May 19, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk (55), defenseman Matt Bartkowski (43), center Patrice Bergeron (37) and center Brad Marchand (63) on the ice before the start of game two of the second round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the New York Rangers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

With the news that Boston Bruins defensemen Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference and Wade Redden are set to miss their 3rd straight game of the B’s 2nd round series versus the New York Rangers, it appears as though the Bruins roster will look exactly like it did in games one and two.

The trio of injured d-men for the Bruins make a tough task even tougher for the B’s and the way this team has rallied is incredible. With the emergence of three rookie blue-liners in Dougie Hamilton, Matt Bartkowski and Torey Krug, the B’s have hopped out to a 2-0 series lead and shown the type of organizational depth it takes to be a Stanley Cup contender every year. Certainly goaltender Tuukka Rask and captain Zdeno Chara have also picked up a good amount of the slack along with Johnny Boychuk and the 12 forwards, but the contributions these kids are making on defense are doing more than just raising an eyebrow or two.

Krug has been a revelation and now has goals in back-to-back games, his first two career playoff games for that matter and has shown the kind of puck handling and skating skills that the B’s have long since coveted for their blue-line corps. Bartkowski scored in the Bruins thrilling comeback game 7 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs and has just been solid in all three zones. Hamilton has thrown his weight around and hasn’t been as solid as the other two, but he’s 19-years old and has held his own.

[ LINK: Bruins' Young Defensemen Make Case To Stay In Lineup Once Veterans Heal ]

Tonight however will be one of their toughest challenges yet, for tonight they head into New York City to play in one of the oldest and greatest sport arenas in North America, Madison Square Garden. It will no doubt be a hostile environment, nothing like the support and cheers the kids received the last two games while playing in front of the hometown crowd.

The crowd will be even louder than normal tonight in NYC as their Rangers are down 0-2 and cannot afford to go down 0-3 to the Bruins. The crowd will be doing all it can to help their boys in Blue and if the B’s want any chance of coming out with a “W” tonight they’ll need their rookie d-men once again to act like grizzled veterans instead of the fresh faced kids they are.

So far they haven’t showed us they can’t handle the pressure of the NHL playoffs, so far they’ve excelled in it and will once again be asked to answer the call. They haven’t disappointed yet, they also haven’t played under the bright-lights of Madison Square Garden and in front of a crowd like only New York can produce (I mean that in the kindest way possible).

Hopefully they just heed the advice that Bruins head coach Claude Julien afforded Krug after his emergency call-up last week, “Don’t be afraid”.

May 16, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand (63) celebrates with teammates Zdeno Chara (33) and Dougie Hamilton (27) after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime against the New York Rangers in game one of the second round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Michal Ivins-USA TODAY Sports

Bruins coach Claude Julien told the media yesterday that there is a possibility the Bruins might be able to start some of the defensemen who were injured. At the moment, the Black and Gold have been without Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference and Wade Redden. All three of them missed game one of the Eastern Conference semifinals due to unspecified injuries. “It’s a little early to say,” Julien said of his injured defensemen. “It is two days [of rest] and two days in the playoffs makes a big difference as far as getting guys back. So, there’s a possibility, that much I can say. Whether it will or not, too early to say right now.”

It’s kind of disappointing for me to be honest. All three of our “rookie” defensemen (Dougie Hamilton, Torey Krug, and Matt Bartkowski) have done right by the team and the Nation in game one.  I know our best chance for victory will be with some of the veterans back in the line up, but those three young players put it all on the line for game one. It was Hamilton’s feed to Krug that got the game tied in the third period.

In regards to Hamilton, he knows that with the return of some of the veteran blueliners, it will likely mean a trip back up to the press box. “It’s been more busy than trying because being a scratch every once and a while shouldn’t be trying for him,” Julien said. “He knew that coming in that that would happen. He was more than open to those kinds of suggestions, knowing that it was going to make him a better player down the road. If anything, it’s been a busy season for him.”

That is true. He did play in the U20 World Juniors and play in the OHL while the rest of the Bruins were in lockout mode. Even though that Hamilton will see more scratches (and Krug will be sent back to Providence), that in now way diminishes the respect the coach has for Dougie.

“If anything, he’s played extremely well for us this year,” Julien said. “We’ve got to remember that he’s 19 years old. What he’s done for us this year is brought a good sized defenseman to our team that moves the puck extremely well and sees the ice well. He’s made some unbelievable plays on some goals; we saw that early when he came in and we seemed in awe of that.  Playoffs is another step and he’s taken that step extremely well, to me. Last night, again, making good decisions, he played with Zee sometimes against their top line. To be able to be put out there against the other team’s top line shows that we do have confidence in him.”

Apr 6, 2013; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Bartkowski (43) skates with the puck during the first period against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

The Bruins start their Eastern Conference semifinal match against the New York Rangers tonight. The Bruins have had a rough first round matchup, and due to it they are down several defensemen. They lost Andrew Ference to a blocked shot in game five, Wade Redden was out for game six, and Dennis Seidenberg only played thirty-seven seconds of game seven before he was sidelined after a rough first series hit.

The Bruins defenseman that remained had to step up their game. The captain, Zdeno Chara dug down and played an outstanding 35:46 on the ice in game seven. Dougie Hamilton, who has seen limited action in the playoffs had to play with the intensity and tenacity of a league veteran. Coach Claude Julien later commented that Hamilton’s play was “about as good as you could ask from a 19-year-old.” Lastly, Matt Bartkowski who has never played in the NHL postseason had to rise up from his time in the Providence (AHL) affiliate and play one of the better games in his hockey career.

He did just that. The defenseman had played eleven games in the regular season with Boston, played a career-high 24:51 during game seven. He handled the game like he’d been on the team for years. He showed patience and thought in his plays, and was responsible for getting the Bruins on the board first in game seven. His unassisted goal at 5:38 in the Bruins was one of those few bright moments before “The Comeback” (or “The Miracle”, or why Patrice Bergeron should have #37 retired, or just another reason to have a shameless man-crush on Bergy.) Bartkowski took the whole thing in stride though, and commented on the game rather nonchalantly afterwards. “Any way you split it, it’s playoff hockey. So it wasn’t too difficult of a transition, just had to make sure I played hard.”

“You have to find a way to give credit to those two young guys on the back end—Hamilton and obviously Bartkowski,” Coach Julien said following Game Seven. “Bartkowski was moving the puck and carrying it so well tonight, and he scored a big goal for us.”

“Bartkowski had put in a lot of work prior to Game Seven, as he was playing at a very high level in Providence and in all key situations,” said Bruins Assistant Manager Don Sweeney. “Matt deserves full credit for responding to the challenge and trusting his abilities to execute, regardless of the pressure and his inexperience in the NHL playoffs. He earned the trust of the coaches by skating with authority, making strong decisions and playing well.”

The Bruins have also called up Torey Krug from Providence to help deal with the extra workload for the d-men.  He had two starts last season with Bruins. Krug has also had one start this year with Boston, playing against Montreal on March 27th. He recorded an assist in that game.

So, the Black and Gold blue line will have a little green in it tonight. From what we’ve seen of Bartkowski and Hamilton, I’m not that worried.