BOSTON (AP) – With the choice of sitting idly by while the rest of the NHL’s Stanley Cup contenders strengthened their rosters or keeping up with the pack, the Boston Bruins did the latter by making two high-profile trades in as many days.

“It seems like everybody is trying to improve their team,” Bruins coach Mike Sullivan said Thursday. “I think the way the league has unfolded this year, being as tight as it is, I think everybody feels like they have a legitimate chance.”

Count the Bruins in that group after two trades with the Washington Capitals brought high-scoring defenseman Sergei Gonchar and forward Michael Nylander to Boston for the team’s pursuit of its first Stanley Cup since 1972.

Boston general manager Mike O’Connell said the Bruins filled their most glaring needs with the late-season deals.

“We went into this time of year looking for a defenseman and a second line center and we accomplished that,” said O’Connell, adding that the team may not be done dealing.

The deals were endorsed by the players.

“Management stepped up to the plate and made some moves and that’s an encouraging sign for us,” defenseman Hal Gill said.

The Bruins are fifth in the Eastern Conference, but just two points behind leaders Tampa Bay and Philadelphia. The top six teams are within six points of each other.

“I think this kind of shows how management is looking at this team,” said forward Sergei Samsonov. “We as players are very excited about it.”

The Bruins on Thursday gave up a second-round draft pick in 2006 and future considerations for Nylander. Gonchar was sent to the Bruins on Wednesday for rookie defenseman Shaone Morrisonn and first- and second-round draft picks in this year’s draft.

Nylander becomes the sixth Capitals veteran to be traded this season as the money-losing team slashes payroll. Steve Konowalchuk (Colorado), Jaromir Jagr (New York Rangers), Peter Bondra (Ottawa) and Robert Lang (Detroit) have also been dealt since October.

Nylander played in the Bruins game Thursday night against the New York Rangers. Gonchar participated in an optional skate around at the FleetCenter on Thursday morning, basically just to meet his new teammates.

He huddled at center ice with Thornton, Jiri Slegr, Mike Knuble and Glen Murray – players he’ll likely team up with on the Bruins’ new and improved power play.

“I just asked what they have been doing, and they told me what they would like to do, and they asked me what I think,” Gonchar said. “I just told them any successful power play nowadays in the league has a lot of shots and we agreed we’d have to shoot the puck a lot to be successful.”

Gonchar had played his entire 10-year NHL career with the Capitals and admitted Thursday he was “nervous like I’m playing in my first NHL game.”

But after spending the season with one of the weakest teams in the NHL, he was happy to be with a contender.

“I am going from a team that’s not going to the playoffs to a team that has a chance to win the Stanley Cup,” said Gonchar, a three-time All Star who leads NHL defensemen with seven goals and 49 points in 56 games.

Gonchar is also a reassuring presence to goalie Andrew Raycroft.

“It’s great having another leader on the back end and someone who can handle the puck and move it up,” he said.

Nylander broke his leg during training camp and played his first game of the season last week. He has played in just three games this season, but the Bruins are confident he is completely healthy.

The 11-year veteran has twice scored 20 or more goals in a season and has scored 50 or more points in each of his last four seasons, including a career-high 61 points in 2001-02 with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Prior to his injury, the 31-year-old Nylander played in 310 consecutive games through the end of the 2002-03 regular season, which was the longest active such streak in the league at the time. The 11-year veteran has twice scored 20 or more goals in a season and has scored 50 or more points in each of his last four seasons, including a career-high 61 points in 2001-02 with the Blackhawks.

“Nylander is something we’ve been looking for this year, someone to play behind Joe (Thornton) and provide another offensive punch,” Sullivan said. “We feel like now we have three legitimate lines who can provide offense for us.”

AP-ES-03-04-04 2001EST