sent to the box for cross-checking. Girardi made the most of the man-advantage rifling the puck, from the point, past Rask. Rask was screened by Brian Boyle and never saw the puck until it was in the back of the net. SECOND PERIOD The Bruins took momentum and the lead away from the Rangers and now head into the third period up 2-1. They got the a go-ahead score from Gregory Campbell at 13:41. Daniel Paille started things off. He forced the turnover in the neutral zone, beat Derek Dorsett up the ice and took a shot on net. There was a lot of traffic in front of Henrik Lundqvist and Campbell did a great job of crashing to the net to knock in the rebound. Torey Krug s unbelievable run continues. The rookie defenseman scored again, tying the game at 3:48. Mats Zuccarello got sent to the box for hooking at 2:37. And the Bruins, much like the Rangers, took advantage of their first power play. Krug netted his fourth goal of the postseason and the equalizer on a one-timer from Tyler Seguin. The rookie s shot beat Lundqvist top-shelf, above his glove hand, Matt Bartkowski got whistled at 6:39 for tripping to give New York their second power play. The B s penalty kill was on point, this time. The Rangers only took one shot on goal. After the penalty, the Bruins put some great pressure on Lundqvist. The Rangers goalie, however, was up for the challenge stopping four consecutive shots.

8 After struggling to get a shot on net in the first, the Bruins have continually peppered Lundqvist in the second. The Rangers goalie looked great until Campbell knocked one in. The B s got another power play at 18:53 when Dorsett was penalized for slashing Jaromir Jagr. The Bruins will now open up the third period with a man-advanced for 53 seconds. They re 20 minutes away from meeting the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference finals. FIRST PERIOD The Rangers aren t going to go away without a fight and head into the second period up, 1-0. Dan Girardi put the Rangers on top with a power-play goal at 10:39. New York got the power play at 9:25 when David Krejci was sent to the box for cross-checking. Girardi made the most of the man-advantage rifling the puck, from the point, past Tuukka Rask. Rask was screened by Brian Boyle and never saw the puck until it was in the back of the net. The Rangers started the series 0-13 on the power play but now have scored two straight power-play goals. It took the Bruins 4:52 to get a shot on net. They pressured early but had their shots either deflected or miss the net. Milan Lucic finally put one on net, but Henrik Lundqvist made a nice glove save. The B s best opportunity came with 6:33 to go in the period when Lucic had a point-blank shot from the slot, but Lundqvist made a nice save. In Game 4, members of the Rangers tried to get multiple B s players to drop their gloves, but no one did. At 6:49, the Rangers finally got a Bruin to fight. Unfortunately for Derek Dorsett, it was Shawn Thornton. The Bruins enforcer landed multiple blows to the Rangers winger. Both players dropped to the ice, and still had to be separated by the referees. The crowd went crazy when it was over. PREGAME Dennis Seidenberg will be in the lineup tonight for Game 5 against the New York Rangers. Dougie Hamilton is a healthy scratch. Seidenberg (lower body injury) has yet to appear in this Eastern Conference semifinal series since getting injured in Game 7 against Toronto. During warmups, Seidenberg was paired up with Zdeno Chara. Hamilton was seen rotating in and out with Adam McQuaid. Before the game, Claude Julein said Seidenberg would warmup and then a decision would be made. It looks like he passed the test. Blog: Bruins Insider [1] Author(s): Mark Daniels Boston Herald LOADED: Boston Bruins Bruins ready to turn the page By Adam Kurkjian When the Bruins got off to such a strong start in Game 4 in New York only to give the game away in the 4-3 overtime loss, their disappointment was palpable over not closing out the series. However, the Bruins insisted those frustrations would not carry over into tonight s Game 5 and the bad momentum created from Thursday night won t affect them. It happens, Johnny Boychuck said of the Game 4 loss. There s been times when we shouldn t have won and we did. We ve just got to do the same things that we have. Daniel Paille chalked up the loss to a lesson learned on staying on the Rangers for the full 60 minutes. I think it s just not to let up, Paille said. We let up a goal and it gave them some life. They really put the pressure on us from then on. For us, it s about putting the pressure on them as much as we can. Patrice Bergeron stressed the need to maintain the team s style of play for another quick start in Game 5. Being hard on the forecheck, being first on pucks and re-establishing what we do, our style, our system, our way, Bergeron said. We have to stick to the system, stick to the plan and do that for the whole game. Overall, there was no sense of satisfaction from the way the Bruins outplayed the Rangers for much of Game 4, just a need to finish the job this time. We shouldn t be satisfied with what happened last game, Shawn Thornton said. You know (the Rangers ) backs are against the wall and they re going to be giving everything they have, so we re going to have to be better tonight, that s for sure. Mark Daniels Boston Herald LOADED: Boston Bruins Plenty of reasons for dislike Adam Kurkjian The Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins aren t rivals in the traditional sense, but that doesn t mean there isn t bad blood between the two teams. So even though some Bruins refused to talk about their Eastern Conference finals opponent following last night s 3-1 win over the New York Rangers, some acknowledged that yes, facing the likes of Matt Cooke, Sidney Crosby and Jarome Iginla adds a little extra spice to the upcoming series. Cooke was suspended in 2010 for a hit on Bruins All-Star center Marc Savard, who suffered a concussion that hastened the end of his playing career. The hit prompted an analogy from NESN announcer Jack Edwards, who compared the Penguins antagonist to Robert F. Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan. In 2011, Crosby asserted that the concussion-like symptoms that sidelined him came from a hit delivered by David Krejci, an accusation the Bruins forward said at the time kind of sucks, maintaining that the hit wasn t intentional. Finally, this season Iginla was traded from the Calgary Flames to the Penguins, spurning the Bruins at the 11th hour. Afterward, Iginla admitted that the trade went through with Pittsburgh because he preferred that destination over Boston. On top of that, Bruins forward Jaromir Jagr played the majority of his career in Pittsburgh, while defenseman Matt Bartkowski grew up in a suburb of the city. You said it right there. There s obviously a lot of things that you can point toward that can cause a lot of bad blood between the two teams, Milan Lucic said with a grin. I m sure it s going to be a hard-fought, emotional series and, like I said, there s a lot to look forward to. I don t know, we re a pretty tough team as far as the rest of the league goes, Bartkowski said. So I m sure they don t want to play us. It s going to be a rough series and I think we have the edge in that area, physically. So, yeah, there s plenty of bad blood there already with those incidents you talked about, so there s just more reasons for us to get amped up. Bartkowski hasn t heard from any of his friends back home about facing his hometown team. Not yet, at least. But I m sure I ll get a few nasty texts or something like that here and there, Bartkowski joked. You know, it s a sticky situation for them, because who do they root for, you know? Hopefully, they ll side with me, but who knows? I guess we ll find out who my real friends are.