A habit Lucic had no problem breaking

For Lucic, last night was the first playoff game in which he didn't have the hated Komisarek as his personal bull's-eye. But even without a combatant such as Komisarek and the hated Habs in his crosshairs, Lucic brought the pain like he had in his 10 previous NHL postseason tilts.

"You feel the buzz," Lucic said of playoff hockey. "You feel it in the crowd. When you get to the dressing room and you're walking down the hall, there's that chill going down your spine. You've got to embrace it more than let it get the best of you."

Lucic started the game on the third line with David Krejci and Michael Ryder. Lucic was on the ice when Krejci tipped Aaron Ward's shot past Cam Ward for Boston's first goal. Then in the second period, when coach Claude Julien reunited Lucic with old running mates Marc Savard and Phil Kessel, the left wing made his presence felt again. From the high slot, Kessel flung a shot on goal that Lucic, standing in front of the net, tipped on goal. Ward made the first stop, but Savard was in position to tuck home the rebound at 7:21.

The final line for Lucic: one assist, four shots, three hits, 13:18 of ice time, and a game-best plus-3 rating.

"It all comes down to pucks and people at the net," said Lucic. "We've got to keep creating traffic. [Ward] is a big part of their team. We know he's going to be even better come [tomorrow]."

Lucic, 20, has proven to be one of the rare breed of players that jacks up his game in the playoffs. Aside from his Game 2 loss of cool when he popped agitator Maxim Lapierre to draw a one-match sitdown, Lucic has shown no signs of wilting. Lucic, who won the Memorial Cup in his final season of junior hockey, was a physical force last year in Boston's seven-game showdown against the Canadiens.

This season, Lucic has been a point-per-game postseason player. Against Montreal, Lucic recorded three assists in three games. In the series-ending win, Lucic got Komisarek so hot and bothered that the defenseman high-sticked him in the face, earning a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

Other than a fight last season against defenseman Tim Gleason, Lucic doesn't have a history of heated tangles with any member of the Hurricanes. But any absence of animosity didn't prevent Lucic from playing his blue-collar, north-south game - driving to the net, being responsible defensively, and belting everything in his sights.

"It's playoffs," Lucic said before the game. "You always get jacked up for it. There's not going to be that hatred that was built up the last two years from playing the Montreal Canadiens. But I think once the puck drops, emotions are going to be high for both teams. It's not going to be hard to get jacked up at all."

Under Julien, the Bruins cruised to a 53-19-10 record and a first-place finish in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins had only one dip in play when they went 6-9-4 during a stretch in February and March.

"He's done a great job with us this year and last year building this team, taking us in the right direction," Lucic said. "I think the key thing is all the players have been on board with what he's been trying to preach.

"We trust in his system. We trust in what he's been telling us these last two years. I think that's why we've been having success."