BOSTON — The Boston Bruins remember what happened the last time they met Toronto in the NHL playoffs. They also realize they can’t count on it happening again.

After taking a 3-1 lead in their first-round series in 2013 but failing to close out the Maple Leafs in Games 5 and 6, Boston fell behind 4-1 in the third period of the decisive seventh game before sending it into overtime with two goals in the last 82 seconds of regulation.

The Bruins won in OT en route to their second Stanley Cup Finals appearance in three years.

“It’s kind of crazy how things worked out,” forward Brad Marchand said after practice Wednesday. “If we went back there again, it wouldn’t necessarily work out (that way), so we got lucky.”

In addition to Marchand, the Bruins have goalie Tuukka Rask, forwards Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci and defensemen Zdeno Chara, Adam McQuaid and Torey Krug from that team. Toronto has five holdovers with bitter memories of that postseason, including forward Nazem Kadri, who thought he clinched it when he scored with 5:29 gone in the third to make it 4-1.

“I think a lot of people thought the same thing,” Kadri told The Canadian Press. “It was hard to deal with.”

The Bruins went on to beat the New York Rangers in five games and swept the Penguins in the Eastern Conference finals. They led Chicago 2-1 in the Finals before losing three straight, giving up two goals 17 seconds apart in the final minutes of the finale before watching the Blackhawks skate around the TD Garden ice with the Cup.

It all started with the late rally against Toronto.

The two Original Six teams don’t have much of a playoff history – at least not lately. Before 2013, Boston and Toronto hadn’t met since 1974, having spent much of the ’80s and ’90s in different conferences. In all, Toronto holds a series lead of 7-6-1.

Coach Bruce Cassidy said the Bruins would not go too far out of their way to make sure they can match lines with the Maple Leafs, which would help Boston use Bergeron to try to neutralize Toronto’s Auston Matthews.

“Generally speaking, we’ve allowed our players to play,” Cassidy said. “We look for it, but we don’t chase it.”

Cassidy said center Riley Nash is not yet ready to return after taking a puck to the right ear on March 31. Noel Acciari is the likely replacement, with Brian Gionta a healthy scratch.