Paille, 3rd line push Bruins into series lead

BOSTON — The Bruins’ third line was No. 1 in Boston.

Boston Bruins center Chris Kelly (23) and celebrates a goal by Boston Bruins left wing Daniel Paille, hidden, during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks in Boston.

The revamped lineup of Daniel Paille, Chris Kelly and Tyler Seguin scored Boston’s first goal and drew the penalties that led to another in a 2-0 win over Chicago on Monday night for a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup finals.

The line also led Boston’s pestering forecheck that forced Chicago into repeated giveaways and penalties as the Bruins controlled play from the start.

Paille, who scored the overtime winner in Game 2 to tie the series, scored the first goal Monday off assists by Kelly and Seguin. The Bruins went up 2-0 when Patrice Bergeron scored a power-play goal set up by the grinding work of Kelly and Paille, who drew the penalties that gave Boston an 11-second 5-on-3 advantage.

Chicago’s Dave Bolland, who cross-checked Kelly with 8:00 left in the second, had just gotten out of the penalty box and didn’t quite make it back into the play when Bergeron scored with 5:55 left in the second period.

Boston coach Claude Julien bumped Paille up from the fourth line after the first period of Game 2 and the combination with Kelly and Seguin paid off again.

Kelly scored his first goal of the postseason in Game 2 and Paille scored in overtime as the Bruins won 2-1. For the first time in the series, no OT was necessary Monday, thanks much to the Bruins pressure.

Boston outshot Chicago 7-2 in the first five minutes and finished the game with 35 shots to the Blackhawks’ 28.

Kelly, who entered the game at minus-7 for the playoffs, also had eight faceoff wins, half of Chicago’s team total as the Bruins dominated that category, too, 40-16.