By Steve Silva, Boston.com Staff

NEW YORK -- For most of Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, it was looking like Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was finally going to have his big game in net. The man who would be King was 5-0 in his last five Game 3 appearances and was shutting down the Bruins at every turn.

But it was the Big Bad Bruins who roared back with a pair of third-period goals created by the fourth line of Greg Campbell, Shawn Thornton, and Daniel Paille that gave Boston a 2-1 victory in Game 3 of their playoff series against the Rangers Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.

Paille’s goal with 3:31 left in a third period dominated by Boston gave the Bruins the victory and put the Rangers in the unenviable position of having to come back from an 0-3 deficit to keep their season alive.

"It was one of those nights when [Lundqvist] was on his game and you can see the confidence he had throughout the whole game," Paille said. "The goals that went in, there's really nothing much you can do. It was a screen on one and a redirect on another so we tried to do as much as we could, but it wasn't going to be one of those where you're going to beat him clean like the last few games. He was on tonight."

The winning goal was the result of a shot that bounced off Lundqvist and went up into the air. The puck landed on the goal line before Paille came from behind the net to knock it home.

"We did a good job of managing the puck when we had it," Thornton said. "Trying to wait for opportunities to open up, not just throwing pucks away, both my linemates were doing a great job of skating, getting into the forecheck, when they're going, it makes life easy for all of us."

The Black and Gold looked sharp from the start, yet it was the Rangers who took a 1-0 lead into the third period after a Taylor Pyatt goal on a deflection that came 3:53 into the second period. The Bruins turned up the pressure in the third period and outshot the Rangers 34-24 for the game.

Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk fired a goal through a screen of players that tied the score just 3:10 into the third period.

"We just wanted to keep it deep and keep getting pucks and bodies to the net," Boychuk said. "There's good things that happened."

The game was nip and tuck all night, with the referees keeping the whistle in the pockets for the most part.

"It was a close game, very close," Bruins captain Zdeno Chara said. "It was pretty even throughout the whole game. We had some chances in the first 20 minutes, but obviously their goalie played really strong. They put a lot of pressure on us and they scored a goal, making it a one goal game going into the third. We had to be more aggressive, and we were."

Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask wasn't challenged nearly as much as Lundqvist, but he stayed focused when the pressure came his way and he came away with the W.

"You've got to be pretty happy with the situation obviously, but can't get ahead of yourself," Rask said on the Bruins 3-0 series lead. "We felt like we played a great game today so we just gotta keep going that way and I think good things will keep happening to us."

Good things usually happen to team up 3-0, but Boston fans remember the 2010 Philadelphia Flyers, who came back from three games down to overtake the Bruins. The only other teams to pull of the feat were the 1975 New York Islanders and the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Bruins have a chance to close this one out Thursday night at MSG and possibly catch a much-needed breather before taking on the winner of the Penguins-Senators series.

Follow the action and discuss Game 3 of the Bruins-Rangers series in our live blog.

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff

Based on pregame warmups:

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

Zdeno Chara-Dougie Hamilton
Matt Bartkowski-Johnny Boychuk
Torey Krug-Adam McQuaid

Tuukka Rask
Anton Khudobin

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff

Based on pregame warmups:

Mats Zuccarello-Derick Brassard-Rick Nash
Carl Hagelin-Derek Stepan-Ryan Callahan
Taylor Pyatt-Brian Boyle-Derek Dorsett
Chris Kreider-Brad Richards-Arron Asham

Ryan McDonagh-Dan Girardi
Michael Del Zotto-Anton Stralman
John Moore-Steve Eminger

Henrik Lundqvist
Martin Biron

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff

The Bruins are not planning on making any lineup changes for Game 3. Claude Julien said he would be surprised if Dennis Seidenberg played tonight. Seidenberg was one of the last four players on the ice for today’s optional morning skate (Aaron Johnson, Jay Pandolfo, and Kaspars Daugavins were the others), indicating that he will be out of uniform for a third straight game.

Wade Redden skated this morning. But Redden remained on the ice after Torey Krug had returned to the dressing room.

Tonight’s expected lineup:

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

Zdeno Chara-Dougie Hamilton
Matt Bartkowski-Johnny Boychuk
Torey Krug-Adam McQuaid

Tuukka Rask
Anton Khudobin

* The Bruins are expecting Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi to play together on the Rangers’ top pairing. They did not play together in Games 1 and 2. Girardi was on the ice for all five Boston goals in Game 2. The two defensemen played against Alex Ovechkin’s line in the opening round.

* With Tuukka Rask staying off the ice this morning, goaltending coach Bob Essensa manned one net while Anton Khudobin patrolled the other crease.

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff

NEW YORK – Good morning from Madison Square Garden, where the Bruins will look to grab a 3-0 series lead tonight over the Rangers.

Dennis Seidenberg and Wade Redden are with the team. Both defensemen practiced Monday at TD Garden. It’s unlikely, however, that either will draw into the lineup. No changes are expected for the Bruins.

The Rangers, coming off two straight losses, might tinker with their lineup. For now, we’ll go with the Game 2 lineup.

Puck drop: 7:30 p.m.

TV/radio info: NBC Sports Network, 98.5 The Sports Hub (Dave Goucher, Bob Beers)

Records: Bruins 2-0, Rangers 0-2

Projected Rangers lineup:

Mats Zuccarello-Derick Brassard-Rick Nash
Carl Hagelin-Derek Stepan-Ryan Callahan
Taylor Pyatt-Brian Boyle-Derek Dorsett
Chris Kreider-Brad Richards-Arron Asham

Ryan McDonagh-Anton Stralman
Michael Del Zotto-Dan Girardi
John Moore-Steve Eminger

Henrik Lundqvist
Martin Biron

Healthy scratches: Micheal Haley, Roman Hamrlik, Matt Gilroy

Projected Bruins lineup:

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

Zdeno Chara-Dougie Hamilton
Matt Bartkowski-Johnny Boychuk
Torey Krug-Adam McQuaid

Tuukka Rask
Anton Khudobin

Healthy scratches: Aaron Johnson, Kaspars Daugavins, Carl Soderberg, Jay Pandolfo

Storylines: This is the second straight series in which the Rangers dropped the first two games. They fell into an 0-2 hole in the opening round against Washington. The Rangers rallied to claim the series in seven games… The Bruins are 21-7 all-time when they’ve won the first two games of a seven-game series… Torey Krug will look to extend his goal-scoring streak to three games. Krug is the fourth player in Bruins history to score goals in his first two playoff games… The Rangers are 2 for 36 on the power play in the playoffs. They have yet to score a man-up goal in the series… Kevin Pollock and Dan O’Rourke will be the referees. Jay Sharrers and Lonnie Cameron will be the linesmen.

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff

The Bruins are practicing at TD Garden prior to their road trip to New York later today. Dennis Seidenberg and Wade Redden are on the ice for practice.

This is Seidenberg’s first practice with his teammates since suffering his lower-body injury in Game 7 against Toronto. Redden practiced on Saturday. This is Redden’s second on-ice session with the full team.

Given their status, both Seidenberg and Redden should make the trip to New York. Neither has appeared in the series.

UPDATE: Seidenberg and Redden are traveling to New York. Claude Julien said he hasn't made any decisions regarding their respective returns. The defensive pairings were the same in today's practice.

Many readers mentioned how much they missed having Jack Edwards on the call for Bruins playoff games on NESN, so we had him join Boston.com readers for a chat session on Monday.

With the national networks taking over the game broadcasts during the Stanley Cup playoffs conference semifinal round, Edwards and the rest of the NESN crew are continuing to produce complete pre- and postgame coverage on NESNplus with a one-hour edition of Bruins Face-Off LIVE before every playoff game and Bruins Overtime Live after every game. To find the NESNplus channel number in your area visit www.nesn.com/nesnplus.

Review Edwards's Q&A below.

The Bruins defeated the Rangers, 5-2, in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. Watch a recap of the game at TD Garden.

By Steve Silva, Boston.com Staff

The Bruins took command of the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 5-2 win over the Rangers Sunday at TD Garden, putting them up 2-0 heading to New York.

The Bruins took a 3-2 lead into the third period and cruised past the Rangers in the third when Brad Marchand scored 26 seconds into the period, and Milan Lucic put the game away.

Tuukka Rask was solid in goal, especially in the second period when he made a string of saves to keep the Bruins in the game.

"Yeah, that’s what you have to do sometimes," Rask said. "We were not at our best in the second period. We gave up a lot of odd man opportunities and a lot of turnovers and stuff, but they only got one goal so something positive came out of that period...

"There was plenty of two-on-ones, three-on-twos, and then a couple of turnovers from our D [defensemen]. Then they made some plays from behind the net. I was just in front of the puck, it wasn’t textbook all the time. But despite that goal from [Rick] Nash, I was just jumping."

Rask spoke about his confidence growing as his team goes deeper in the playoffs.

"My confidence is always high," Rask said. "That's just how I try to be. No matter what happens, I try to stay calm and even keeled. Confidence can’t go any lower or higher, I think."

The play of the Bruins young defenseman continued to impress Rask.

"Yeah, they just keep playing their game, that's all that we can ask from them," Rask said. "But we just have to make sure that they don't get too high. It’s still playoff hockey, you don’t want to get too carried away out there. But they're playing great."

Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk scored what turned out to be the winning goal in the second period when he fired one past Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist.

"It was definitely a screen," Boychuk said about his goal. "Bergy [Patrice Bergeron] did a good job getting to the front, and their D-man was their as well, but it was four on four. Marchy [Brad Marchand] did a good job by getting in the zone, turned up and found me coming in, and all I had to do was hit the net because there was a couple of guys in front of him."

Boychuk talked about being able to bounce back from the hit he took in the first game.

"It’s playoffs," Boychuk said. "You’ve got to keep going, and you can’t be worried about it, and you just do whatever you can for the team.

Boychuk already has three goals in the playoffs.

"You know, just hitting the net I guess, and sometimes it’s luck," he said. "Just getting shots on net and hitting the net. Better chance to score when you hit the net."

Boychuck spoke about the young defensemen playing well in this series.

"I think skating with the puck [is key]," Boychuk said. "They’ve been doing a good job skating and taking their ice when they get the chance and eliminating the turnovers again is a key and they’re just playing smart… They’ve been amazing. They’re making a case for themselves to stay in the lineup and that’s what you need. You want to stay in the lineup and the way that they’re playing, they’ve been playing very, very good and responsible, and even in the D-zone I’ve been watching they’ve been battling hard and doing the right things and that’s what you need.

Bruins coach Claude Julien was also impressed by the play of his young defense.

"At the stage we’re in right now in the season, we’re talking about the playoffs, the one thing you don’t want to do is make a young defensemen come in and be afraid to play," Julien said. "You’ve got to be willing to live with the consequences. The good part about that it I know they’ve got some good upside to them. [Matt] Bartkowski was sent down at the end of the regular season, so he could continue to play because we really liked his game. [Torey] Krug’s been a good player for Providence all year, we liked what we saw in him last year and when he was called up. It was just a matter of bringing those guys in, saying, ‘Continue to do the things that you do well, because that will also give you success at this level.’ It’s about giving them the confidence to do that. We have to trust that they are good enough in those areas that they’re going to help us out. So far, they’ve proven us right."

Bruins forward Brad Marchand scored for the second game in a row, this time 26 seconds into the third period.

"It’s always good to get a couple-goal lead early in the third there," Marchand said. "Bergy [Patrice Bergeron] made a great play. I think we played pretty well after that to limit their opportunities and played a strong game."

Marchand spoke about curbing his turnovers as the game progressed.

"Yeah, I think I was definitely a little more aware of it," he said. "I think I was maybe a little overconfident. I thought I was controlling the puck pretty good last game, and it didn’t seem to be going the same way. After that I tried to keep it a little more simple and make sure pucks were in deep."

Bruins captain Zdeno Chara was also pleased with what he saw from his team in Game 2.

"I thought we had everybody going, and we played on our toes," he said. "It’s nice to get some contribution from the back end. You need that in the playoffs."

Join the conversation about Sunday's Game 2 of the Bruins-Rangers series in the live session below.

The full-page version of our live blog for Game 2 can be found here.

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff

Based on pregame warmups:

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

Zdeno Chara-Dougie Hamilton
Matt Bartkowski-Johnny Boychuk
Torey Krug-Adam McQuaid

Tuukka Rask
Anton Khudobin

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff

Based on pregame warmups:

Mats Zuccarello-Derick Brassard-Rick Nash
Carl Hagelin-Derek Stepan-Ryan Callahan
Taylor Pyatt-Brian Boyle-Derek Dorsett
Chris Kreider-Brad Richards-Arron Asham

Ryan McDonagh-Anton Stralman
Michael Del Zotto-Dan Girardi
John Moore-Steve Eminger

Henrik Lundqvist
Martin Biron

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff

Good afternoon from TD Garden, where the Bruins will look to swipe a 2-0 series lead over the Rangers today.

No lineup changes are expected for either team. Neither Wade Redden nor Dennis Seidenberg is projected to be in the lineup. Andrew Ference will not play.

Puck drop: 3 p.m.

TV/radio info: NBC, 98.5 The Sports Hub (Dave Goucher, Bob Beers)

Records: Rangers 0-1, Bruins 1-0

Projected Rangers lineup:

Mats Zuccarello-Derick Brassard-Rick Nash
Carl Hagelin-Derek Stepan-Ryan Callahan
Taylor Pyatt-Brian Boyle-Derek Dorsett
Chris Kreider-Brad Richards-Arron Asham

Ryan McDonagh-Anton Stralman
Michael Del Zotto-Dan Girardi
John Moore-Steve Eminger

Henrik Lundqvist
Martin Biron

Healthy scratches: Micheal Haley, Roman Hamrlik, Matt Gilroy

Projected Bruins lineup:

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

Zdeno Chara-Dougie Hamilton
Matt Bartkowski-Johnny Boychuk
Torey Krug-Adam McQuaid

Tuukka Rask
Anton Khudobin

Healthy scratches: Aaron Johnson, Kaspars Daugavins, Carl Soderberg, Jay Pandolfo

Storylines: The last three meetings between the Rangers (Game 1, two in the regular season) have gone to overtime. Given the styles of both teams, that streak could continue today… Rick Nash enters Game 2 with an 0-3—3 playoff line. The Rangers need far more from Nash, their top-line right wing. Nash didn’t have the puck much in Game 1. The Rangers will look to give Nash the puck more today… On the other end, Tyler Seguin has a 0-1—1 line through eight playoff games. Seguin hasn’t shown any signs of breaking out offensively… The Bruins are scheduled to practice tomorrow before departing for New York prior to Game 3 on Tuesday… Chris Lee and Dan O’Halloran will be the referees. Steve Barton and Pierre Racicot will be the linesmen.

By Michael Vega, Globe Staff

Bruins coach Claude Julien said defenseman Wade Redden, who skated with the team in Saturday's practice at TD Garden, would likely be a "game-time decision'' for Sunday's Game 2 against the New York Rangers, while the status of Dennis Seidenberg, who skated before practice, remained uncertain.

Julien did seem to effectively rule out Andrew Ference, who was not spotted with the team on the ice Saturday morning.

Redden, meanwhile, put in his work in an attempt to help bolster Boston's injury-riddled corps of defensemen.

"It was good to get back out on the ice again and be with the guys and be a part of a practice and starting to feel better,'' said Redden, who did not play in Monday night's 3-2 overtime victory in Game 1 because of an undisclosed injury.

If Redden gets the nod from Julien to play, the veteran defenseman will likely displace one of the three youngsters -- Tory Krug, Dougie Hamilton or Matt Bartkowski -- who were forced to step up and log significant ice time in the absence of Seidenberg, Ference and Redden.

"Oh, they were great,'' Redden said, in his evaluation of the work done by Krug, Hamilton and Bartkowski. "The young guys stepped in and played strong. I mean, obviously Big Z [captain Zdeno Chara] led the way. He's been carrying the weight, a lot of it. I think it's just a group going out there and getting it done. No matter who's dressed, you got to have that same attitude.''

Seidenberg skated privately before practice with strength and conditioning coach John Whitesides. While Julien did not rule out the possibility of Seidenberg being available to play Sunday afternoon, the B's coach seemed to rule out Ference, who did not skate with the team.

"I don’t know the situation with him, with Seidenberg obviously doing better,'' Julien said. "I don’t anticipate him being ready for [Sunday], but with the injury he’s got, you never know. As far as Ference is concerned, he hasn’t skated yet so he won’t be in there tomorrow.''

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff

The Bruins are practicing at TD Garden. Game 2 is tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m.

Wade Redden is on the ice to start practice. Redden didn’t play in Game 1 because of an undisclosed injury. Redden participated in part of Wednesday’s practice, but didn’t make it through the full session.

So far, there are no changes to the Game 1 lineup. Jaromir Jagr remains on the second line with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. Tyler Seguin is practicing with the third line with Rich Peverley and Chris Kelly.

According to the Bruins, Dennis Seidenberg took a solo skate prior to practice with strength and conditioning coach John Whitesides. Seidenberg’s availability for Game 2 is unknown.

Today’s lineup:

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

Zdeno Chara-Dougie Hamilton
Matt Bartkowski-Johnny Boychuk
Torey Krug-Adam McQuaid
Wade Redden-Aaron Johnson

Tuukka Rask
Anton Khudobin

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff

The Bruins have not ruled Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference, and Wade Redden out of Sunday’s Game 2. It’s possible that with two days off between games, one or several of the veteran defensemen could return.

“A little early to say,” Claude Julien said. “It is two days. And two days in the playoffs makes a big difference as far as getting guys back. There is a possibility. That much I can say. Whether it will or not, too early to say right now.”

Seidenberg went through an off-ice workout today and is not walking with any limitations. He was injured on his first shift of Game 7 against Toronto.

Neither Ference nor Redden was seen today.

* The Bruins did not practice today. They will practice tomorrow at TD Garden in preparation for Game 2.

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff; Video by Steve Silva

Depleted and already without three of their top defensemen, Johnny Boychuk went off to the bench suffering from an unknown ailment less than 45 seconds into Game 1 of the Bruins' second round Stanley Cup playoff series with the New York Rangers.

It was the last thing the Bruins needed, another lost body.

Lucky for the Bruins, Boychuk returned, proving his toughness again (and once more after receiving punishment by the Rangers' Taylor Pyatt against the boards). But the team was especially lucky because its young core of defensemen -- Dougie Hamilton, Matt Bartkowski, and Torey Krug -- who were called up this season and in the middle of the playoffs, helped solidify the team's back end to ease the loss of its veterans.

It was, as Bartkowski put it, a "bonus" that they provided some offensive juice.

Krug fired home a third period power-play goal to tie the game 2-2, spurring the Bruins along to overtime where they dropped the Rangers on a Brad Marchand goal, 3-2. All just a day after the rookie was called up from Providence to make his NHL playoff debut.

"For his first goal, he couldn't have asked for better timing," said Bruins coach Claude Julien. "Again, it just shows how good a player he is. Those young guys back there don't lack confidence."

Krug logged 23 shifts and 16:41 of ice time. Bartkowski had 37 shifts, paired with captain Zdeno Chara. He had 26:42 minutes of ice time. It was only his third playoff game.

"The more minutes I play, the more shifts I get, the more confidence," said Bartkowski. "And just play on instinct."

Bartkowski's teammate, and former Providence lineman, stole the show with his goal, tying the game. But the team's third rookie defenseman, Hamilton, was the one who set Krug up for the score, allowing him to get enough time and space to fire off a clean shot.

"Dougie made a great play getting the puck over to me," Krug said. "I had a lot of time to get my shot through to the net. I was fortunate enough to get a screen on the goalie and it went in."

The trio's contribution was very much needed, especially coming into the series against New York where goals are going to be hard to come by.

"They were one of the better D's today," said Tuukka Rask. "They can skate really fast, move the puck good. They were solid in our own end too. So it's good to see that they have that confidence to play the way they played in the NHL playoffs."

Said Marchand: "They played incredible. They're all playing big minutes. Obviously it's a whole new situation for them, the playoffs. They handled it very well."

With uncertainty surrounding Dennis Seidenberg (leg), Andrew Ference (lower body), and Wade Redden (undisclosed), it's comforting for the team to know it can turn to these younger players and lean on them, at least for a short while.

"They deserve a lot of credit for the way they handled themselves," Julien said. "All three of them. It was [Krug's] first game, obviously. Not only did he score a big goal, but he just moved that puck so well. … I thought we had a real good effort obviously from those young guys, but our D corps was good tonight. I thought our whole team was, for that matter."

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff; Video by Steve Silva

It took eight games, 30 periods, and 144 minutes of ice time, but the wait is over. Brad Marchand's overtime goal -- his first of the Stanley Cup playoffs -- lifted the Bruins over the Rangers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, 3-2, Thursday night at the Garden.

After leading the Bruins with 18 goals in the truncated season, the left winger had been stymied by the Maple Leafs in the first round and, through three periods, the Rangers.

But with 4:40 left in overtime, he managed to get just enough space, thanks to a poke check by Zdeno Chara and a quick pass from Patrice Bergeron, to bury a shot and end his drought, putting the Bruins up 1-0 in the series.

"It's always frustrating," Marchand said. "But there's so many other areas of the game that you want to do well in. It was nice to get that first one so hopefully they keep coming."

Marchand had left the Bruins morning skate early with what coach Claude Julien termed a minor issue. But there was still concern about his availability. The third-year player remarked afterward that he just hates morning skates and needed to get his legs underneath him. He felt better Thursday night.

"I might just have to [skip more practices]," Marchand joked.

"I felt good tonight. I felt pretty good last game, too. Obviously the Toronto series wasn't my best series, but I felt good tonight and just want to keep building on it.

"It's kind of a blur," Marchand said. "From the second it goes in to see everybody jump on the ice and surround you, it's a bit of a blur. Obviously a huge adrenaline rush and very excited."

Join the conversation about Thursday's Game 1 of the Bruins-Rangers series in the live session below.

The full-page version of our live blog for Game 1 can be found here.