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BOSTON -- Patrice Bergeron has a punctured lung and is at a Boston-area hospital for observation. The Bruins forward was admitted Monday night, after Boston lost to Chicago, 3-2, in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden -- a defeat which ended the season. Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli and coach Claude Julien addressed Bergerons status Wednesday, the same day they held exit interviews with the players. "He played through all of this, and he was a warrior," Chiarelli said. "I cant say enough about his performance and what he did while being injured." Bergeron was already slowed by injuries headed into Game 6. He was a question mark to even play due to a broken rib and torn cartilage. After not participating in the morning skate Monday, he appeared during warmups and played in the loss. In the first period, though, he suffered a separated shoulder. "After the game, obviously, he was in pain from his ribs and stuff like that, which is an automatic thing. The doctors said lets send him to the hospital for observation, so he went there," Julien said. "I think they did the right thing and the right job by sending him there. "And then he just stayed." Bergeron had 10 goals and 32 points in the shortened regular season, as well as nine and 15, respectively, in the post-season. Combined, he had a plus-26 rating this year as the Bruins finished second in the Northeast Division, and defeated the Maple Leafs, Rangers and Penguins to secure a second Eastern Conference title in three seasons. "It was a challenge," Julien said. "I think the biggest one, as we mentioned there, we had some guys, some key guys, that were injured along the way, and on a lot of occasions, we werent able to finish with the same number we started." And so an off-season of question marks is off and running in Boston, as the Bruins look to keep their solid nucleus in town while also plot for the future. Forward Nathan Horton will become a free agent next month, and in a class thats regarded as weak and doesnt feature a lot of star power, he is easily one of the most marketable, skilled players available. "I have enjoyed my time here obviously. Two out of three years, Ive been here weve been in the Stanley Cup and weve won one time and I said a million times, the guys in the room are amazing," Horton said. "Its been a lot of fun and I really enjoy everyone and every player on the team." One potential drawback to Horton, is he will require off-season shoulder surgery. "When you make a decision to try and bring back guys that are on the eve of free agency, youd like to think that you can make the right decision before the last possible moment. Usually, thats what I try and do," Chiarelli said. "I try to be proactive and try to get ahead of stuff, and this year it was too hard. Specifically on Nathan, I put him in with the rest of the group. Theyve been moving targets and Im going to try to push through it now. "Its not the ideal way, but Im going to try to push through it now." One part of the team that became even stronger in the post-season was defensive depth. With injuries to several defencemen, Chiarelli was able to flex some organizational numbers on the blue line that will allow the Bruins to let some higher-priced, older players walk away. Defenceman Andrew Ference, for instance, will not be re-signed, and his place will likely be filled by Dougie Hamilton, Matt Bartkowski and Torey Krug, who all played in the playoffs. "Were losing not just a good player, but also a leader in the dressing room and everything else," Julien said of Ference. "Hes always gone above and beyond with the little things in the dressing room and everything that comes with it. Hes been a good teammate, smart." Ference played in just 14 of 22 playoff games with two assists. "Hes been part of this, what weve built here. (He brings that) warrior-type of attitude and playing style for his size," Chiarelli said. "You cant say enough about his leadership and what hes brought to our organization. It was a tough conversation to have." Forward Jaromir Jagr, the games leading active scorer who was acquired at the trading deadline from Dallas, did not score in the post-season, and will also not be back. The 41-year-old native of the Czech Republic, who has been on three teams the last two seasons, hopes to find another in the NHL this summer. "I thought he spread out our power play, which helped our power play," Chiarelli said. "I was real happy with Jaromir. I thought he really helped that cause." The Bruins have played in nine post-season series the last three years, winning seven of them. They have two division crowns in that time, as well. "I think for us, the more time we spend together the better we become," forward Daniel Paille said. "We definitely have some ups and downs. But through the playoffs, I believe that we definitely come together and play for each other. I think it goes a long way and it helps us as a group." ------ NOTES: Chiarelli would like to re-sign backup goalie Anton Khudobin, but wants to lock up the starter, Tuukka Rask, first. Rask is looking for a long-term deal. "That would be an ideal situation, I think, to play here forever," he said. "I hope we can make that happen." ... Chiarelli has not made a decision yet on veteran defenceman Wade Redden, though its likely that Hamilton, Krug or Bartkowski could take his position as well. Redden will become a free agent next month. "I want to play and I want to be on a good team," Redden said. "I guess well see what options are going to happen for me this summer." ... Veteran forward Jay Pandolfo, a native of Winchester, Mass., who signed with the club during the season as an extra forward, will not be re-signed. 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JOHNS, N.MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Kansas States Marcus Foster was battered and bruised, just like everyone else on the court, and was having a hard time limping around during breaks in the play. When the final buzzer sounded, he had no problem jumping up in celebration. Foster scored a game-high 20 points, two coming on free throws in the closing seconds of overtime, and helped the Wildcats hold off No. 7 Kansas 85-82 on Monday night. "Marcus is Marcus," Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said of the freshman. "He hit a lot of big shots." Will Spradling added 15 points for the Wildcats (17-7, 7-4 Big 12), who blew a nine-point lead with less than 2 minutes left in regulation, only to survive for just their third win over the Jayhawks (18-6, 9-2) in 26 games played at Bramlage Coliseum. Hundreds of students flooded the court when the final buzzer sounded to celebrate the end of a six-game skid against Kansas. The Wildcats, who had lost 48 of the last 51 in the series, hadnt beaten their rivals in their on-campus octagon since Feb. 14, 2011. "We just went out there and played hard," said Foster, who turned his right ankle and showed up to the postgame news conference in a walking boot. "We knew if we played hard, the rest would take care of itself." Andrew Wiggins scored 16 points for the Jayhawks, including a putback of his own miss with 6.9 seconds left to force overtime. Perry Ellis had 19 points, Naadir Tharpe added 13 and Brannen Greene scored 10, making two key baskets near the end of regulation. "I thought momentum was on our side," Kansas coach Bill Self said. Tarik Black even scored the opening basket of overtime, but every time the Jayhawks tried to build a lead, the Wildcats had an answer -- a three-point play by Foster, a free throw by Omari Lawrence, or a big putback from unheralded big man D.J. Johnson, who had nine points. "We felt good. We felt energized," Ellis said. "We just couldnt get no stops. We couldnt get no stops in the second half and overtime." Still, it wasnt over until Fosters two free throws with 21.9 seconds left gave Kansas State an 833-79 lead, and Wiggins missed a 3-pointer at the other end.dddddddddddd Black missed another shot, and the Wildcats finally corralled the rebound, allowing time to run out. "If we lost," Weber said, "it would have been a heartbreaker." Unlike the first meeting in January, when the Jayhawks raced out to a big lead and then simply nursed it through the second half, the rivals played to a draw Monday night. Kansas State surged to an early lead thanks to some poor shooting by the Jayhawks, only to go into a slump of its own. Both teams eventually got into foul trouble as the game began to resemble an old Big Eight tussle, and the result was a 29-29 halftime tie. In fact, there may have been more bodies on the court than baskets made, and the Jayhawks Black even had to limp off after twisting his ankle while going up for a rebound. The angst reached a crescendo midway through the second half, when Thomas Gipson of the Wildcats and Kansas guard Frank Mason got into a shoving match. Both were given technical fouls. Kansas was already playing without reserve forward Jamari Traylor, whom Self sat for disciplinary reasons. With the nagging injury to Black on top of the foul trouble, one of the deepest teams in the nation had its depth tested in one of the rare instances all season. "Both teams are beat up," Self said afterward. After taking a 35-34 lead with 17:34 remaining, the Wildcats ripped off the next nine points. And even when Foster turned his ankle and briefly went to the locker room, Kansas State was still able to match the Jayhawks basket for basket. The Wildcats couldnt close the game in regulation, though. Wesley Iwundu made one of two free throws with 30 seconds left to give Kansas State a 69-65 lead, but Tharpe quickly answered with a layup. Iwundu was fouled again but missed the front end of a 1-and-1, giving Wiggins a chance to send the game to overtime. The Wildcats simply refused to give up. "We made mistakes," Weber said. "To their credit they came back, but our character, and thats something we talked about, let us overcome the emotion." ' ' '