The Boston Bruins didn't fare well in their tune-ups for the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Now it becomes much more serious with the beginning of the best-of-7 first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes.
"It's over now and you start real hockey," said Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask, anticipating Game 1 on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
Boston went 0-3 in round-robin competition to determine seeding for the conference's top four teams. That put the Bruins, who had the best record in the conference in the regular season, at the No. 4 seed.