Recchi/By Sharon Bradley

BOSTON — Typically a master orator after Bruins games, forward Mark Recchi was unusually, but understandably, somber in his postgame comments about the Bruins’ 4-3 loss in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series with Philadelphia tonight at TD Garden.

The 42-year-old obviously never knows when a game will be his last, and to go out after blowing a 3-0 series lead and a 3-0 lead in the final game would be a crying shame. That’s why Recchi sounded somewhat optimistic the wait period for his Hall-of-Fame induction wouldn’t be this summer.

“I love it here. So obviously I’ll take my time here at the end of the year and I’ll talk to [general manager] Peter [Chiarelli] and I’ll take some time and figure out what I want to do,” said Recchi. “I’ve got to get over this disappointment first and take my time. You don’t want to make rash decisions right now. So Peter and I will have some good dialogue over the next while.”

That dialogue will probably not center around the Game 7 collapse. After more than 20 NHL seasons, Recchi knows he has to erase the memories of nights like this. Through all he’s been through though, he was able to rank this game near the top of his biggest heartbreaks.

“It’s up there. I’ve had a couple Game 7s losing in the semifinals, but this one hurts a lot,” said Recchi. “You don’t get too many chances to get to the third round and have an opportunity to go to the Stanley Cup. To be able to take step would’ve been huge and it’s what you play for, so …”

Whether Recchi returns to the Bruins rather than another team is probably the only question that has to be answered. He’ll undoubtedly want to make sure Boston’s historic defeat isn’t the period at the end of his career sentence.