Rookie Tyler Seguin was out of the Boston Bruins’ lineup in Game 3 Monday for the first time in the series as Coach Claude Julien chose to go with the much more physical Shawn Thornton, who sat out the previous two games.

The 19-year-old Seguin hadn’t scored since the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals, and Julien limited his ice time in the first two games at Vancouver.

Last year at this time, Seguin was waiting for the NHL draft. He was chosen by the Bruins with the second overall pick.

 

BOSTON WAS buzzing about the first June home game in Bruins history, along with its first Stanley Cup finals game at TD Garden, which wasn’t open when the Bruins made their last trip in 1990.

Bruins fans filled the downtown streets, but so did Vancouver fans, who wore their club’s blue jerseys while filling hundreds of seats in the lower bowl of TD Garden.

 

VANCOUVER CENTER Manny Malhotra played his second straight game since returning from a career-threatening eye injury. He even took the opening draw, but the faceoff specialist lost it to Patrice Bergeron. Malhotra played 14:58.

 

ONE OF the most significant events in the Bruins-Canucks connection took place 25 years ago Monday with the trade of Cam Neely to Boston.

Vancouver sent Neely to the Bruins with a first-round draft pick used to take defenseman Glen Wesley for center Barry Pederson. Neely had 344 goals in 525 games for the Bruins before retiring because of injury. Neely is now president of the Bruins.

Several fans showed up at Monday night’s game wearing Neely jerseys from his days with the Canucks, bearing the number 21 and colored brown, yellow and orange.

 

CHALLENGING HISTORY: The Bruins must overcome history if they’re to come back from a 2-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup finals.

Since the best-of-seven format started in 1939, 32 of 34 teams that won the first two games at home won the Stanley Cup. The 1971 Montreal Canadiens, who beat the Chicago Blackhawks in seven games, and the Pittsburgh Penguins, who came back to defeat the Detroit Red Wings in seven games two years ago, are the only two teams to rebound after dropping the first two games on the road.

 

HAMHUIS STILL OUT: Vancouver defenseman Dan Hamhuis missed his second straight game after getting hurt midway through the Stanley Cup finals opener while delivering a check.