By Jeff Pini, Boston.com Correspondent

BOSTON – After playing 10 periods of hockey in the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals, the Bruins delivered a solid regulation victory on home ice on Monday at TD Garden, a place where Boston has an 8-2 record in the playoffs and has not lost since Game 5 of the opening round against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“You're always more comfortable at home, there's no doubt about that,” coach Claude Julien said Tuesday afternoon. “Having your fans behind you is always key. I think they always talk about that seventh player award; your fans are often the people that you, I guess, appreciate for being that. This is a building here that we deem as our home, a home that we don't want any other team to be comfortable in.”

A big part of the Bruins' wins so far in these Finals, and in the playoffs, has been the shutdown play of Boston’s defensemen, especially the top pairing of Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg, who each played more than 25 minutes in Monday’s win and logged a ton of time during the first two games in Chicago.

“It’s crazy [the amount they have played]; I used to play those minutes on the lower levels growing up,” defenseman Torey Krug said. “It was tough then, so for them to do it at this level, against all the top players on the other teams, is definitely something special.”

Added fourth-line wing Shawn Thornton: “All the way through [the game] all six defenseman were great. [Chara and Seidenberg] really played the biggest minutes, but you look at Johnny [Boychuck] and Andy [Ference], they played against top lines all season through.”

Chara, who collided with Milan Lucic during warmups and had to go to the locker room to get stitches before Game 3, has been playing exceptionally long minutes.

“I think it’s amazing; you know [Chara is] such a big guy, but he’s so mobile for his size, said Krug. “You look at a lot of bigger guys around the league, they might not be able to move quite as well, but Zee doesn’t get beat wide, and it’s not just because of his size but because of his speed too.”

Another area that has led to success for Boston is its power play, which, during the regular season, was one of the least effective in the league. They scored just 18 goals in 122 power-play chances, fifth worst in the NHL.

But the Bruins' power play has been much better, scoring nine times during this postseason run, including twice in the past three games. And even when the Bruins haven’t put one in the back of the net with the man advantage in these playoffs, they have come much closer and have shown a lot more energy on the power play than they did in the regular season.

“I think what you've seen is when you add a guy like Jagr, when you put a guy [out there] like Krug, who is extremely good on the power play, you've plugged in some certain holes or added to that depth,” said Julien. “There's a lot of things that have happened, like at the trade deadline, guys [getting] called up, that's really kind of stabilized [and] helped us on the power play … our power play right now is maybe not perfect, but it's a lot better.”

Since Gregory Campbell broke his leg in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Pittsburgh, Julien has had to shake up his bottom two lines in order to replace Campbell, but also had to solve the issue of the third line being the least productive by far for the Bruins this season.

Starting in Game 2, when things looked bleak and the Bruins were fortunate to only be down 1-0 after the first period, Julien decided to shake up the bottom two lines, moving Daniel Paille up to the third line with Chris Kelly and Tyler Seguin. That jump-started the team.

That decision has paid immediate dividends, with the “hunch line” (a reference to Julien’s “coach’s hunch” that led him to put the three together in the first place) scoring the last three 5 on 5 goals for the Bruins, with Paille scoring two goals and an assist, Kelly scoring a goal with another assist, and Seguin adding two assists of his own.

“I just think [it’s] the way they work together,” said Julien. “You know, you look at [Paille’s] goal yesterday, [a] great forechecking job forces a turnover … Once the turnover is there, pass to the slot, [and then] good shot. But also staying on top of the puck [was important]; we won two battles right after that shot in order to score that goal.”

Among the top scorers in these Stanley Cup Finals, perhaps none has been bigger, and more surprising, than Paille, who had just two goals in the first three series the Bruins played, but has scored the game-winners in each of the past two games.

“He's been big for our team,” said Campbell. “I've gotten the opportunity to watch him now that I'm not playing with him. He does a lot of things that really help out a team in the playoffs. Playoff hockey is really where he shines ... It's the simple things that might not draw a lot of attention during the regular season, but when it really matters in the playoffs, he's been there for us.”

Heading into Game 4 Wednesday night, look for the series to continue to be very physical and tough, as seen in the final seconds of Game 3, where almost every player on the ice got involved in a rink-wide scrum, resulting in several last-minute penalties, including a double-minor to Chara and a fighting major to Brad Marchand.

“You know that’s hockey, it happens at every game, it’s indicative, I think of how the series will go from here,” said Marchand about his scuffle with the Blackhawks’ Andrew Shaw. “[This series is] tough; they have a lot of skill and talent…they got some really good looks last game, but Tuukka was able to stand tall. We’re just trying to work hard out there and play our game.”

By Matt Pepin, Boston.com Staff

Momentum is certainly on the Bruins' side after a convincing performance in Game 3 shut down the Blackhawks and put Boston two wins from its second Stanley Cup in three years.

Both teams are scheduled to practice today at TD Garden, then the action resumes Wednesday with Game 4. A win by the Bruins in Game 4 would give them a chance to close out the series Saturday in Chicago in Game 5.

Links from Chicago

The Blackhawks have few answers for what is causing their power play woes, and they also realize losing so many faceoffs is adding to the problem, writes Chris Kuc and Brian Hamilton in the Chicago Tribune.

Viktor Stalberg returned to the Blackhawks' lineup, but he wants even more ice time, Hamilton reports.

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Rick Telander sings the praises of Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford, and suggests he might be Canada's best bet as goalie in the Olympics next year.

ESPNChicago's Scott Burnside explores the battle between Selke Trophy winner Jonathan Toews and fellow finalist Patrice Bergeron.

What you may have missed

Gary Dzen has a roundup of all the postgame chatter, and Steve Silva and Kevin Paul Dupont have analysis of Game 3.

And we have tons of postgame interview video:
Bruins
Patrice Bergeron
Jaromir Jagr
Daniel Paille
Tyler Seguin
Claude Julien
Tuukka Rask

Blackhawks
Corey Crawford
Patrick Sharp
Duncan Keith
Viktor Stalberg
Ben Sharp

Zuri Berry points out five things we learned about the Bruins in Game 3.

Chad Finn writes that the Bruins had plenty of candidates for the "three stars of the game."

Hot on social

How much money could you have won if you bet Bruins No. 19 would be playing with grit & Blackhawks No. 19 would be invisible?

— Matt Kalman (@TheBruinsBlog) June 18, 2013

What's coming

After the teams' practices today, we'll have another edition of Championship Today that will have the latest talk following Game 3 and looking ahead to Game 4.

And look for more analysis from our partners at Bruins Daily, who blog some of their top stories in a special Boston.com blog.

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

1. Daniel Paille is getting all the lucky bounces -- The Bruins wingman has found himself in all the right places at the right times, scoring the game-winning goal in overtime in Game 2 and procuring another in the second period of Game 3 Monday to spur along the Bruins.

Paille cycled in from behind the net and got a gift from Chris Kelly, who forced a turnover, before he shot a wrister right past Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford at 2:13 in the period. Kelly and Tyler Seguin were credited with the assist.

For Paille, whose name is ringing loudly in hockey circles right now, it's been the Bruins' aggressiveness that's made life difficult for Chicago.

"I think we just went back to our game," he said. "They have a lot of talent up there with the forwards. I think we know that, I think that's why we want to try harder. And I think we've been able to frustrate them right now. I remember when we were playing Toronto and the bounces were going in their way. Right now we're playing well, but we have some good bounces as well so I think it helps.

"I think we're just putting the pucks on net and just reading the plays. Like I said, we're just managing the puck a little better. On my goal you saw [Chris Kelly] go in and then myself I went in. I think we're just not giving them enough time to think with the puck and we're able to get it."

Paille had another opportunity in the second period in a breakaway situation but was taken out by the Blackhawks' Niklas Hjalmarsson. He was called for tripping and right afterward Patrice Bergeron put in his seventh goal of the playoffs on a pass across the crease from Jaromir Jagr, the Bruins' ninth power play goal of the posteason. However, you could say Paille set that up, too.

2. Special teams mastery for Bruins -- The Blackhawks went 0 for 4 on the power play in Game 3. The Bruins' defense has finally wrought enough havoc on the Blackhawks where hesitation and confusion are running rampant. Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, et. al, looked absolutely confounded by the Bruins back check. The team defense, short on mistakes, high on help, has kept the scoring low for Chicago and the frustration high.

The Bruins have now killed 26 straight penalties, going all the way back to their series with the New York Rangers. The special teams work has been nothing short of amazing.

"Our guys are understanding one thing:  this is a team, when it attacks, it attacks with four, never three," coach Claude Julien said. "They've got such great skaters back there on the fence that if we don't do what we're doing right now, we don't stand
a chance.

"Our guys, like I've said, they've committed to that. They realize how important it is to come back. We're trying to support each other that way and trying to keep it as tight as possible."

3. Marchand is always fired up -- Much ado has been made about the lack of instigators in the finals, with the Bruins' Brad Marchand and the Blackhawks' Andrew Shaw having a relatively quiet series. But that doesn't mean Marchand isn't skating angry. The Little Ball of Hate was livid with himself in the first period for missing a gift-wrapped breakaway that would have put the Bruins up 1-0 in the first period. He made a deke to attempt his shot on goal but lost control of the puck, letting loose a half-speeder that was brushed aside by Crawford.

Afterward, he skated over to the bench and took out his frustration by swinging his stick at the boards. Julien made sure to get in Marchand's ear.

And, of course, Marchand had time to tango with Shaw with 11.9 seconds left in the third period when it was all said and done.

4. Jagr is just fine creating -- Jaromir Jagr was the subject of some very pointed criticism from former Bruins coach Mike Milbury for his play after Game 2. It wasn't just about his ability to score goals, which he hasn't done this postseason yet, but his willingness to help on defense and skate hard.

Jagr responded by modestly contributing on the back check and contributing one sweet assist to Patrice Bergeron on a pass across the crease. It was Jagr's eighth assist of the postseason and gave him 197 points, good for fifth all-time in NHL playoff history. Instead of adding to his prolific scoring history in the playoffs -- 78 goals -- he's re-envisioning himself as a mere contributor in the winter of his career.

"They make me even happy when I don't score," Jagr said. "But they making me happy, even when I struggle scoring. They find a way to make me happy. Starting with the coach. That's what I would say. I don't think I'd feel that on any other team.

"I don't want to repeat myself. It doesn't really matter if I score or not. He tried to make me [feel] important or happy even if I'm not scoring. That's the first time I felt that in my hockey career."

It's all about winning at this stage in his career. And, you know, Julien has Jagr's back.

5. Rask is hot, but so is the defense -- Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask had 28 saves to go along with his third career postseason shutout. Game 3 was certainly a far cry from Game 1 in which he faced 63 shots and saved 59. But there can be no denying how much the Bruins defense is helping Rask along the way. With Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg clearing the space Monday night, there was rarely an opportunity for the Blackhawks to get a clean shot. Game 3 was just another example of the team's defense making its mark on this series and on this Stanley Cup run.

"I think it's the energy in the game, the effort," Julien said. "You see our guys, like I said, they're back-checking, having layers, so when somebody makes a mistake, you have somebody covering up.  We're blocking a lot of shots.  The commitment is totally there.

"Throughout a whole season, it's not easy to have that full commitment.  But I think when you get to this stage, players start feeling it.  They go above and beyond.  That's what you're seeing from our team right now.

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

After splitting overtime thrillers in the first two games, the Bruins sent their fans to bed without worry Monday night with a tidy 2-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. Deflections and dented posts were the story of the two games in Chicago, but in the series' TD Garden debut, the Bruins took a two-goal lead into the third period and never relinquished it. Boston now leads the best-of-seven series, 2-1.

"We're playing our best hockey of the season right now," Bruins coach Claude Julien said afterward. "And that's what you've got to do to win the Stanley Cup."

There were dueling rainbows over the arena just before faceoff, but the home team didn't lean on any kind of luck against their opponents Monday. The Bruins had the edge in just about every statistical category, topping Chicago in shots (35 to 28), power play conversions (1 of 4 vs. 0 of5), hits (31 to 25) and faceoffs (40 to 16). Many of Chicago's shots came from just inside the blue line. Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask credited his defense for not allowing the Blackhawks to establish position in front of the net.

"They had shots but most of them came from the outside," said Rask. "We eliminated a lot of their rebound opportunities."

Rask faced 28 shots and recorded his third shutout of the playoffs.

"He's been focused since day one of the playoffs," said Julien. " You watch him on off days, you watch him, he's quiet, focused, calm. Right now all his energy is put towards his game.

"I've never seen a guy so calm, obviously confident with the way he's played. Probably quietest I've seen him so far, but in a good way. "

It looked like the Bruins might be in trouble in the first period when the fourth line picked up two early penalties. Kaspars Daugavins went high on Andrew Shaw and earned a roughing penalty at the 9:57 mark, and Shawn Thornton got called for roughing a few minutes later for scuffling with Shaw after a play. But Chicago failed to record a shot on the first power play and failed to convert on either.

"Our power play tonight was definitely not good," said Blackhawks coach Joel Quenville, whose team is 0 for 11 on the power play in the series.

Bruins penalty killer Chris Kelly, who has struggled all postseason but had a goal in Game 2 as part of a revamped third line, helped put the Bruins on the board first. Kelly's strong forecheck freed the puck up for Danielle Paille's goal at the 17:47 mark in the first period. The goal followed Paille's game-winner Saturday night and made it three straight goals for the Paille-Kelly-Tyler Seguin line. That line is responsible for seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) in the past two games.

"They skated hard, kept the game simple," said Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg. "That's what you want from guys that haven't played with each other. It's about playing basic hockey, getting pucks deep, forechecking, getting pucks to the net. They've done a good job working as a unit and communicating out there."

For their second goal, the Bruins capitalized on a 5-on-3 power player after penalties to Chicago's Dave Bolland and Niklas Hjalmarsson in the second period. Zdeno Chara cycled the puck to Jaromir Jagr on the left side of the net, who shuffled it over to Patrice Bergeron on the other side for a wrister and a 2-0 lead at the 14:05 mark. The goal was Bergeron's seventh of the playoffs, the most he's scored in a single postseason, surpassing the six goals he scored in 2011.

"He's one of the most consistent players I've ever played with," said Seguin.

It was Jagr's 8th assist and Chara's 10th. Chara received stitches before the game after colliding with teammate Milan Lucic. Chara skated to the locker room to get stitched up but returned in time for the start of the game.

"He slipped and he had a little gash over his eye I guess," said Julien. "It's nothing serious."

Seidenberg, who was awarded the Army Ranger jacket after the game, blamed Chara's injury on poor ice conditions. "He just lost an edge and fell," he said.

The Blackhawks were without Marian Hossa, who was seen on the ice during warm-ups but was a late scratch for Game 3. Quenville said afterward that Hossa has an upper-body injury that was not sustained during warmups. His status for Game 4 is unknown.

"We'll say day-to-day," said Quenville. "It was a game-time decision after the warmup there, and that's why we made the call."

Without Hossa's stellar two-way play, Chicago didn't present much of a challenge. Bruins fans might have liked the lack of drama, but Rask said it didn't matter either way.

"It's better I guess," said Rask. "A win is a win. We'll take a win any day."

In Game 3 at TD Garden, the Bruins submitted a ruthless 60-minute performance of execution to claim a 2-0 shutout win. Daniel Paille and Patrice Bergeron scored in the second period.

The Bruins now have a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 is at the Garden on Wednesday.

End of second period: Bruins, 2-0: The Bruins beat Corey Crawford twice in the second period to take a 2-0 lead.

Prior to the first goal, Crawford stopped a Tyler Seguin shot. Nick Leddy was first on the rebound. But Chris Kelly muscled Leddy off the puck. After winning the battle, Kelly threw the puck out front to Daniel Paille. The left wing beat Crawford at 2:13 to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead. It was Paille’s second goal in two games.

The Bruins took a 2-0 lead on a Patrice Bergeron power-play goal. Dave Bolland was called for tripping at 12:00. At 13:50, Niklas Hjalmarsson was forced to haul down Paille when the left wing had a close-range chance.

Chicago killed off Bolland’s penalty. But the Bruins took advantage of Hjalmarsson’s infraction. Jaromir Jagr, handling the puck down low on the right side, threaded a Marc Savard-like cross-crease pass to Bergeron. Before Crawford could slide over, Bergeron slammed the puck home at 14:05.

End of first period: 0-0: The Bruins, blitzed in the first period of Game 2, submitted a far crisper start in Game 3. Although neither team scored, the Bruins didn’t give up the handful of Grade-A chances they allowed in the opening 20 minutes of Game 2.

The Bruins had a good scoring chance late in the first when Zdeno Chara connected with Brad Marchand on a long-distance pass. Marchand tried to pull the puck to his backhand. But the puck rolled off Marchand’s blade before he could put a shot on goal. Marchand broke his stick on the boards when he returned to the bench.

The Bruins dominated the faceoff circle in the first. The Bruins won 17 of 22 faceoffs. Patrice Bergeron went 10 for 11. Michal Handzus lost all eight draws he took.

At the end of warmups, Zdeno Chara took out Milan Lucic. Both hit the deck hard and lost their helmets. Neither player was injured.

Marian Hossa was a late scratch. The top-line right wing participated in warmups. But former Boston College forward Ben Smith replaced Hossa. Chicago rolled out a first line of Jonathan Toews between Marcus Kruger and Michael Frolik.

Get live updates, photos, video and more in our live blog feed below.

To chat with other fans during the game, join our combined Boston/Chicago fan chat here.

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff

Based on pregame warmups:

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

Zdeno Chara-Dennis Seidenberg
Andrew Ference-Johnny Boychuk
Torey Krug-Adam McQuaid

Tuukka Rask
Anton Khudobin

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff

Brandon Saad-Jonathan Toews-Ben Smith
Patrick Sharp-Michal Handzus-Patrick Kane
Bryan Bickell-Dave Bolland-Andrew Shaw
Viktor Stalberg-Marcus Kruger-Michael Frolik

Duncan Keith-Brent Seabrook
Johnny Oduya-Niklas Hjalmarsson
Nick Leddy-Michal Rozsival

Corey Crawford
Ray Emery

By Bobb Burgess, Boston.com staff

Last week we brought you news that the Michael Jordan statue in Chicago is a Blackhawks fan. Not to be outdone, Bruins fans have rekindled the Stanley Cup tradition of putting Bruins jerseys on well-known Boston statues.

Those are some mighty small duck jerseys.

You must admit, George Washington is looking stately in his black and gold.

Word on the street is there are a few other relics getting behind the hometown team, including John Copley and this Stone legend.

Boston.com produced a live pregame show from TD Garden this evening, featuring Chad Finn and Kevin Paul Dupont previewing Game 3 of the Bruins-Blackhawks Stanley Cup Finals series.

Watch the replay in the video window above.

By Emily Kaplan, Globe Correspondent

Chicago forward Viktor Stalberg has not had a 30-minute sitdown with coach Joel Quenneville in these playoffs. In fact, the Swede doesn’t talk to Quenneville “too often.”

“At this point, you know what you need to do,” Stalberg said. “And I think overthinking things too much is not necessarily a good thing.”

Stalberg, a healthy scratch the past two games, will make his Stanley Cup Final debut Monday night, the lone lineup change for Chicago in Game 3. Though the speedy winger hasn’t chatted at length with his coach, he knows what’s expected of him.

“Not overthink things too much, play it simple,” Stalberg said. “The way the Bruins play, I think it’s about speed, getting pucks to the net, be hungry around the net. That’s what I need to do.”

Stalberg was replaced by forward Brandon Bollig in the series’ first two games. Stalberg is known for his speed and elusiveness. Bollig is a bigger, physical presence. Bollig played only 8:42 in Game 2, recording zero shots on goal, zero hits, two giveaways, and a minus-1 rating.

“Bollig gave us a couple real strong games,” Quenneville said. “Viktor, we’re just looking for more. I think offensively, defensively, giving us some more in both those areas.”

Stalberg knows he can’t be too fancy.

“Boston really clogs down the middle,” he said. “Just got to keep it simple.”

Stalberg has played in 15 games this postseason, including 10 straight leading up to the Stanley Cup Final.

The 27-year-old has zero goals, three assists, and a minus-1 rating in those games. He tallied nine goals and 14 assists in 47 regular-season games.

Not playing in the first two Final games was frustrating, Stalberg said, “but hopefully you come out a little bit stronger.”

And maybe with a bit more energy; fresh legs could be key after the teams played nearly 10 periods in the last six days.

“We want to use his speed, that’s the big thing with his game,” forward Patrick Kane said. “He can really back their defensemen off.

"I think he had some good games when he was in the lineup, so hopefully he can keep playing as well as he has, maybe chip in a little more offensively. But for the most part, his speed is a big part of his game and our team game, as well.”

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff

Good morning from TD Garden, where the Bruins will look to take a 2-1 series lead tonight over the Blackhawks.

The Bruins are not expected to make any lineup changes. Their third line will most likely be Daniel Paille, Chris Kelly, and Tyler Seguin. The third line combined on both goals in Game 2.

Chicago could make changes. Viktor Stalberg, a healthy scratch in Games 1 and 2, could be back in tonight. The Blackhawks could also shuffle their defensive pairings. For now, we’ll assume it’s the same lineup as Game 2, and update after Chicago’s morning skate.

Puck drop: 8 p.m.

TV/radio info: NBC Sports Network (Mike Emrick, Ed Olczyk, Pierre McGuire), 98.5 The Sports Hub (Dave Goucher, Bob Beers)

Records: Blackhawks 1-1, Bruins 1-1

Projected Blackhawks lineup:

Brandon Saad-Jonathan Toews-Marian Hossa
Patrick Sharp-Michal Handzus-Patrick Kane
Bryan Bickell-Dave Bolland-Andrew Shaw
Brandon Bollig-Marcus Kruger-Michael Frolik

Duncan Keith-Brent Seabrook
Johnny Oduya-Niklas Hjalmarsson
Nick Leddy-Michal Rozsival

Corey Crawford
Ray Emery

Healthy scratches: Daniel Carcillo, Jamal Mayers, Viktor Stalberg, Ben Smith, Ryan Stanton

Projected Bruins lineup:

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

Zdeno Chara-Dennis Seidenberg
Andrew Ference-Johnny Boychuk
Torey Krug-Adam McQuaid

Tuukka Rask
Anton Khudobin

Healthy scratches: Matt Bartkowski, Dougie Hamilton, Wade Redden, Aaron Johnson, Carl Soderberg, Jay Pandolfo, Jordan Caron

Storylines: The Bruins’ defensemen were actively pinching in Game 2. Andrew Ference pinched down the right-side wall on Patrick Sharp, which led to the turnover behind the net. Chris Kelly scored moments later. Adam McQuaid held the right point prior to Daniel Paille’s winning goal. Expect that to continue in Game 3… Neither team practiced Sunday. Both clubs used it as a travel day to fly to Boston… The top prospects eligible for the 2013 draft later this month will tour the dressing rooms at the Garden this morning. It’s unclear whether Seth Jones or Nathan MacKinnon will be the first pick when the draft takes place in Newark on June 30… Chris Rooney and Brad Watson will be the referees. Shane Heyer and Brian Murphy will be the linesmen.

Once again, NESN's popular Bruins announcer, Jack Edwards, will join us to talk some hockey. Set a reminder in the window below and come back at lunchtime to discuss Bruins-Blackhawks Game 3, the series and more.

Edwards and the NESN crew have been providing plenty of pre- and postgame coverage throughout the Stanley Cup Finals, with 90-minute pregame shows beginning at 6:30 p.m. After each game, NESN provides analysis and exclusive interviews with key Bruins personnel for an additional 90 minutes.

By Steve Silva, Boston.com Staff

The flamboyant and always entertaining Don Cherry arrived in Boston Sunday for Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Final and said Tuukka Rask would be the difference maker in the tight battle between the Bruins and the Blackhawks.

The former Bruins coach and current CBC broadcaster and "Hockey Night in Canada” analyst said the Blackhawks won't go down easily, but the Bruins will ultimately prevail.

"I cannot believe a team that was the best in the whole league ends up going [down] in four or five [games]," Cherry said. "But for the Bruins, Rask is going to be the difference."

Hear more from the former Bruins coach on the first two games of the series, Jaromir Jagr, Tim Thomas, and more in the video embedded above.

By Steve Silva, Boston.com Staff

CHICAGO -- During the first intermission of Saturday night's Bruins-Blackhawks Game 2 telecast, NBC Sports hockey analyst and former Bruins player, coach, and general manager Mike Milbury took a shot at veteran Boston forward Jaromir Jagr.

“He can’t skate in this series, and they gotta get him off this line," Milbury said on the air. "If he can do something when he gets the puck standing still, fine. But he can’t forecheck, he can’t participate with this line, two very good players with him [on the highlight being shown]. He turned the puck over repeatedly. He can’t get anything going here. They can’t sustain anything with him on this line. He's not quick enough to get into the forecheck, and if his hands are going to act like that on him, he's got a problem. I think the Boston Bruins got to recognize this. Don't be looking at Jaromir Jagr the legend, this is Jaromir Jagr in real life… there's no hustle to get to the bench, absolutely lazy in a Stanley Cup Final… That to me is a guy that is too tired to play in this final. That's a guy that has to be replaced."

Before leaving Chicago to head back to Boston Sunday, Milbury didn't back off his criticism of Jagr and elaborated on the veteran sniper's game and why he doesn't think it fits with the Bruins current style of play.

"He doesn't hustle to get to the right place," Milbury said. "He's smart enough to know where to be, and he'll pick up the garbage. When the puck comes to him, then he's a dangerous player, like when the loose pucks pop his way, and they did [in Game 2]. He rattled one off the post in overtime."

Jagr actually led the Bruins attack with five shots Saturday night, but Milbury thinks that stat doesn't tell the whole story.

"The first two came off garbage turnovers and he ripped some shots off," he said. "So when he gets that, and what he loves to do is one-on-one stuff, he's still OK, as long as he gets the puck.

"You can't count on him on the forecheck, he's not going to participate as a group effort to go retrieve the puck, and so using him in selective areas I think, is important but Claude [Julien] just throws him out one after the other. God bless Claude, I love him, but I don't get it because he's got no goals, he's got no goals."

During the overtime period in Game 2, Jagr clanged a shot off the crossbar causing the 41-year-old hockey legend to scream to the high heavens.

“I said, ‘God. Where are you?’ ” Jagr said in the locker room when asked after the game what words he was howling.

The former two-time Cup champion and former NHL MVP has in fact not scored a goal in the postseason, last hitting the back of the net on April 21 against Florida. But Jagr showed a late burst of energy and seemed destined to turn on the red light Saturday night.

"That's the way it is," Jagr said after Game 2. "I've got no problem with that if we keep winning. That would be kind of sad if we would lose the hockey game, but there is always next time because we won. I don't worry about it right now."

Milbury appreciated Jagr's spirit when told of his comments after Game 2 when Jagr told the assembled media that he skates at the TD Garden rink alone after games sometimes so he can score some goals.

"Well that's funny, and he certainly works hard at it," Milbury said. "When you watch it and you try to be… and I've watched it for a long time, I've been critical of of him in the past but I've also been an admirer of him in the past because his skill set is just phenomenal but it's a different mindset that goes into his approach to the game.

"I sometimes get frustrated by that as a former coach watching it but the skill set is still there… you can see it from time to time, but these two teams are teams that forecheck. When they're going good, it's on the forecheck. He's not part of any forecheck blanket, he's part of the receiving team."

Former Bruins coach and current CBC broadcaster Don Cherry weighed in on Jagr as well on Sunday when he arrived in Boston, giving the right winger some props.

"Well he hasn't scored any goals but he has been effective," Cherry said. "[The Bruins] wanted Iginla and poor Jerome had an awful time and they ended up with [Jagr]. He hasn't had a goal, but I'll tell you, he's a big factor out there."

With the Cup final now knotted at one game apiece heading into Game 3 Monday night in Boston, Milbury was asked how he thought the series might play out going forward.

"I have no idea," Milbury said. "I thought it was over at the end of the first period [in Game 2] and what the Bruins have done so well over the last few years is their resiliency pops up and they come back and play hard, and I admire the hell out of them for that and I expect that will continue to be the case.

"But the Hawks are pretty resilient, too. It will be interesting to see if they can win it without the benefit of a Jonathan Toews, who has just one more goal than Jagr. I know he's a bit of a decoy, he takes a lot of punishment, gets a lot of attention, but still, you see [David] Krejci, he gets a lot of attention, too now and he's putting up some pretty good numbers, but I don't know where it all settles in. It didn't look good for the Bruins at the end of the first, the shots on goal advantage was crazy… so we'll see."

By Steve Silva, Boston.com Staff

CHICAGO – It's not how you start, it's how you finish. Especially in the Stanley Cup Final.

The Bruins started Game 2 horribly – looking lackadaisical, sluggish, and playing with no real sense of urgency. They were outshot 19-4 in the first, but were lucky to head to the locker room down only 1-0 on Patrick Sharp’s goal 11:22 into the period.

But Boston managed to turn it on in the second period and the Black and Gold would eventually finish on top with a nail-biting, heart-stopping, 2-1 overtime win over the Blackhawks at the United Center Saturday night that tied the series at one game apiece.

Bruins winger Daniel Paille banged in the game winner on a feed from Tyler Seguin at 13:48 in overtime – the second straight game that went beyond regulation time – and red-hot goaltender Tuukka Rask turned in another stellar performance, making 33 saves in Game 2.

"We just kept the pressure on and [Seguin] threw the puck to me," Paille said. "I just popped out and had to shoot the puck quick, get it off my stick. I was able to send it post low. He made a good play passing it over instead of shooting."

Rask spoke about weathering the Blackhawks' first-period storm that saw Chicago dominate with 30 shot attempts to the Bruins’ five.

"We definitely were in survival mode there for a bit," Rask said. "It looked like they had more guys out there than we did.  They were pouncing on every single puck in front of net, had a lot of chances.  We definitely played pretty bad.
     
"But it was good that we were only down by one and regrouped after that."

With 5:02 remaining in the second period, the B's tied the game up 1-1 when Chris Kelly knocked in a rebound off a Paille shot.

Bruins coach Claude Julien spoke about the turnaround that started in that second period.

"If you look at our game, I thought the first period, we just weren't  there," Julien said.  "We were on our heels. They had total control of that period. Tuukka kept us in there. I thought the second, we started turning it around.  Third, same thing.  We got better as the game went on. Overtime, that was the best, had a lot of scoring chances there.

"Like I told our guys, we've got to show up on time for these kind of games.  It could have cost us tonight."

Julien talked about putting Paille, Kelly, and Seguin together and the spark the new third line provided to key the victory.

"We didn't have much going," Julien said. "At one point I thought that line would give us something. They responded well.  Got both goals tonight. It's a hunch from a coach. I know that Dan [Paille] is a great skater, can make a lot of things happen. Seguin, after the first period, was one of the guys that picked up his game.
     
"Kelly was one of the guys that was good right from the start.  I put those three guys together and they answered."

Kelly, who last scored on April 17 against the Capitals, spoke about Paille's goal and how the new linemates worked together.

"I think on my goal it was a great five-guy effort," Kelly said. "Andrew [Ference] made a pinch, Tyler was in on the play and got it to Daniel, and Daniel took it to the net.  I just happened to be there, tapped it in.

"I thought Paille played extremely well the whole night. His goal, great pass by Seguin.  I thought both of them played extremely well.  Their feet were moving the whole night."

Paille talked about the momentum shift that went Boston's way after Chicago steamrolled them on the ice in the first period.

“I think we just stopped thinking and started playing and realized that we needed to help the team a little bit,” Paille said after netting the OT game winner. “I think that goes well into the game when you stop thinking and start playing with your natural abilities. I think [Seguin] started skating a lot more and I think [Kelly] and myself started to protect the puck. So that helped us out in the game.”

The Bruins peppered Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford throughout the overtime period, including Jaromir Jagr clanging a shot off the crossbar, causing the 41-year-old hockey legend to scream to the high heavens.

“I said, ‘God. Where are you?’ ” Jagr said in the locker room.

The former two-time Cup champion and former NHL MVP has not scored a goal in the postseason, last hitting the back of the net on April 21 against Florida. But Jagr showed a late burst of energy and seemed destined to turn on the red light Saturday night.

"That's the way it is," Jagr said. "I've got no problem with that if we keep winning. That would be kind of sad if we would lose the hockey game, but there is always next time because we won. I don't worry about it right now."

During the first intermission of Game 2, NBC Sports NHL analyst and former Bruin Mike Milbury took a shot at Jagr.

“He can’t skate in this series," Milbury said on the air. "They gotta get him off of this line. If he can do something when he gets the puck standing still, fine. But he can’t forecheck, he can’t participate with this line. He turned the puck over repeatedly. He can’t get anything going here. They can’t sustain anything with him on this line.

“Absolutely lazy in a Stanley Cup Finals… That to me is a guy that is too tired to play in this final. That is a guy that has to be replaced.”

The Blackhawks are fully aware of the challenges they'll when the series goes back to Boston for Game 3, Monday night at TD Garden.

"It's a tough building to go in and win," Hawks winger Patrick Sharp said. "But there's enough incentive on the line that we can muster up a good effort."

CHICAGO -- At 13:48 of overtime, Daniel Paille rifled a shot over Corey Crawford’s glove to give the Bruins a 2-1 Game 2 win. The series is tied at 1-1. Game 3 is at TD Garden on Monday

The play started as Adam McQuaid held the zone at the right point. Tyler Seguin threw a cross-ice pass to Paille. The left wing buried his shot.

End of regulation: 1-1: For the second straight game, the Bruins and Blackhawks went into overtime. The Bruins survived a first-period blitzkrieg. They evened the game in the second, then held their ground in the third period to send Game 2 into extra time tied at 1-1.

Neither team scored in the third period. The Bruins’ best chance came after Jaromir Jagr set up Brad Marchand at the left circle. Corey Crawford got a piece of Marchand’s shot with his glove.

End of second period: 1-1: The Bruins, lucky to be down just one goal after the first period, tied the game in the second. The tying goal took place on the second shift for the new third line of Daniel Paille, Chris Kelly, and Tyler Seguin.

Paille started the play by winning a puck battle along the end boards. Paille walked the puck out and put a short-range shot on goal. Corey Crawford stopped Paille’s shot. But Kelly beat Patrick Kane to the rebound and tapped the puck past Crawford at 14:58 to tie the game at 1-1. It was Kelly’s first point of the playoffs.

The Bruins were a post away from taking the lead. After Kelly batted a puck out of air, Brad Marchand had a chance. Marchand kicked the puck to his blade and snapped a shot on goal that bounced off the right post at 18:57.

The Bruins slowed the bleeding in the second. After allowing 19 shots in the first, they limited the Blackhawks to five pucks on Tuukka Rask in the second.

End of first period: Blackhawks 1-0: The Blackhawks grabbed a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. But the Blackhawks could have slipped five pucks into the Boston net in the first period.

From the opening shift, the Blackhawks overwhelmed the Bruins. It was a varsity-versus-JV performance. Chicago landed 19 pucks on goal while limiting the Bruins to just four shots on Corey Crawford. The Blackhawks dominated every segment of the game. The Bruins were fortunate to escape the first down just one goal.

Chicago beat Rask after a flurry of shots by the No. 2 line. Rask stopped three straight pucks, but the Bruins couldn’t bail out their goalie by retrieving the rebounds. With Rask down and out and Michal Handzus causing havoc in front, Patrick Sharp whistled the puck into the net at 11:20.

The Bruins caught a break several minutes later. Again, the Bruins allowed the Blackhawks to swarm the net. Jonathan Toews appeared to slip the puck under Rask after a wraparound at 12:32. The initial call on the ice was no goal, which was confirmed via video review.

Get live updates and more throughout Game 2.

We're also having a special chat where fans of both teams can sound off throughout the game.

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff

Based on pregame warmups:

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

Zdeno Chara-Dennis Seidenberg
Andrew Ference-Johnny Boychuk
Torey Krug-Adam McQuaid

Tuukka Rask
Anton Khudobin

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff

Based on pregame warmups:

Brandon Saad-Jonathan Toews-Marian Hossa
Patrick Sharp-Michal Handzus-Patrick Kane
Bryan Bickell-Dave Bolland-Andrew Shaw
Brandon Bollig-Marcus Kruger-Michael Frolik

Duncan Keith-Brent Seabrook
Johnny Oduya-Niklas Hjalmarsson
Nick Leddy-Michal Rozsival

Corey Crawford
Ray Emery

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff; Steve Silva, Boston.com Staff

Nathan Horton will play tonight in Game 2. Both Horton and Claude Julien said the right wing will be in the lineup.

“He feels really good,” Julien said. “He looked really good out there the last two days. There’s absolutely no reason at all why he shouldn’t play tonight.”

Horton participated in the morning skate. Horton practiced in his usual spot alongside Milan Lucic and David Krejci.

"I feel good, I'm going to be ready, I think I'm in, I'm ready to go and I'm excited, feel good" Horton said after Saturday's practice. "I've just been trying to get ready for Game 2 like any player here and just looking at clips on what we need to do better, but I feel good personally."

Horton was asked if he was in pain the last couple of days.

"I'm not in any pain, I feel good," he said. "Like I said, I'm ready to play and I'm just excited to get going here."

Horton would not go into any details on what caused the upper body setback Saturday night but when asked if Claude Julien said he's definitely ready go tonight, Horton replied: "Yes, everything's good. I'm back and I'm ready to go."

With Horton in, Tyler Seguin will remain on the third line with Kaspars Daugavins and Rich Peverley. The Bruins are not projected to make any other changes.

Tonight’s expected lineup:

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

Zdeno Chara-Dennis Seidenberg
Andrew Ference-Johnny Boychuk
Torey Krug-Adam McQuaid

Tuukka Rask
Anton Khudobin

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff

CHICAGO – Good morning from the United Center, where the Bruins will attempt to tie the series at 1-1 tonight.

It’s unknown whether Nathan Horton (upper body) will be available tonight. Horton was injured during first overtime of Game 1. Horton most likely re-aggravated the injury he suffered on April 20 during a fight with Jarome Iginla.

Horton practiced yesterday. For now, we’ll assume Horton will play tonight.

Puck drop: 8 p.m. ET

TV/radio info: NBC (Mike Emrick, Ed Olczyk, Pierre McGuire), 98.5 The Sports Hub (Dave Goucher, Bob Beers)

Records: Bruins 0-1, Blackhawks 1-0

Projected Blackhawks lineup:

Brandon Saad-Jonathan Toews-Marian Hossa
Bryan Bickell-Michal Handzus-Patrick Kane
Patrick Sharp-Dave Bolland-Andrew Shaw
Brandon Bollig-Marcus Kruger-Michael Frolik

Duncan Keith-Brent Seabrook
Johnny Oduya-Niklas Hjalmarsson
Nick Leddy-Michal Rozsival

Corey Crawford
Ray Emery

Healthy scratches: Daniel Carcillo, Jamal Mayers, Viktor Stalberg, Ben Smith, Ryan Stanton

Projected Bruins lineup:

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

Zdeno Chara-Dennis Seidenberg
Andrew Ference-Johnny Boychuk
Torey Krug-Adam McQuaid

Tuukka Rask
Anton Khudobin

Healthy scratches: Matt Bartkowski, Dougie Hamilton, Wade Redden, Aaron Johnson, Carl Soderberg, Jay Pandolfo, Jordan Caron

Storylines: Torey Krug practiced alongside Adam McQuaid in his usual third-pairing spot yesterday. Krug projects to remain in tonight’s lineup. The Bruins expect Krug to shrug off the third-period turnover in Game 1 that led to Chicago’s second goal… If Horton can’t play, Tyler Seguin will move up to the first line. Carl Soderberg could make his NHL playoff debut. Soderberg took shifts centering the third line between Daniel Paille and Rich Peverley yesterday… The Bruins will remain in Chicago after tonight’s game. They are scheduled to return to Boston tomorrow… Wes McCauley and Dan O’Halloran will be the referees. Jay Sharrers and Pierre Racicot will be the linesmen.