RALEIGH — With defenseman Andrew Ference out for tonight’s Game 4 of the Boston Bruins’ Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Carolina Hurricanes at RBC Center, the club has to turn to a reliable old friend — “Sheriff” Shane Hnidy.

The veteran defenseman has appeared in just three postseason games for the Bruins, but he made the most of his opportunity with a goal and a plus-2 rating.

“I think this is where the years come in handy,” Hnidy said this morning about being ready to step in after sitting out the last three contests. “The nerves and everything, it’s more you know what to expect of yourself and what’s expected of you. It’s just a matter of going out there and doing it.”

Yesterday head coach Claude Julien credited Hnidy with working real hard in practices to stay sharp. But everyone knows the monotony of practices without games can wear on even the most hardened veteran. Hnidy, however, says that in the postseason the workouts never get old.

“In the playoffs, the motivation’s quite easy. You’ve got a good team, you want to go deep, so everybody’s going to play. The chance to play in the playoffs, you just have to stay ready,” he said.

As a healthy scratch for the last two games, including the Bruins’ losses in Games 2 and 3, Hnidy had a different perspective watching the games. But he said that his view matches what his teammates saw in terms of what the Black and Gold have to do to turn things around.

“We all know we’re playing against a real good hockey club. We saw how they played against New Jersey and they maybe didn’t have their best the first game. And then they really came (the next two games),” Hnidy said. “The last two games have been there’s. It’s up to us tonight. We have to come together as a group and play our game.”

Wise words from a veteran player who’s ready to do all he can to turn the tide of this series.