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TORONTO (Reuters) - There is little room for panic in the National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs and the battle-hardened Boston Bruins are showing just how valuable experience is as they chase a second Stanley Cup in three seasons.

The Bruins fell into an early hole during a pivotal road game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday but battled back for an exhilarating 4-3 overtime victory that gave the visitors a 3-1 stranglehold in the best-of-seven series.

"It's not how you start, it's how you finish," Bruins captain Zdeno Chara, who had four assists, told reporters.

"It's a 60-minute game, and sometimes more than that, so all of us kind've tried to put that first 20 minutes behind us and focus on the next period and go from there."

The Maple Leafs, in the playoffs for the first time in nine years and desperately trying to square the first-round series, jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a pair of first-period goals.

But the Bruins stormed back with a three-goal second period and, after allowing a Toronto goal with under three minutes to play in the middle frame, entered the third period tied 3-3.

Before the game, the Bruins roster had 1,330 games of NHL playoff experience, including five players with more than 100 each. By contrast, the three Maple Leafs with the most playoff experience had played a combined 121 games.

The contrast in experience was clearly evident during the late stages. Boston never panicked even as the Maple Leafs pressed for the go-ahead goal, only to be denied time and time again by Finnish goalie Tuukka Rask.

"We know we have so much experience on this team, but it's how you use that experience that is important," Bruins forward David Krejci told reporters after scoring the overtime winner to complete his hat trick.

"I think we used it well tonight, but Tuukka also made some great saves. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have even been in overtime."

For the Bruins, the win means they can avoid a trip back to Toronto for a Game Six with a win at home on Friday that would put them in the Eastern Conference semi-final for the first time since winning the Stanley Cup in 2011.

This season marks the sixth consecutive year the Bruins are in the playoffs, the franchise's longest stretch since their NHL-record span of 29 consecutive seasons from 1968-1996.

The Bruins' experience was not lost on the Maple Leafs, a team that does not have history on its side with Boston owning a 15-2 record when leading a best-of-seven series 3-1.

"There is obviously a bit of a learning curve," Toronto forward Joffrey Lupul, who opened the scoring less than three minutes into the game, told reporters. "In the playoffs the more experienced guys tend to have a little bit of an advantage but that's not an excuse at all."

(Editing by Julian Linden)

The country has a long and storied boxing tradition and is usually a force at international amateur tournaments. This move represents a big step for the island's Communist authorities, who long ago decided pro sports were not in keeping with Marxist social ideals.

The new format, the World Series of Boxing, consists of 12 squads from across the globe that square off in a series of five fights using a point system similar to the pros.

The World Series of Boxing is organized by the international boxing association known as AIBA. The competition begins in November.

"We are extremely pleased to welcome Cuba to World Series of Boxing," AIBA President C.K. Wu said in a statement. "With a total of 116 World medals and 67 Olympic ones, Cuban boxers have always lived at the pinnacle of our sport. ... We are convinced that this new franchise will bring WSB to an even higher level."

In addition to the salaries, boxers in the series can make $500 to $2,000 bonuses, although it's not immediately clear how, or how much, the Cubans will be paid.

They still stand to receive a big raise from their current salaries, which are close to the $20 a month that most Cuban workers earn. The best boxers, those who win medals at major tournaments, are granted lifetime stipends of up to $300 a month.

Wu visited the island in January for talks with local sports officials about adding Cuba to the series. The nation's fighters have expressed great excitement about the prospect. Boxers in the World Series will compete for 30 automatic bids to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

"It is our duty to help our athletes develop their careers as far as possible," Cuban Boxing Federation President Alberto Puig de la Barca was quoted as saying by AIBA. "Our best boxers will compete in WSB over seven months against the world's cream of the crop. This will offer them the chance to get a taste of the styles of other world-class athletes and thus be better prepared to face them in the Olympic Games, Pan American, Central American and world championships."

"We are pleased to join," he added.

Fidel Castro banned professional sports in 1961, two years after the Cuban Revolution.

"Sport is not just another instrument of the market ... nor of profit for promoters, agents and all manner of parasites that feed off the athlete's hard work," Castro said in 2005.

He left office in 2006 because of a near-fatal intestinal ailment, and brother Raul has been in charge since. The younger Castro has since instituted a number of social and economic reforms that have brought significant change to the country's socialist model.

___

Follow Anne-Marie Garcia on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AnneMarie279

Will Gomez "be the next Scott Brown?"  — a question being posed by just about every political handicapper and operative in the country. Brown, a little-known GOP state lawmaker, won a 2010 special election for U.S. Senate in an upset over Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley (D). Republicans hope Gomez, a political neophyte with an attractive face and personal story, is able to capture the same coalition of Republicans, independents, and conservative Democrats who pushed Brown to victory.

Markey starts out the favorite in a state where Democrats hold a strong voter-registration edge and the national Republican Party is pretty unpopular. But "Democrats have good reason to be worried," . About half of Massachusetts' registered voters are independents, and "Gomez has substantial appeal that transcends party." His parents are Colombian immigrants, so Gomez didn't learn English until kindergarten, and— Navy pilot and SEAL officer, Harvard MBA, millionaire private-equity investor — and socially moderate positions make him the kind of Republican "who can be elected with ease in a blue state." Just ask Scott Brown.

Brown, of course, lost his bid to serve a full term last November. And as political forecaster Larry Sabato notes:

— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato)

The chances of Gomez becoming the second coming of Scott Brown are slim. The fact that Brown is thinking of running for office in New Hampshire tells you that even he doesn't think there's going to be a second coming for him in the Bay State. Also Markey is no Martha Coakley. Unless Markey says or does something absolutely stupid, he will most likely become Massachusetts' next senator. []

With Markey's 36 years in the House, though, this will fundamentally be "a classic outsider versus career politician race," The Cook Report's Jennifer Duffy . Gomez will work hard to convince voters that he's an independent voice, not a conservative Republican, and that Markey is a "creature of a dysfunctional Congress." Markey will tout his accomplishments and argue that Gomez is "an ideological chameleon, and thus cannot be trusted." All things considered, Gomez is the underdog, and "I don't intend to change the rating from where it is now — Solid Democrat.

In hindsight, "Scott Brown's win was like lightning in a bottle," a mixture of a backlash against Democrats and ObamaCare plus damaging gaffes by the Democrat, Coakley, . But it's not all bad news for Republicans.

If nothing else, showcasing Gomez gives them a top candidate with a profile they badly need to replicate across the country — a young, Hispanic moderate.... Even if Gomez... ultimately does fall short, if he runs an impressive campaign, expect his name to pop up for other offices in the Bay State — maybe even a 2014 rematch with Markey, when the seat is regularly scheduled to be up. For Republicans, boosting Gomez may be a win-win even if it's not a win at the ballot box on June 25. []

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Azamat Tazhayakov (AHZ'-maht tuh-ZAYE'-uh-kov) and Dias Kadyrbayev (DYE'-us kad-uhr-BYE-ev) appeared via video for a visa violation hearing in immigration court in Boston on Wednesday.

The officials who said they were in custody spoke to The Associated Press Wednesday condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about the investigation.

One of the officials said the third suspect was a man.

The two have been held in a county jail for more than a week on allegations that they violated their student visas while attending the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth with suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (joh-HAHR' tsahr-NEYE'-ehv), who is originally from Russia.

My husband and I kept quiet because we didn't want to interfere. About a month ago, he decided he no longer wanted to be married. Since then, my daughter has revealed that shortly after the wedding she discovered her engagement ring was a fake, and he insisted she pay for half the costs of the honeymoon -- which she did.

We're not wealthy people, so paying for their wedding was a stretch for us. I am furious that my soon-to-be ex-son-in-law sat and watched us spend thousands of dollars on a wedding, knowing full well my daughter was wearing a fake ring on her hand and then insisted she pay for half the honeymoon.

I wonder what his real motive was in marrying her. He shows no remorse and portrays himself as the "victim" for having married someone who couldn't get along with his mother.

How do I move forward and get over my anger and need for retribution? -- OUTRAGED IN OKLAHOMA

DEAR OUTRAGED: Start by thanking your lucky stars that your daughter will soon be free of a husband who appears to be already married to his mother. Then realize that your daughter was married to a dishonest, verbally abusive user to whom she might have been tied for a lifetime if she'd had a child or two with him.

DEAR ABBY: I'm a 24-year-old gay man, and I still don't know if I want to have children or not. I feel that by this point I should know, but I don't. When I date, the subject inevitably comes up, and I never know how to respond.

I used to think that children were an expense I would never want, but now the thought pops into my head from time to time. People have told me I'd be a great dad. I think so, too.

When and how will I know for sure? And in the meantime, what should I tell the guys I date? -- UNDECIDED IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

DEAR UNDECIDED: It is not unusual for a person your age -- regardless of sexual orientation -- to be unsure about taking on the responsibilities of parenthood. You will probably know "for sure" you want children when you are in a stable relationship and financially able to provide for them. In the meantime, tell the guys you date that you "think" you would like to be a parent one day -- but you're not yet ready to set up a nursery.

DEAR ABBY: I'm a 29-year-old male. Is it normal for me to be dating a woman who is in her mid-50s? I really like her, and she likes me, but sex seems to be an issue because she is hesitant to engage with someone who is my age. In her words, she is old enough to be my mother and it's "weird." What are your thoughts? -- JAY IN NEW JERSEY

DEAR JAY: It's unusual for a man in his 20s to be dating a woman that much older, but it's not unheard of. It is more common for the reverse to be true. Remind her that the age difference hasn't stopped some men from doing it, and we're living in the age of equality.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby ator P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

What teens need to know about sex, drugs, AIDS and getting along with peers and parents is in "What Every Teen Should Know." Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $7 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby, Teen Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)

Sunday, April 28

Kuban Krasnodar2 Zenit St Petersburg2

Spartak Moscow 2 Anzhi Makhachkala0

Saturday, April 27

Dynamo Moscow3 Mordovya Saransk 1

Lokomotiv Moscow 3 Rostov 1

Terek Groznyi2 Amkar Perm 1

Friday, April 26

FC Volga Nizhny Novgorod 1 Krylya Sovietov Samara 1

StandingsPWD LFAPts

1CSKA Moscow25 18 3 444 19 57

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2Zenit St Petersburg26 16 6 445 23 54

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3Anzhi Makhachkala26 13 8 541 30 47

4Spartak Moscow 26 13 5 846 36 44

5Dynamo Moscow26 13 4 938 31 43

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6Terek Groznyi26 12 5 932 37 41

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7Rubin Kazan25 12 5 831 21 41

8Kuban Krasnodar26 11 8 741 28 41

9Lokomotiv Moscow 26 10 7 931 27 37

10 FK Krasnodar 25 10 5 10 39 33 35

11 FC Volga Nizhny Novgorod 26 67 13 26 41 25

12 Rostov 26 67 13 24 35 25

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13 Amkar Perm 26 67 13 29 41 25

14 Krylya Sovietov Samara 26 66 14 25 44 24

-------------------------

15 Mordovya Saransk 26 44 18 25 51 16

16 Alania Vladikavkaz 25 37 15 23 43 16

1: Champions League / EC I

2: Champions League preliminary round

3-5: Europa League

6: Europa League depending on domestic cup

13-14: Relegation play-off

15-16: Relegation

Next Fixtures (GMT):

Sunday, April 28

Rubin Kazanv CSKA Moscow(1430)

Monday, April 29

Alania Vladikavkaz v FK Krasnodar (1430)