Chris Kelly/By S. Bradley

It was an emotional night at TD Garden Wednesday.

Things didn’t finish as planned or hoped, but the Bruins still did all they could do to honor the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings and help people heal and move on.

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Kelly

Center Chris Kelly took the next step toward a return to the Bruins’ lineup when he practiced with the team Friday at Ristuccia Arena.

Kelly’s previous step was taking the morning skate with the club Thursday. Kelly will travel with the team to Montreal, but coach Claude Julien would only say Kelly is day-to-day and wouldn’t commit to a game-time decision. Kelly has been out since March 11 with a broken tibia.

Kelly

Bruins coach Claude Julien today said it would be a matter of days rather than a week before center Chris Kelly’s return to the Boston lineup.

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Chris Kelly/By S. Bradley

Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli had news to share on two injured centers Wednesday.

Patrice Bergeron, who left Tuesday night’s win against Ottawa in the second period, is out with a moderate concussion. Chris Kelly, who’s trying to return from a broken tibia, will be back “soon.”

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Milan Lucic/By S. Bradley

The Bruins will host the Washington Capitals at TD Garden Saturday in the Caps’ first visit to Boston since they eliminated the Bruins in last spring’s first round of the playoffs.

Of course, the Bruins will continue to be without Chris Kelly because of a broken tibia.

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Chris Kelly/By S. Bradley

While the Bruins were completely off Wednesday– no game and no practice — they still made news, even if Wes Welker and the new pope buried them on the airwaves.

Center Chris Kelly, who collided awkwardly with Ottawa’s Chris Neil Monday night and missed Boston’s loss in Pittsburgh Tuesday, was diagnosed with a broken left tibia.

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Rich Peverley has to play better/By S. Bradley

BOSTON — Just after the Bruins’ morning skate ended with Chris Bourque staying on the ice along with perennial healthy scratches Lane MacDermid and Aaron Johnson, TSN reporter Bob McKenzie broke the news that the Bruins had placed Bourque on waivers.

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Kelly/By S. Bradley

Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli continued to lock up members of his 2011-12 club by re-signing two key centers Monday, according to a Tweet from TSN reporter Bob McKenzie.

Chris Kelly (four years, $12 million) and Gregory Campbell (three years, $4.8 million) have re-signed with the club less than a month before they were scheduled to become unrestricted free agents.

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Kelly/By S. Bradley

The player who might’ve been the biggest veteran bargain in all the NHL last season should be handsomely rewarded this summer.

Fresh off scoring a career-high 20 goals and beating his personal-best point total with 39, all while making just $2.25 million for the Bruins in the last year of his contract, Chris Kelly could hit the free agent market July 1 if he’s not re-signed by Boston general manager Peter Chiarelli.

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Chara/By S. Bradley

Although the Bruins finally got two goals from forwards who do not skate on their third line, it was a shot from their defense that was the difference tonight.

Zdeno Chara capped a three-point night with a 4-on-4 goal from the right point off Roman Hamrlik’s stick that was the game-winner with 1:53 left in regulation in a 4-3 win against Washington in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

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Kelly/By S. Bradley

BOSTON — Chris Kelly scored 20 goals during the regular season but refused to take credit for improving his offensive game.

Even after he scored the overtime game-winner in the Bruins’ 1-0 win against Washington in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Thursday at TD Garden, he was still crediting his linemates and the organization. Whether he likes it or not, however, Kelly was the hero of the pivotal first game of the best-of-seven series.

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Kelly's line is on fire/By S. Bradley

For much of this season, the debate has raged as to whether the line centered by David Krejci or the one with Patrice Bergeron in the middle was the Bruins’ No. 1 line.

Well, over the last 10 days a third candidate has emerged. The line of Chris Kelly centering Brian Rolston and Benoit Pouliot is on fire, and that trio of forwards combined for six points in Boston’s 3-2 win Sunday night in Anaheim.

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Kelly/By S. Bradley

Back when it seemingly took him a month to get on the score sheet in the time after he was acquired from Ottawa, it was hard to predict that Chris Kelly would eventually emerge as a fan favorite.

Well there’s no doubt that the most discerning of Boston’s fans know how valuable Kelly has been both during the team’s run to the Stanley Cup championship and during the club’s hot play of late.

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Kelly/By S. Bradley

In the tale of the Bruins’ 2011 run to the Stanley Cup championship, center Chris Kelly will always play a Zorr0-like role.

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Kelly/By S. Bradley

BOSTON – First immigration kept him from the joining the Bruins. And then it took a while to notice he was even there once he pulled on the black-and-gold sweater.

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