LAS VEGAS (AP) — The defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Bruins won't play their first home game until Saturday.

DALLAS (AP) — Brett Ritchie had never taken the ice in an NHL game with a team other than the Dallas Stars when he debuted for the Boston Bruins.

BOSTON (AP) — It took until six days into training camp, but the Boston Bruins took care of their last bit of offseason business on Tuesday and can now focus on attempting to build off their run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season.

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Bruins signed coach Bruce Cassidy to a multiyear contract extension Wednesday, a reward for leading the team to the Stanley Cup Final in just his second full season on the bench.

BOSTON (AP) — There won't be a third championship parade through the Back Bay, and it seems so long ago that people in the city were dreaming of a Boston Slam.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Facing elimination in an oh-so-hostile environment, Tuukka Rask and Brad Marchand stepped up for the Boston Bruins once again.

BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) — The Boston Bruins reached the Stanley Cup Final despite a run of regular-season injuries that prevented anyone on the roster from playing all 82 games.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Bruce Cassidy figures sometime before the puck drops for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Boston Bruins' first line will get together.

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Bruins are a case study in extremes on the blue line.

BOSTON (AP) — Torey Krug flew down the ice with his helmet off, like his big, bad predecessors on the Boston defense from the days of Eddie Shore and Bobby Orr.

BOSTON (AP) — David Backes waited his entire career to play for the Stanley Cup, and now he's going to have to do it against some of his best friends in hockey.

Seeing the famous photo of Bobby Orr scoring the 1970 Stanley Cup-winning goal to beat his St. Louis Blues doesn't bring back bad memories for Scotty Bowman.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Tuukka Rask and the Boston Bruins stood tall during an early deluge of shots and penalties, patiently waiting for their chance to take over the game.

BOSTON (AP) — With a five-goal, third-period lead and the Bruins still not done scoring, the crowd in the new Boston Garden began a throaty chant of "We want the Cup!"

By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Boston Bruins got some timely goals in their tight Eastern Conference semifinal series with Columbus, and when the goals weren't coming, Tuukka Rask stood tall.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Boston's stars were going to be kept off the scoresheet in this playoff series for only so long.

BOSTON (AP) — Charlie Coyle wasn't thinking about his first goal, which tied things up at the end of regulation.

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Bruins have home-ice advantage through a potential trip to the Stanley Cup Final, and they have the Columbus Blue Jackets to thank for it.

BOSTON (AP) — The Bruins needed performances from up and down their roster to outlast the Toronto Maples Leafs in yet another seven-game slugfest between the Original Six franchises.

TORONTO (AP) — Facing elimination, Boston didn't panic when it fell behind halfway through the first period. The Bruins kept their focus, quickly tied it and took the lead, and then held off the Toronto Maple Leafs to force a Game 7 in their first-round playoff series.

TORONTO (AP) — With the Maple Leafs buzzing and Scotiabank Arena rocking after Toronto tied it early in second period, the Boston Bruins needed a push from their dormant stars.

TORONTO (AP) — With the Toronto Maple Leafs back home, Auston Matthews finally broke through against Boston.

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Bruins have a successful history against their first-round playoff opponent — but they're hardly dwelling on it.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Locked into the second spot in the Atlantic Division, the Boston Bruins took the opportunity to rest several players in advance of the playoffs.

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings are playing their best hockey of the season while perhaps hurting their chances of winning the NHL draft lottery.

BOSTON (AP) — It certainly appears David Pastrnak has worked the rust off.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — With five games left in the regular season, history is the only thing the Tampa Bay Lightning have to play for. The NHL's best team is still plenty motivated.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) — The Boston Bruins showed their depth and kept up their domination of the New York Islanders.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — For the first time in nearly two months, the Boston Bruins ran out of time. It tends to happen when the Bruins play in Pittsburgh, no matter how hot they are.

BOSTON (AP) — Jake DeBrusk had a goal, an assist and one very big steal to help the Boston Bruins keep rolling toward the playoffs.

BOSTON (AP) — The Lightning have been dominating the Eastern Conference for the past few months. The Bruins sent them a reminder that they're very much still lurking behind them.