Sure, there are things the Penguins would like to change about Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final.

The final score, for starters.

And there were some breakdowns and letdowns in their 3-0 loss to Boston Saturday night at Consol Energy Center that they'll be looking to clean up before Game 2 here Monday night.

Not as many, however, as some might think.

At least not the way center Sidney Crosby sees it.

"We have to do a lot of the same things [in Game 2]," he said. "If anything, just eliminate a couple of mistakes and make sure our focus is in the right place. But I thought we did a lot of good things out there.

"We definitely made mistakes, but not something I think we're too concerned about not being able to change."

Their inability to get pucks past Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask, who finished with 29 saves, was the Penguins' most obvious shortcoming, but it might be the least troubling, too. They did, after all, enter the series as the highest-scoring team in these playoffs, and their failure to get a goal does not mean that they lacked chances to score.

"We had very good opportunities," winger Jarome Iginla said. "We hit a lot of posts. We had a lot of chances and, on another night, they go in.

"We didn't execute on a few plays and finish on a few others. We had plenty of scoring chances and chances to get momentum swings going but, unfortunately, we didn't get it done tonight."

The Penguins had the league's most efficient power play during Rounds 1 and 2, but failed to generate a goal in four tries with the extra man against Boston.

"The power play had good looks," Iginla said. "We did a lot of the same things we've been doing [throughout the] playoffs.

"Our power play moved it around well. We didn't get it done."

One of those man-advantages came late in the second period, after Bruins winger Brad Marchand had knocked James Neal of the Penguins into the boards with a hit from behind at 19:30.

Marchand was assessed a boarding minor for that; at 1:32 of the second, Penguins left winger Matt Cooke received a major for checking from behind and an automatic game misconduct for a hit on Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid behind the Boston goal line.

"I don't think it was a rough hit," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. "I'm not sure I thought it warranted a five-minute penalty."

Whether league officials feel the same remains to be seen. The incident is sure to be looked at by the NHL office, if only because every major penalty gets attention. There was no immediate indication of whether Cooke will face any additional punishment.

That was Cooke's first major penalty over the past two seasons. He had one misconduct in that span.

Emotions, which had seemed fairly high from the earliest shifts, spiked after Cooke's hit and likely peaked during a series of skirmishes at the end of the second period.

Those were highlighted by a fight between Penguins center Evgeni Malkin and Boston's Patrice Bergeron, neither of whom ranks among the game's most accomplished heavyweights.

"It's all part of it, the emotion," Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik said.

Boston center David Krejci, who leads the playoffs with 19 points, gave the Bruins the only goal they would need at 8:23 of the opening period, when his slap shot from the left side of the slot glanced off defenseman Paul Martin, who was trying to block it, and went between the legs of goalie Tomas Vokoun.

Krejci struck again at 4:04 of the third, when he swatted his own rebound by Vokoun after Nathan Horton had stolen the puck from defenseman Mark Eaton along the right-wing boards, and Horton closed out the scoring by throwing a rebound behind Vokoun from low in the left circle at 7:51.

"They did a good job of staying patient," Penguins defenseman Matt Niskanen said. "When they got some chances, they were able to bury them, and Rask [stopped] our chances."

The Penguins' frustration -- at times, as much with the officiating as with Boston's play or their own failings -- percolated to the surface occasionally, and they strayed from their game plan as the evening moved along.

"Once we got down a couple of goals, I thought we kind of lost control of our game a little bit," Orpik said.

And so, for the first time in these playoffs, the Penguins find themselves down in a series.

"It's one game for them," Iginla said. "And now, the next one is even more important for us."

• Game 2: Penguins vs. Boston Bruins, Consol Energy Center.

• When: 8:08 p.m. Monday.

• TV: NBC Sports Network.

First Published: June 2, 2013, 8:30 a.m.