By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff

The Bruins were satisfied with their six selections in the 2013 draft: three Europeans (Linus Arnesson, Peter Cehlarik, Anton Blidh), two New Englanders (Ryan Fitzgerald, Wiley Sherman), and Canadian Mitchell Dempsey.

“I think we were able to stick to our policy of having Bruins-style players,” said Wayne Smith, director of amateur scouting. “People that are committed to winning and committed to the team game. I’m confident in every one of those players that they’ll do everything they can to make it. I know they’re excited about it.”

Some observations about the prospects from Smith, assistant GM Jim Benning, and European head scout Jukka Holtari:

Arnesson: “Steady defenseman. Very difficult to beat one-on-one. Responsible. Sticks up for his teammates. Plays a good puck-moving game. Has size to go with it.” (Smith)

Cehlarik: “If he turns out what we wish him to be, the style of play reminds me a little bit of Anze Kopitar. Kopitar was already ahead of this player at this age. He played in the men’s world championships. But the style of play has some similarities.” (Holtari)

Sherman: “We drafted him because he’s 6-foot-6. He’s a raw player right now. But he’s athletic. He’s a good skater. He can make a good first pass. We’re hoping he develops into a defensive, stay-at-home D-man. If he hits his high side, we’re hoping he can kind of play a Hal Gill-style of game.” (Benning)

Fitzgerald: “He’s a real smart hockey player. He plays hard. He competes hard. He’ll fit right into our culture and our competitiveness. I think he’s going to be a real good player for us.” (Benning)

Blidh: “Plays a Bruins-style of play. He’s an up-and-down, hard-nosed kid.” (Smith)

Dempsey: “Big, strong kid. Had injury problems with a high ankle sprain and pneumonia this year. Fortunately, we were very familiar with him. We took a chance he’s going to have a comeback season this season.” (Smith)

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff

Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli issued his most emphatic critique of Tyler Seguin since the forward entered the NHL.

“He’s got to commit his mind and focus to the one task at hand,” Chiarelli said. “He’s got to become more of a professional. You know what? I can say that about a lot of 21-year-olds. I know he got criticized for playing on the periphery and all that stuff. He did. He’s got to commit to being a professional and focusing on the game. Simple as that. He does that, we don’t expect him to be crashing and banging. Just play your game.”

Inquiries on Seguin withered after Nathan Horton declared his intention to test free agency. If he were to trade Seguin, Chiarelli said he would demand an elite young player or prospect in return. Even if Seguin is not traded, Chiarelli hopes the chatter will straighten out the forward.

“I hope it does,” Chiarelli said. “If it doesn’t, I’d be more concerned. We gave Tyler a big contract because he projects and he had good performance. I would expect that going forward.”

Starting next season, Seguin will earn $5.75 million annually for the next six years.

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff

NEWARK – The Bruins have selected defenseman Linus Arnesson with their second-round pick. Arnesson is a 6-foot-1, 179-pound defenseman who played for Sweden’s Djurgarden this past season. The left-shot Arnesson split time between Djurgarden’s men’s team and junior club.

Arnesson is a two-way defenseman. Arnesson scored zero goals and one assist while playing for the men’s team. On the junior team, Arnesson scored one goal and three assists. Djurgarden did not play in the Swedish Elite League. The club competed in Sweden’s second-tier league.

Arnesson compared himself to Chicago defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson, who had a strong series against the Bruins.

Arnesson interviewed with the Bruins during the NHL combine in May in Toronto. Arnesson will play in Sweden next year, then transition to North American play.

* The Bruins took forward Peter Cehlarik in the third round. Cehlarik is a 6-foot-2, 192-pound forward from Slovakia. Cehlarik played for Lulea in Sweden this past year. GM Peter Chiarelli used Michael Handzus as a comparable.

* The Bruins drafted forward Ryan Fitzgerald in the fourth round. He is the son of ex-Bruin Tom Fitzgerald. Ryan Fitzgerald will be a Boston College freshman this fall.

* Defenseman Wiley Sherman was selected in the fifth round. The native of Greenwich, Conn., is a 6-foot-6, 206-pounder who played for Hotchkiss in 2012-13.

* The Bruins took forward Anton Blidh in the sixth round. Blidh scored 17 goals and 10 assists for Frolunda.

* The Bruins closed out the draft by taking forward Mitchell Dempsey with the 210th pick.

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The Bruins met with Vincent Lecavalier and agent Kent Hughes on Saturday. Lecavalier will reach the open market next Friday. The former Tampa Bay captain was bought out by the Lightning, making him available for every club.

Lecavalier became a bigger target for the Bruins after Nathan Horton declared his intention to test free agency.

“With what happened with Nathan, it became a little more ripe,” said GM Peter Chiarelli. “We had a good meeting.”

The Bruins would most likely have to convince Lecavalier to change positions. David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron are the top two centers. Lecavalier does not project to be a No. 3 center. Chiarelli said Lecavalier would be amenable to switching to wing.

* Chiarelli acknowledged being surprised by Horton’s decision. “Yeah. I was surprised,” Chiarelli said. “I respect someone’s decision to go to free agency. I think it was a real tough decision for him and his family. I can never say never. Maybe he’ll come back and want to revisit it. But the message I got is that he’s going to test free agency and wants a new beginning.”

* Chiarelli said there was a deluge of calls on Tyler Seguin’s availability yesterday. The inquiries halted once Horton’s decision was made.

* The Bruins are still pursuing a first-round pick. It is unlikely they will land one.

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff

Nathan Horton will not re-sign with the Bruins prior to next Friday. Instead, Horton will become an unrestricted free agent and test the open market. It is highly unlikely Horton will re-sign with the Bruins after next Friday.

The Bruins were informed of Horton’s decision today.

“Pursuant to his rights under the CBA, Nathan has informed the Bruins that he is going to explore his options as an unrestricted free agent,” Paul Krepelka, Horton’s agent, said in a statement.

Horton appeared in 169 regular-season games for the Bruins over the last three years. Horton scored 56 goals and 51 assists.

In the playoffs, Horton scored 15 goals and 21 assists in 43 games. Horton was the right wing alongside Milan Lucic and David Krejci. GM Peter Chiarelli classified the threesome as the best line in the NHL.

Horton should command a bigger contract on the market than had he remained in Boston. The 28-year-old has a concussion history and will require surgery on his left shoulder. But Horton has raised his performance during his two active postseasons.

It’s possible the Bruins could trade Horton’s negotiating rights. However, given Horton’s desire to hit the open market, the Bruins might not be able to demand much in return.

The Bruins are now down their top two right wings. Jaromir Jagr will not be re-signed.

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The 2013 NHL Draft is just over 24 hours away from starting. But the Bruins’ six picks are not atop the team’s priority list.

The Bruins must re-sign Nathan Horton prior to next Friday, when he will become an unrestricted free agent. To do so, the Bruins will have to shed salary via trade.

“It’s actually pretty active,” GM Peter Chiarelli said during a press conference this morning. “When [Vincent] Lecavalier got bought out, it’s kind of thrown some teams for a loop. There’s a trickledown effect. It gives everybody pause for thought. It’s been fairly active.”

Rich Peverley is the leading candidate to be traded. Peverley carries a $3.25 million average annual cap hit.

* The Bruins will not re-sign Andrew Ference. But they may receive an asset for the UFA-to-be. Several clubs have inquired about acquiring Ference’s negotiating rights. Chiarelli has given Kurt Overhardt, Ference’s agent, permission to ask around. “I’m not going to stand in his way,” Chiarelli said. “Andy’s been a warrior for us. I want to help him as much as I can.”

* The Bruins have qualified Tuukka Rask and Jordan Caron. They have yet to qualify Kaspars Daugavins and Michael Hutchinson. They may still do so, said Chiarelli.

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff

The NHL salary cap will dip to $64.3 million in 2013-14. It is a ceiling the Bruins will spend to if necessary.

“The Bruins will spend to the cap,” owner Jeremy Jacobs said during a press conference at TD Garden. “The Bruins are going to spend to the cap.”

The trick is for the Bruins to re-sign Nathan Horton (unrestricted) and Tuukka Rask (restricted) while remaining cap-compliant. Jacobs has given GM Peter Chiarelli the green light to use a long-term injury exception on Marc Savard if the Bruins aim to exceed the cap by his average annual value.

Jacobs considers 2013-14 a blip on the cap radar. Jacobs expects the 2014-15 cap to rise substantially based on projected NHL revenue.

* Jacobs is operating under the assumption that the NHL will participate in the 2014 Olympics.

* Chiarelli has one more year remaining on his contract, according to president Cam Neely. The Bruins are open to discussing an extension for Chiarelli during the offseason.

By Steve Silva, Boston.com Staff

CHICAGO -- Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask said he was going to try to enjoy the summer now and not focus on hockey anymore.

The only thing keeping him from that is the fact that his one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Bruins is about to expire.

Rask, who is in line for a significant salary bump, was asked about his contract status Wednesday.

"I'm going to go see [Bruins GM] Peter [Chiarelli] right now," Rask joked. "Have it signed by this afternoon."

The Bruins No. 1 goaltender who shined through much of the postseason, said he would like to remain in Boston for the long tern.

"That would be an ideal situation, I think to play here forever," Rask said. "I hope we can make that happen."

Chiarelli was asked how much he'd want to get a new deal for Rask done so that the team wouild have an idea where the rest of the summer might go from there.

"Well, you’d like to get everything done quickly," Chiarelli said. "I don’t know if I’ll have that luxury, but certainly I’ll try just so you have your certainty on your team and cap and all that. He’s obviously had a terrific playoff and we’d like to get him done as soon as we can."

Rask was asked if he believes he's proven himself with his performance this season.

"I don’t think I have to answer those questions anymore," he said. "I played good. Proved to everyone again that I was capable of doing it. I mean, you look at the numbers. They’re good. If I just analyze my game and by how I felt throughout the year, I thought it was a great year."

Rask said he used the existing one year contract as a motivation to perform well this season.

"You always try to be good but then you are trying to get your average game level as high as you can," Rask said. "That the gap between a good game and a bad game wouldn’t be so big. I think I managed to do that this year and it motivates me for the next year to keep that level and keep getting better."

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff

Bruins center Patrice Bergeron remains at a local hospital for observation because of a punctured lung. He was admitted following the Bruins’ 3-2 loss to Chicago in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final Monday night.

General manager Peter Chiarelli speculated that the puncture was caused either by Bergeron’s broken rib or by a nerve-blocking injection. Neither Chiarelli nor coach Claude Julien believes the puncture was incurred during Game 6. Both noted that Bergeron would not have been able to play with a punctured lung.

As it was, Bergeron entered Game 6 with a broken rib and torn cartilage. He then sustained a separated shoulder during the first period. Bergeron had visited a Chicago hospital after Game 5 Saturday night because of the torn cartilage.

In other Bruins news:

• Right wing Nathan Horton will require surgery on his dislocated left shoulder. Horton said the shoulder popped out in overtime of Game 1 against the Blackhawks. Horton played with a brace for the rest of the series. Chiarelli said the Bruins will attempt to re-sign Horton, who will become an unrestricted free agent July 5. Chiarelli acknowledged he has work to do if he wants to re-sign Horton on top of extending Tuukka Rask.

• The Bruins will not re-sign defenseman Andrew Ference. Dougie Hamilton, Matt Bartkowski, and Torey Krug are candidates to replace him.

• The Bruins will not re-sign Jaromir Jagr. The 41-year-old winger said he’d like to continue playing in the NHL instead of returning to the Czech Republic. Jagr joked that if he scored 20 goals in the playoffs, the Bruins might consider bringing him back. “I was 20 short,” said Jagr, who hurt his back and hip in Game 6.

• Zdeno Chara played through a hip flexor injury in the playoffs, but he said he would have played even if the injury took place during the regular season.

• Dennis Seidenberg pulled a hamstring in Game 7 of the first-round series against Toronto. Seidenberg didn’t play in the first four games of the second round against the Rangers.

• The Bruins have not ruled out re-signing goalie Anton Khudobin. Chiarelli told Khudobin that he’d have to re-sign Rask first. If Khudobin does not return, Niklas Svedberg will most likely be Rask’s backup.

• The Bruins will not use compliance buyouts, according to Chiarelli.

By Steve Silva, Boston.com Staff

NHL veteran Jaromir Jagr's brief time with the Boston Bruins is over.

Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli confirmed the breakup at the team's end-of-season press conference Wednesday at TD Garden.

Jagr also spoke to reporters about his time in Boston and joked "Maybe if I scored 20 goals in the playoffs it would be a different story, but I was 20 short."

The future Hall-of-Famer did say he hopes to join another NHL team next season.

"I want to do it [play in the NHL again], I love this game so much that's for sure," Jagr said. "So I don't want to go back to Czech yet."

Jagr played 33 games with the Bruins and would end his time in Boston with just two goals and 17 assists on the offensive side, although he made contributions in other areas of the game.

“I told him that ‘what you did to wear a D down was very impressive," Chiarelli said. "I know you didn’t score, but the timely plays that you made were terrific. I thought you spread out our play, which helped our power play'. I was really happy with Jaromir.”

Jagr also revealed to reporters that he hurt his back and hip in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals vs. the Chicago Blackhawks.

"It was something wrong with my back and my hip so I had a tough time to skate," Jagr said. "But I talked to the doctor they gave me some shot but it took like 30 minutes to knock the pain off so I couldn't really play in the second period."

Chiarelli also said the Bruins won’t be re-signing defenseman Andrew Ference or local product Jay Pandolfo.

"With the current cap Peter [Chiarelli] isn’t going to be able to keep me," Ference said. "So you know, he’s got to resign Tuukka [Rask], and obviously do his side of the business. Also unfortunately with the new CBA he’s restricted. He said ‘wish it wasn’t so,’ but that’s the way it is."

Bruins forward Nathan Horton could also be taking his services elsewhere next season. He was asked what his priorities were when looking at his next contract.

"I’m not even going to talk about it," Horton said. "If you want to talk about it you can call my agent. We just play hockey and that’s all we worry about. Sooner or later, like I said, it’s going to get taken care of and we’ll all find out what it’s going to be. I don’t know either, so I can’t tell you. And that’s it."

Horton will require surgery on his dislocated left shoulder. Horton said the shoulder popped out in overtime of Game 1 against the Blackhawks. Horton played with a brace for the rest of the series.

Chiarelli told Horton that the Bruins hope to re-sign him and said that he will not be using amnesty buyouts.

Photo via Newseum.org/Reprinted by permission

By Matt Pepin, Boston.com Staff

After the Bruins pulled off one of sports' great comebacks and snatched an apparent victory from the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of their first-round NHL playoff series, it's understandable hockey fans in Toronto may have been less than thrilled with Boston's run to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Toronto Sun's front page this morning very likely sums up a popular sentiment in Toronto.

The headline used on the paper's website earlier this morning followed the theme: "B's get a taste of own medicine."

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

The Bruins lost the Stanley Cup Final series to the Chicago Blackhawks, falling 3-2 in Game 6. Here are five takeaways from the final game.

1. 17 seconds of infamy -- Coming off what would have been the team's most memorable penalty kill of the Stanley Cup Final, the Bruins found themselves up 2-1 with little more than three minutes left in the game. Game 7 was all but a certainty. All the Bruins needed to do was hold a furious and desperate Blackhawks team in the waning moments and the Black and Gold would be on its way back to Chicago for a chance at the Cup.

There was hope.

But the threads of those dreams started to come apart quickly. First, the Blackhawks went empty net on the Bruins with a little more than 1:20 left in the game. With the extra attacker, and some inspired jostling for the puck by Duncan Keith in the Bruins' zone, the Blackhawks were able to get some easy traffic in front of Tuukka Rask.

Keith freed up the puck and passed it along to Jonathan Toews. Toews had an abnormally unrestricted opportunity to create because of the strength of numbers, skating right up to the crease before dishing off to Bryan Bickell for the game-tying goal with 1:16 to go.

But that wasn't the gut punch.

Only 17 seconds later, the Blackhawks' Dave Bolland slipped behind Johnny Boychuk to claim a rebound off a Johnny Oduya shot from the blue line and stun the Bruins with 58 seconds left. The Blackhawks were helped by a deflection from Michael Frolik, who had taken the attention of Boychuk and Andrew Ference because he was sitting in their sight line from Oduya to Rask. The turnaround, in such a short time span, was devastating.

"You think you have things under control," Rask said. "We killed a big penalty there. We were thinking ‘oh, we’re just going to keep it tight and score maybe an empty-netter.’ And then, all of the sudden, they score a goal. You have to go out there again and keep playing. Many times it goes like that before a goal, lose the momentum, and that’s what happened. They got another shot, a deflection, a rebound, and a goal."

As quick as a flash, these are the moments that will burden the minds of each player forever. This will not be an easy summer.

2. Patrice Bergeron defined what this team meant -- Patrice Bergeron showed what it meant to be tough to the very end. After sitting out of morning skate, and missing the majority of Game 5 with what then was an undisclosed injury, we learned afterward that he played Game 6 with a broken rib, torn cartilage, and a separated shoulder. His very presence on the ice is the stuff tantamount to legend. And he played no bit part.

He had 24 shifts and 17:45 worth of ice time. He was out there hitting and skating hard. He won 5 of 11 face-offs. And he wasn't the only one playing at less than 100 percent.

Zdeno Chara, who had been the focus of criticism these past few games, was also playing hurt, according to coach Claude Julien.

Had Boston buttoned up its defense in the final 90 seconds, we probably wouldn't know the sacrifices Bergeron and Chara were making. For Bergeron, he went above and beyond the call in order to help his team while they were down. There's no shortage of respect for that type of performance.

Surely no one will equate his toughness with that of teammate Gregory Campbell's, who stayed on the ice for 50 seconds with a broken leg, but it remains on the pantheon.

"I think even when he was getting dressed in the locker room before the game, you could feel the boys' spirits lifted," Tyler Seguin said afterward. "The year we won, he was doing the same thing; fighting through everything. Obviously guys have bumps and bruises, but he's a guy that you obviously say is the heart and soul of our team. He wears that 'B' with a lot of pride."

3. First period domination -- It's so hard to recall that through the first 20 minutes of Monday's game, the Bruins were the superior hockey club.

And they were the better team by a wide margin.

The Bruins out shot the Blackhawks 32 to 8 (12 to 6 shots on goal), teasing Bruins fans with their offensive opportunities and missed chances. Tyler Seguin's beautiful feed to Chris Kelly, putting the Bruins up 1-0 halfway through the period, feels like a distant memory given the outcome of the night.

But it won't be much harder to recall the missed chances more clearly in the days ahead. David Krejci missed an open-netter off a pass from Brad Marchand and the team went 0 for 2 on the power play, continuing a trend of futility on special teams.

"Well we did have a great start," Dennis Seidenberg said. "We stopped playing that way we did at first, we started to turn pucks over on the blue line and that’s when they started playing and got their speed again. We kind of picked it up again in the third, and we scored, but the rest—you saw what happened."

4. Is this loss familiar? -- Tuukka Rask said an interesting thing, that Monday's 3-2 loss to the Blackhawks in Game 6 reminded him of the Bruins' 5-4 OT win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7.

If you recall, it was a miracle comeback game for the Bruins, with Patrice Bergeron scoring two goals 82 seconds apart -- one in the third period and the game-winner in overtime. The Bruins needed four goals to come back and win that game.

"I guess we get a taste of our own medicine here," Rask said. "It sucks."

It does.

5. Pride in Boston -- There was an immense pride from the Bruins in representing Boston, especially after the Marathon bombing on April 15. The team discussed the aftermath extensively among themselves and resolved to do something special for the city by playing as tough and gritty as possible. And it showed.

The Stanley Cup Final run still exemplifies that.

"You know, at the end of the day, I think that's what hurts  the most is in the back of our minds, although we needed to focus on our  team and doing what was going to be the best thing for our team to win a  Stanley  Cup, in the back of our minds we wanted to do it for those kind of reasons, the City of Boston, what Newtown has been through, that kind of stuff," said Bruins coach Claude Julien. "It hit close to home, and the best way we felt we could try and cheer the area was to win a Stanley Cup. I think that's what's hard right now for the players. We had more reasons than just ourselves to win a Cup."

I don't think Julien or the Bruins has anything to be ashamed of with their performance. This team had a fantastic run and an incredible season after the lockout. Bruins fans should be proud.

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

Sitting on a one-goal lead with a chance to force a Game 7, the Bruins allowed Chicago to score the game's tying and winning goals 17 seconds apart late in the third period of Game 6 Monday night, the dramatic turn ending the Stanley Cup Final in six games and Boston's season in heartbreaking fashion. A stunned crowd watched the Blackhawks accept the Stanley Cup on TD Garden ice.

"The best way we felt we could try and cheer the area was to win a Stanley Cup," Bruins coach Claude Julien said afterward. "I think that's what's hard right now."

Chicago's late scores were shocking but clinical. Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews -- who was questionable heading into the game -- threaded a beautiful feed to Bryan Bickell to knot the score at 2 with 1:16 left in regulation. Barely done celebrating, Chicago attacked again. Defenseman Johnny Oduya ripped a slap shot from the point that was deflected in front of the net by Michael Frolik. The deflected puck sailed past Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask but struck the post, offering up an easy rebound for center Dave Bolland, who finished it into the back of the net to give Chicago a 3-2 lead with 58.3 seconds left.

A silent, sellout crowd of Bruins fans watched Chicago run out the clock. In an instant, the Blackhawks went from facing a deciding Game 7 to winning their second Stanley Cup in four seasons. Just as quickly, and in cruel twist reminiscent of what they did to the Toronto Maple Leafs a few series earlier, the Bruins saw their season slip away. The loss kept the Bruins from their second Stanley Cup win in three seasons.

"We’ve done it to somebody else, so we got to feel how it feels being on the other side," said Rask. "This season we were known to lose a couple of leads. Even in the regular season we were up by goals and we lost the games. I guess that sums it up pretty good."

It took six games for the Bruins to get off to a good start in the Finals, but they were on the right track early Monday night. In the first period the home team had all the chances, amounting a 32-8 lead in shots attempted. At the 7:19 mark, Tyler Seguin snatched the puck out of the air with his right hand and fed a cutting Chris Kelly to put the Bruins up, 1-0. The goal was emblematic of improved play from the pair of Bruins third-liners. Despite the chances, however, Boston was only able to put one goal on the board before the first intermission.

"I thought we came out the way we wanted to," said Bruins captain Zdeno Chara. "I thought we came out with a lot of energy, put a lot of pressure on them."

The third line got the Bruins started, but there were questions about Boston's other two lines throughout. Patrice Bergeron was a game-time decision after checking into a Chicago hospital during Game 5, but he was in Julien's lineup for Game 6. Bergeron went through warmups carefully and a little slowly. He also spent some time hunched over. Usually one of the the last Bruins off the ice, Bergeron left warmups before any of his teammates.

The warning signs manifested themselves in the center's play. Bergeron threw a couple of hits on his first shift, but they weren't exactly forceful. He started the game taking faceoffs but ceded the duty to Rich Peverley late in the first period. He spent some more time bent over later in the game, and he was clearly not himself. After the game, Bergeron revealed he was playing with a broken rib, torn cartilage, and a separated shoulder.

"We want to play for each other, and to have him on the ice and on the bench was great," said Bruins center David Krejci. "I was really happy that he was able to play. It wasn’t easy. He’s a warrior, and he loves the team."

Tyler Seguin said Bergeron's presence provided a lift.

"I think even when he was getting dressed in the locker room before the game, you could feel the boy’s sprits lifted," said Seguin. "The year we won he was doing the same thing; fighting through everything. Obviously guys have bumps and bruises, but he’s a guy that you obviously say is the heart and soul of our team. He wears that ‘B’ with a lot of pride. "

Jaromir Jagr also appeared to suffer an injury, limping off around the 9:00 mark in the first period. He returned to the bench to start the second period before going back to the locker room. Jagr returned in the third period, allowing Julien to shuffle his lines back to their original form. Julien said after the game that Chara also wasn't playing at 100 percent. Nathan Horton revealed he was playing with a dislocated shoulder.

There was a scary moment late in the first period when Shawn Thornton fired a puck from close range right into Andrew Shaw's face. The Blackhawks winger crumpled to the ice, blood gushing from under his right eye. He returned to the game, with trickles of blood making their way down his face during stoppages in play.

Chicago weathered the early storm and evened things up at the 4:24 mark in the second period. Toews won a faceoff and sped past Chara before firing a laser, five-hole, on Rask. There was audible cheering from some Blackhawks fans in the building, an ominous premonition of things to come.

"In the second 20 minutes we were making some turnovers, and obviously it was an even game," said Chara.

Back together again, Boston's third line had a scoring chance with 12:00 to go, but Danielle Paille was stuffed on the backhand by Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford. The Bruins eventually did get to Crawford, and it looked like it would be for the game-winner. Milan Lucic scored his seventh goal of the playoffs at 12:11 in the third period, breaking a 1-1 tie and the tense atmosphere of an elimination game. Lucic applied a forceful forecheck behind the Blackhawks net to give the Bruins possession, then camped out in front and stuffed home a feed from Krejci. For a few minutes anyway, it looked like Lucic was going to provide the difference.

An hour or so after the game, Blackhawks fans continued to cheer from the stands as the celebration spilled onto the ice. Down below, the scene in the Bruins locker room was somber. Thornton praised Bergeron's toughness. Krejci talked about the love he had for his teammates. Seguin said he wished he could have done more for a city that has gone through so much in recent months. At one point, Seguin was moved to tears.

"It's a tough way to lose a game," said Chara. "It's a tough way to lose a series."

The manner in which the Bruins lost is something defenseman Johnny Boychuk said will stick with him.

"Forever," he said when asked how long the loss would linger. "I mean you are going to remember forever. You remember winning it, but I think you remember losing it a little bit more, now that we have had that happen."

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

The Bruins' Patrice Bergeron's status for Game 6 – an eventual 3-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks – was up in the air until Monday's morning skate, when coach Claude Julien declared he was confident he would play.

The team's top center took to the ice, skating for 17:45 while working 24 shifts, and all while dealing with a broken rib, torn cartilage and a separated shoulder.

Bergeron told reporters of his injuries after the Bruins' stunning loss Monday night.

"To have him in our lineup tonight was a bonus," Julien said. "There was nothing that was going to stop this guy from getting in our lineup, and that's why I can't speak enough about how proud I am of our players, because of things like that, and he wasn't going to be denied that opportunity no matter what."

The Blackhawks scored two goals in 17 seconds to claim Game 6 by a 3-2 score and swipe the Stanley Cup.

The Bruins held a 2-1 lead with less than two minutes remaining in regulation. But the Blackhawks started the rally when Bryan Bickell scored a six-on-five goal to tie the game. With 58.3 seconds remaining, Dave Bolland jammed home the rebound of a Johnny Oduya shot for the winning goal.

End of second period: 1-1: The Bruins had all the momentum after the first period. But they ran out of gas in the second period. The Blackhawks took advantage by tying the game at 4:24 of the second.

Prior to the goal, Chris Kelly won a neutral-zone faceoff against Jonathan Toews. Kelly pulled the puck back toward the wall. Zdeno Chara moved up to retrieve the puck. But Michael Rozsival pushed the puck past Chara to Toews, giving the Blackhawks a two-on-one rush. Dennis Seidenberg played the rush well, taking away Toews’s cross-ice option to Patrick Kane. But Toews snapped a sharp-angle wrister five-hole on Tuukka Rask to make it a 1-1 game.

Jaromir Jagr took one shift in the second, then retreated to the dressing room. Jagr didn’t return.

End of first period: Bruins, 1-0: The Bruins blitzed the Blackhawks in the first period. The Bruins controlled the pace of the game from the start of the game. For all that, the Bruins had only a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes.

The Bruins scored their goal following some strong offensive-zone work by the third line. After an offensive-zone faceoff, the Bruins engaged in a puck battle. Torey Krug and Tyler Seguin helped get the puck to Daniel Paille. Once Paille settled the puck, he found Seguin cutting through the slot. Seguin caught Paille’s pass with his right hand, dropped it to his blade, and snapped a backhand pass to Chris Kelly. Kelly snapped the puck past Corey Crawford at 7:19 to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead.

The Bruins lost Jaromir Jagr approximately halfway through the first. Jagr appeared to get tangled up with Brent Seabrook just as Michael Frolik took for a partial breakaway. As Tuukka Rask stopped Frolik’s shot, Jagr went to the dressing room. Jagr didn’t return.

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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
Carl Soderberg-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

Based on pregame warmups:

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

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

Corey Crawford
Ray Emery

We'll have a live pregame show from TD Garden ahead of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Tune in at 6 p.m. for the latest news and analysis from Kevin Paul Dupont and Steve Silva.

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff

Patrice Bergeron will participate in warmups tonight. Coach Claude Julien said he’s confident Bergeron will play.

Bergeron didn’t participate in the morning skate. Bergeron suffered an undisclosed injury in Game 5 that required a visit to a Chicago hospital. Bergeron returned to Boston with his teammates Sunday morning.

Assuming Bergeron plays, he will most likely center Brad Marchand and Jaromir Jagr. The Bruins will then have to determine who plays left wing on the fourth line.

Carl Soderberg started in that position in Game 5 before moving up to No. 2 center following Bergeron’s exit. Jay Pandolfo took shifts on the fourth line with Rich Peverley and Shawn Thornton during the morning skate.

* Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg were paired this morning. They were split after the second period of Game 5.

* Jonathan Toews participated in Chicago’s morning skate. Toews is likely to play.

Tonight’s possible lineup:

Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Jaromir Jagr
Daniel Paille-Chris Kelly-Tyler Seguin
Carl Soderberg-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

Good morning from TD Garden, where the Bruins will try to send the series to Game 7 in Chicago on Wednesday. The Stanley Cup will be present tonight. The Bruins do not want to see it awarded on home ice.

It is unknown whether Patrice Bergeron (undisclosed injury) will be available tonight. Bergeron spent part of Saturday in a Chicago hospital. On Sunday, Claude Julien termed Bergeron as day-to-day. For now, we’ll assume Bergeron is in tonight.

Puck drop: 8 p.m.

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

Records: Blackhawks 3-2, Bruins 2-3

Projected Blackhawks lineup:

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

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

Corey Crawford
Ray Emery

Healthy scratches: Daniel Carcillo, Jamal Mayers, Brandon Bollig, 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
Carl Soderberg-Rich Peverley-Shawn Thornton

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

Tuukka Rask
Anton Khudobin

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

Storylines: Jonathan Toews was limited in Game 5 after taking a wicked wallop from Johnny Boychuk. Joel Quenneville said Toews was feeling better Sunday. We’ll assume that Toews will be in tonight’s lineup … The Bruins might have to break up the Zdeno Chara-Dennis Seidenberg pairing again tonight. The two were split for Saturday’s third period. While they haven’t been totally at fault for the goals against, the results have been awful… Wes McCauley and Dan O’Halloran will be the referees. Pierre Racicot and Jay Sharrers will be the linesmen.