Getty ImagesA shot deflected off a sprawling defenseman. A puck in mid-air, falling through raised gloves and right onto David Krejci's stick. Nathan Horton left all alone to put home a rebound.

That's how the Boston Bruins' offense succeeded during their 3-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1. They got their bounces and capitalized on them.

They were also aided by Tuukka Rask, who held the Penguins high-flying offense to zero goals on 29 shots.

The criminally underrated David Krejci increased his NHL-best points total to 19 with a pair of goals that helped give the Bruins a 2-0 lead early in the second period. His second of the night dropped from the sky and onto his stick like Kramer's Junior Mint:

That second period would end with fireworks as the teams engaged in a big scrum that featured Evgeni Malkin and Patrice Bergeron dropping the gloves:

The captains, Sidney Crosby and Zdeno Chara, also jawed at one another before the teams separated and went to the locker rooms.

Boston would get the last laugh when Horton increased the lead to 3-0 as the Penguins were shutout for the first time in 96 games. The line of Krecji, Horton and Milan Lucic were involved in all three goals.

"We seem to know where each other are on the ice," said Horton to NBC Sports Network's Pierre McGuire afterward.

The Penguins had their chances, but Rask denied them all night to earn his first career playoff shutout. While their offense might have been stifled in Game 1, the Bruins know they need to be even better in Game 2.

"We had the lead. We gave up a lot of chances. That's not the way we want to play," said Horton.

"We don't want to play run and gun with them."

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy

As the Chicago Blackhawks were defending their 2-1 lead late in the third period, Los Angeles Kings forward Mike Richards drove toward Corey Crawford, then around the net before stopping and trying to tuck the puck behind the goaltender. As he did, Dave Bolland laid this big hit on him:

No penalty was called on the play. There was no immediate update on Richards after the game. Richards denied two requests from the media to speak afterward. Most of the Kings players and head coach Darryl Sutter hadn't seen a replay of the hit during postgame availability with the media.

On the hit, Richards is focusing on a scoring chance, while Bolland is attempting to separate him from the puck, but not before attempting a pokecheck to deny the Kings forward's shot. Bolland launches himself into Richards clumsily and ends up with his back making contact with the chin. It's hard to see this one resulting in supplemental discipline.

(UPDATE: According to Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune, Bolland will not face a disciplinary hearing. Same for Cooke, as per Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet.)

On the other hand, Matt Cooke of the Pittsburgh Penguins put himself under the microscope of the NHL's Department of Player Safety with this hit from behind on Adam McQuaid Saturday night:

Cooke was given a five-minute major for checking from behind and a game misconduct. McQuaid went to the locker room, but returned a short time later to the game.

Having not been suspended for over two years, Cooke is no longer considered a repeat offender in the eyes of the DOPS, but still, he's Matt Cooke; he's always going to have eyes on him given his history.

You can argue that McQuaid saw Cooke coming and put himself in a vulnerable position, but Cooke should know he has to be smarter on that hit. But, is that a hit worthy of supplemental discipline? We're not sure so. A penalty? Sure. A major? Yeah, we can see that. A suspension? Probably not.

What do you think?

UPDATE: For good measure, here's Brad Marchand's boarding of James Neal, which earned him a two minute minor:

Getty ImagesOn the day before Game 1, Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane and head coach Joel Quenneville were asked about how to solve Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick. Both of their answers involved "traffic" and "second opportunities," something the Blackhawks used Saturday in their a 2-1 victory to take a 1-0 series lead.

Chicago did everything they could to beat Quick in the first period, but the Kings netminder wouldn't allow any of the 17 shots fired by the Blackhawks past him. Meanwhile, the Kings managed just two shots on Corey Crawford at the other end, one of them coming off of Justin Williams' stick for a 1-0 lead.

Finally, in the second period, the Blackhawks figured out Quick, who had allowed seven goals in his previous five games entering Game 1. First, Chicago cashed in on one of those "second opportunities" when Johnny Oduya's shot bounced off Quick's pad and onto Patrick Sharp's stick, who then put it home for his NHL-leading eighth goal of the playoffs.

"[Oduya] activating there kind of opened things up," Sharp told NBC Sport Network's Brian Engblom afterward. "We practice that every day, pass off pads. [I'm] fortunate it came right to my stick."

Four minutes later, the Blackhawks took the lead for good when Marian Hossa deflected Duncan Keith's point shot for the 2-1 lead late in the second period.

It was textbook answer on how to beat any goalie, especially Quick: Get traffic in front; hope for a rebound/deflection/seeing-eye puck.

In the third period, Kings head coach Darryl Sutter tried to give his team some jump, shuffling the lines throughout. It didn't work. Crawford finished with 21 saves and held his opponent to just one goal for the fourth time in his last five games.

Last year, the Kings went 10-1 on the road in the playoffs. This year, they're now 1-6, following up an 8-12-4 record away from Staples Center during the regular season. Facing a second series without home-ice advantage, the wins away from home will need to come to get by the Blackhawks.

It's a quick turnaround for Game 2, which will see puck drop at 8 p.m. ET. Sunday.

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy

It had been so long since we last heard from Joey the Junior Blackhawks Reporter, we figured he had gone off, gotten married and had little junior reporters of his own.

Apparently, that wasn't the case. Joey's still a junior reporter and was back on the Blackhawks' beat this week discussing the time honored hockey tradition of playoff beards:

In summary:

• Any friend of gingers is a friend of mine. That includes you, Joey.

• All women and babies around Duncan Keith love his beard. And how could they not?

• Jonathan Toews: still one of the worst playoff beards in hockey. And he better hope Coach Q doesn't hear his thoughts on mustaches.

We haven't see Joey since NHL All-Star Media Day in 2012. We imagine now that the Blackhawks are one step away from the Stanley Cup Final, he'll be right in the middle of each and every postgame scrum asking those hard hitting questions like, "Whose da biggest tuwh-key on da Kings?"

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy

This is the Eastern Conference Final that many expected, especially after both teams were aggressive at the trade deadline, including one big deal that ended with Jarome Iginla choosing the Pittsburgh Penguins over the Boston Bruins.

The Penguins were 3-0-0 against the Bruins during the regular season, with all three games being decided by a single goal. Pittsburgh netminder Tomas Vokoun was in net for two of those three meetings and, barring a Fleury-esque meltdown, he'll do the same as the Penguins and Bruins battle to reach the Stanley Cup Final.

But regular season success doesn't always translate into success in a best-of-7 playoff series. Both teams faced adversity to get here, with the Bruins coming within 10 minutes of elimination in Round 1 to the Toronto Maple Leafs before a miraculous comeback saved their season. The Penguins were pushed hard by the New York Islanders in the opening round, but survived and advanced in six games, thanks to two overtime winners.

Both sailed through the second round and are playing some of their best hockey of the season. So how will this series end?

Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.

Everything happens for a reason...

— Marian Gaborik (@MGaborik10) May 29, 2013

• Care to expand on that, Marian?

• John Tortorella has been fired for about 24 hours now and the sources are coming out telling the media how much his grating style had an effect on the New York Rangers. [NY Post]

• Valtteri Filppula's injury in Game 7 was a high ankle sprain. [Detroit Free Press]

• The end to the Blackhawks-Red Wings series also means an end to their Campbell Conference rivalry. [NHL.com]

• Marc-Andre Fleury on his future with the Pittsburgh Penguins after this season: “I'm trying not to think about it. I don't want to think about it.” [Tribune Review]

• The Montreal Canadiens will not be bringing back Michael Ryder. [TSN]

• The Sochi Olympic Organizing Committee unveiled the medals that will be handed out at the 2014 Games next February. Get a good look at the gold one, Jonathan Quick. [Fourth Place Medal]

• Have you ever wanted to own a real penalty box? The actual home penalty box from Maple Leaf Gardens is currently up for auction. A parent should buy it and use it as the time out corner. [Frozen Pond]

APWhat was the main reason why the Chicago Blackhawks were able to overcome a 3-1 series deficit against the Detroit Red Wings and advance to the Western Conference Final?

Was it the re-jiggering of lines by head coach Joel Quenneville? Nope.

Was it Chicago's depth stepping up when they needed it? Nope.

Was it just the sheer desperation? Nope.

The secret behind the Blackhawks' comeback was simple: Ivy, the pooping dog.

You see, Ivy's owner, Shannon, has been taking the lab mix for walks in her neighborhood, which she happens to share with Patrick Sharp. As dogs are known to do while out for a stroll, Ivy has been leaving "presents" on the Sharp family lawn, with the end result coming in the form of a Blackhawks win later that night.

Hockey CanadaIn 2008, Kris Letang was playing in his first Stanley Cup Final for the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Detroit Red Wings had stormed out to a 2-0 series lead, and coach Michel Therrien decided to make a change: Replacing his young defenseman with veteran Darryl Sydor. Letang wouldn’t play again in the series, which the Penguins eventually lost in six games.

Out of the lineup in the most important series of the season, Letang received a text message of encouragement from his best friend the night before Game 3: Vancouver Canucks defenseman Luc Bourdon, with whom Letang texted nearly every day. Bourdon wished Letang good luck, hoping the Penguins would come back in the series.

He also told Letang about the motorcycle he had recently purchased.

It would be the last time the two would communicate with one another.

On May 29, 2008, around noon, Bourdon was riding his Suzuki GSX-R1000 when he lost control and collided with a tractor-trailer near his hometown of Shippagan, New Brunswick. He was killed instantly.

Bourdon was just 21 years old. Only two weeks before the accident did Bourdon receive his motorcycle license.

That same day, Letang was on his way to Mellon Arena for an off-day practice after the Penguins’ 3-2 win in Game 3. His agent called him and told him Bourdon had died.

On the eve of Game 4, Letang discussed his best friend’s life with the assembled media, and his body language said everything. He was constantly rubbing his folded arms. Eyes reddened from crying. His voice affected by the pain that he was experiencing.

His body was in Pittsburgh that day, but his heart and mind were in New Brunswick. He would soon fly back to attend Bourdon’s funeral, which would take place three days later.

Bourdon’s girlfriend, Charlene Ward, was driving behind him just before the accident as he was on his way to a repair shop. The two met in seventh grade and began dating after they graduated high school. At the funeral, she wept through a poem she had written for Bourdon that finished with:

“You’re my sweetheart … You’re my sunshine … You’re my best friend … You’re my special someone … You’re the one who always puts a smile on my face … But the most important thing, you’re my one and everything.”

Letang would return to Pittsburgh in time for Game 6, but mentally he wasn’t ready to play hockey again.

“I had a skate in the morning and I could barely skate,” Letang recalled last month, as the fifth-anniversary of Bourdon's death neared. “My head wasn’t there. My emotions were [gone] out of my body.”

Not long after the Penguins defeated the Red Wings during the 2009 Cup Final, Letang got a tattoo that was dedicated to his grandmother and also his best friend. Bourdon’s portion was a guitar, one his passions. (Canucks management wore guitar pins in honor of Bourdon during the 2008 NHL Draft.)

“He was always my protector on the ice,” Letang said. “He was big and nobody could touch me if he was on the ice. He’s like a guardian angel.”