Best-of-seven series tied 1-1.
After putting in more than the traditional 60 minutes in the first two contests of the Stanley Cup final, the Boston Bruins will look to seize an edge in the series on Monday when they return home for Game 3 versus the Chicago Blackhawks. Boston rebounded after suffering a hard-luck 4-3 loss in triple-overtime in Game 1 as Daniel Paille netted the winner in the extra session for a 2-1 triumph on Saturday. Tuukka Rask weathered a furious first-period storm to finish with 33 saves in the victory.
Patrick Sharp scored his ninth goal of the postseason to pull into a share of the league lead with Boston's David Krejci, but the Presidents' Trophy-winning Blackhawks were unable to solve Rask again. The netminder's stingy ways were enough to prevent the Bruins from falling into an 0-2 deficit in the Stanley Cup final for the second time in three years. "I think it's just as good, there's no doubt," Boston coach Claude Julien responded when asked to compare the postseason run of Rask to predecessor Tim Thomas. "Tuukka's done an outstanding job. To me, he's been as much a contributor to our team as Tim was two years ago." Thomas guided the Bruins past the Canucks in the 2011 Stanley Cup final.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports, CBC, RDS
ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS: Chicago is no stranger to going the extra mile, having posted a double-overtime series-clinching victory over reigning champion Los Angeles in the Western Conference final before enduring the first two tilts of this series. Defenseman Duncan Keith has logged a mind-boggling 121:01 of ice time in the last three contests, but isn't too worried about getting run down. "I think as players, we've gone through things like that before. It's just about getting your rest," he said. "It's not rocket science. You just need to get sleep and eat the best you can. Do all those little things to help prepare so you feel good and ready to go."
ABOUT THE BRUINS: A line change and an alert play by Tyler Seguin allowed Chris Kelly to end a streak of 21 consecutive postseason games without a point and 23 straight without a goal. Seguin lifted the stick of Sharp, forcing a turnover behind the net and Paille made a nifty move on defenseman Nick Leddy before the puck caromed off Kelly and into the net. "He's been snake-bitten for quite a while and when you don't score, eventually, you get scored on and the minuses keep creeping up," Julien said of Kelly. "That was certainly something that bothered him. I thought he played well (Saturday)."
TRENDS:
* Blackhawks are 3-7 in the last 10 meetings.
* Over is 4-0 in Bruins’ last four Monday games.
* Under is 10-1-2 in Blackhawks’ last 13 road games.
* Bruins are 6-0 in their last six home games.
OVERTIME
1. Chicago has failed to score on its last 15 straight power-play opportunities while Boston has killed off its last 22 consecutive chances while short-handed.
2. Bruins top-line RW Nathan Horton returned from a shoulder injury suffered during the first overtime of Game 1. He mustered just one shot on goal Saturday.
3. Blackhawks RW Patrick Kane has four goals and an assist in his last four games. He had recorded two tallies and set up eight others in his previous 15 contests.