May 21, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Daniel Paille (20) celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal against the New York Rangers during the third period in game three of the second round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Boston won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Anyone watching last night’s game got to see some vintage John Tortorella. Thankfully, he wasn’t mic’d up. Part of Tortorella’s frustration is that(at the moment) he and the Rangers have no real counter to Claude Julien’s four rolling line system. He expressed his frustration after the game. Thankfully, none of it had to be beeped out.

“We just didn’t spend enough time in their end zone,’’ said Tortorella. “We didn’t get enough forecheck. At times, we struggled to get through, and when we got through, we just didn’t sustain our forecheck. A team that’s rolling their lines they way they are, you need to have some time in their end zone. As the game went on, we were there less and less, so it mounts up on you.”

The Merlot Men came through for us again. When I first got into hockey, it was insinuated that the fourth line was for players who were skilled, but did not possess the elite level of skill most starters have. Well, that’s certainly not the case for the Bruins. In fact, it’s rare to see announcers call the trio of Daniel Paille, Gregory Campbell, and Shawn Thornton the “Bruins’ fourth line.” They’re the ‘Merlot Line’ or the ‘Energy Line’.

Bruins head coach Claude Julien was once again pleased with the performance of that trio. “They were working hard. They’ve scored some big goals for us in the playoffs. We have confidence in that line; we’ve said it a million times,” Julien said. “Tonight was no exception. We utilize them because they’re good, not because we have to.”

Daniel Paille earned the team’s ‘Star of the Game’ army jacket last night. He got an assist on Boychuk’s goal, and scored the game winner(and his second of the postseason) in the same period.  He appreciates the team and the coach not labeling his line with any particular number. “It’s a huge compliment to say that, and we’re truly flattered,” Paille said. “Soup[Campbell] and I and Thorty[Thornton], we realize what we need to do and we try to do it the best way we can. Some nights we’re going to play more minutes and some nights we’re not. We’ve accepted that, and that’s why we’ve learned to try to be as successful as we can be.”

With the Bruins 2-1 win last night, they now have a commanding 3-0 lead over the Rangers. To date, only three NHL teams have rallied from an 0-3 deficit to advance. However, the Philadelphia Flyers overcame that very problem against the Bruins in 2010. Game four is tomorrow night in Madison Square Garden.

May 13, 2013; Boston, MA USA; Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) center Tyler Seguin (19) and center Patrice Bergeron (37) react after defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs in OT in game seven of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Bruins have had a good second round of the playoffs so far. The Bruins have outscored the New York Rangers eight to four in the first two games. We’ve had some great performances from our team. The four lines have worked well, and we’ve received a genuine surprise from our rookie blueliners. Dougie Hamilton, Matt Bartkowski, and Torey Krug have exceeded our expectations and already have a combined seven points in the playoffs.

This also leaves Coach Claude Julien in a tough position. Dennis Seidenberg and Wade Redden have resumed skating with the Bruins. They are both listed as ‘day to day’, and will likely be game time decisions on whether or not they play. So, what should the coach do?

Personally, I say give Redden and Seidenberg a healthy scratch. Not as a sign of displeasure, but a show of confidence to the rookies. The Coach had no other option but to play them earlier. They were given that golden opportunity to prove why they should wear the B, and those three took it. (Well, to be completely honest, it’s more an opportunity for Bartkowski and Krug. For them it’s a chance to swap out the ‘P’ on the jersey for the ‘B’.) Give them an extra day of healing, and don’t tamper with the success that has driven the Rangers to an early 0-2 deficit.

So, how about putting Tyler Seguin back on the second line with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron?  Here’s what the coach said about Tyler’s performance in this series. “I have no complaints on Tyler’s game yesterday. I thought he played extremely hard. I think he’s coming around, and maybe it’s a good thing that he’s on that line; take a little bit of pressure off the guy and let him work his way out of it. I think that’s what’s happening right now.”

I think Seguin will have more chemistry with the two guys he’s been playing with for the past three seasons. (Just look at the Merlot Men for that.) Jaromir Jagr is a future hall of famer, but he seemed to do better with Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley. Seguin did all the battling in that game seven series that led to the OT win.

The puck drops at 7:30 PM in Madison Square Garden. Another page in the saga of Boston/New York sports will be read tonight.

May 19, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Torey Krug (47) checks New York Rangers forward Taylor Pyatt (14) during the third period of game two of the second round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Michael Ivins-USA TODAY Sports

There were questions going into game two last night. Could the rookie defensemen keep the pressure up against the Rangers? Would the team be able to maintain that level on intensity and find ways around Henrik Lundqvist’s stubborn goaltending? Most importantly, could the Bruins get another win at home and carry that momentum with them as they headed out to New York City? Once again, the answer was a resounding yes on all counts.

Torey Krug scored the first goal at 5:28 of the first period. It was his second goal in as many games. The last time a Bruin pulled off that trick was Tyler Seguin in 2011, and as I recall that was a very good year for us. The first two period of the game had Bruins scoring with the Rangers firing right back. The Rangers’ captain Ryan Callahan tied it less than three minutes later after a sloppy pass led to a Ranger breakaway. Gregory Campbell made it 2-1 at 2:24 of the second period, and New York pulled even again 56 seconds later on Rick Nash’s goal.

The third goal however, there was no response for. Towards the end of game one with less than a second left to play in regulation, Johnny Boychuk fired one of his “Johnny Rockets” at Lundqvist, but the shot bounced off the post. This time, the Johnny Rocket sailed into the crease to give the Bruins a 3-2 lead. That lead held into the end of the second period.

“Guys are really trying to stay focused on doing their job in the third period,” said Brad Marchand in the locker room after the game. “We know how important [third periods] are, especially after what we went through being down by a few goals. We know that it’s possible for any team to come back from any score, so we want to make sure we don’t let up.”

The Bruins didn’t let up. In a goal that looked oddly similar to the game one overtime winner, Patrice Bergeron sailed down the right side with Marchand completing a similar interior route. Bergeron passed it to Marchand as he turned past the goal, and got it past Lundqvist to bring the Bruins a two goal lead. (Rookie D-man Matt Bartkowski got an assist on that goal.) The Krejci line also stamped ‘PAID in FULL’ on Lundqvist’s hide as Krejci got a pass to Lucic in close who jammed in to make it 5-2 (Dougie Hamilton got an assist there.)

Gregory Campbell ended up with the ‘Star of the Game’ Ranger jacket for his performance. The Rangers tried to bring a stronger physical game in the third., and when Derek Dorsett tried to make it really physical, Campbell stood up and did his share to shut them down. “Our line put some pressure on ourselves to help out in that aspect.” offered Campbell. “As I said, it’s not our main job, but it helps out in games, and as we get further into the playoffs, teams get better defensively, and games get closer. Sometimes it’s not the usual suspects that chip in, and it has to be the other guys.”

Tuukka Rask stopped thirty five of thirty seven, and once again covered the B’s butts in the clutch. “”You have to give Tuukka a lot of credit,” Coach Claude Julien said. ”Turnovers and giveaways in the second period are not something we do too much, and it could have been disastrous.” The Bruins are now up 2-0, and take on the Rangers at Madison Square Garden tomorrow night at 7:30.