BOSTON - What happened to the Bruins on Thursday night was nothing new.

Playing a game minus one of their top players has become commonplace this season. And Boston has become particularly familiar with being down its No. 1 center.

Patrice Bergeron missed 18 games during the regular season due to injury, including 13 late in the year as he recovered from a fracture in his right foot. Nevertheless, Boston managed to post an 11-5-2 record without their MVP-caliber pivot.

TORONTO - Kyle Keyser doesn't go anywhere these days without a smile on his face. And who could blame him?

When the 19-year-old goalie prospect arrived in Providence earlier this month following the end of his OHL season with the Oshawa Generals, he figured it would be the only taste of pro hockey he would be getting this spring.

TORONTO - Jake DeBrusk potted a crucial goal on Thursday night. His insurance tally early in the third period was the dagger in the Bruins' pivotal 3-1 victory over the Maple Leafs in Game 4 of their opening-round series.

But even the rookie winger knew whose performance was most important on this night.

BostonBruins.com - Since being drafted by the Bruins in the third round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, Brad Marchand has developed into one of the most elite snipers in the league, as well as quite a thorn in the side of opposing players and fans. In a story published Thursday on The Players' Tribune, Marchand shared some experiences from his childhood and early days in the NHL that provide insight into how he became the person and player that he is today.

TORONTO - Patrice Bergeron's list of hockey accomplishments is quite lengthy. Below you'll find just a few.

TORONTO - The Bruins know the stakes in front of them on Thursday night.

Their performance in Game 4 against the Toronto Maple Leafs will determine whether they return home with the opening-round series tied, 2-2, or with a chance to wrap things up on Saturday night.

BOSTON - The National Hockey League announced today, April 19, that Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron has been named a finalist for the 2018 Frank J. Selke Trophy. Los Angeles Kings forward Anze Kopitar and Philadelphia Flyers forward Sean Couturier are the other two finalists for the award, which is given annually to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game. The winner is selected in a poll of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association at the end of the regular season, and will be announced at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas on June 20.

Bergeron, who served as alternate captain for the Bruins for the 12^th straight season in 2017-18, recorded 30 goals and 33 assists for 63 points with 26 penalty minutes and a plus-21 rating in 64 games this year. He ranked fifth in the league in faceoff win percentage (57.3, min. 1,000 faceoffs), 12^th in faceoffs won (784), third in even strength faceoff win percentage (58.0, min. 500 faceoffs won), first in shorthanded faceoff win percentage (58.3, min. 50 faceoffs won). The 32-year-old forward also ranked second overall in the team puck possession metric SAT (shot attempts differential), with a 57.56%.

BostonBruins.com - Through three games of the Bruins' first-round series with the Toronto Maple Leafs, one of the key factors in each contest has been the teams' ability to transition through the neutral zone. This is an area that Boston struggled with at times in Game 3, during which they were without rookie defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, who was sidelined with a lower-body injury.

BOSTON - The Boston Bruins, TD Garden and Plymouth Rock Assurance have teamed up to launch the "Boston Bruins and TD Garden Auto Insurance Program from Plymouth Rock," which combines benefits from the Bruins and TD Garden with auto insurance coverage from Plymouth Rock. 

BOSTON - The start time of Game 5 of the First Round Series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins has been set for 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 21, in Boston. The game will be televised on NBC in the U.S. In Canada, the game will be on CBC, Sportsnet and TVA Sports.