Early Returns Favor Rule by the Penguins : NHL playoffs: Lemieux plays despite a broken hand and scores twice in Pittsburgh’s 5-2 victory. Bourque fizzles in his Bruin comeback.

Mario Lemieux never thought his comeback could be this good. Ray Bourque never thought his could be this bad.

Lemieux scored twice and set up another goal and Bourque drew two critical penalties that swung the momentum Pittsburgh’s way as the Penguins beat the Bruins, 5-2, Tuesday night and took a 2-0 lead in the Wales Conference finals.

Lemieux, returning three games earlier than expected from his broken left hand, sparked Pittsburgh’s power play, which failed 10 consecutive times in the series before Rick Tocchet’s second-period goal made the score 3-1. The Penguins converted their last three power-play chances.

“I think me being there gave the team a big boost,” Lemieux said. “I’m surprised it went that well. It’s always there in the back of your mind that you’ve got a broken hand, but it went very well.”

Game 3 will be Thursday in Boston.

Lemieux, who asked Coach Scotty Bowman to let him play more as he gained more confidence in his injured hand, restored the Penguins’ two-goal lead with a third-period power-play goal. He completed the scoring with an empty-net goal in the last second with Pittsburgh on a power play.

On Monday, Lemieux had said he probably wouldn’t return until the fifth game, if necessary. He dressed only in sweat clothes and a baseball cap during Tuesday’s game-day skate as he admittedly tried to decoy the Bruins into thinking he wouldn’t play.

“We knew he was going to play,” Bruin Coach Rick Bowness said.

Lemieux seemed barely affected by his 15-day layoff.

“There’s no way a broken hand can heal that quickly,” teammate Kevin Stevens said. “He’s a superstar, the best player in hockey. We don’t know how he does it. He never practices, then he goes out and never misses a beat. He’s amazing.”

Did Lemieux take a major risk by returning so quickly?

“He said it was a bigger risk if he didn’t play and we lose and (the series) is 1-1,” Bowman said.

Bowness didn’t think Bourque rushed his return. The Penguins evidently didn’t think Lemieux rushed his.

“I thought he gave us a big lift, just like Mario gave them,” Bowness said of Bourque.

The Penguins are 5-1 since Lemieux was injured.