TORONTO — In NHL games, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand do not often visit the offensive zone to start their shifts. Because of his first-line forwards’ defensive abilities, Bruins coach Claude Julien regularly taps their shoulders to bear the brunt of the toughest five-on-five assignments: the shifts that start in the defensive zone against the opponents’ best players.

According to Corsica Hockey, during five-on-five play, Bergeron started 34.6 percent of his shifts in the defensive zone in 2015-16. Only 12 forwards with 1,000-plus minutes began more shifts than Bergeron in their own zone. Bergeron still managed to finish 18th in the league in scoring (32-36—68), while Marchand added 37 goals and 24 assists.

In comparison, offensive-minded Nashville center Mike Ribeiro (7-43—50) started 9.3 percent of his shifts in his own zone.

At the other end, 28.2 percent of Bergeron’s shifts began in the offensive zone. Ribeiro led the league by starting 52.1 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone.

So in Game 1 of the World Cup of Hockey finals Tuesday, it was with a sense of unfamiliarity that Bergeron and Marchand started five of their shifts in the offensive zone. The top-line Bruins usually have to advance 150 feet to get a sniff of the opposing net. Instead, Jaroslav Halak and Team Europe’s cage were close enough to reach with a swing of Zdeno Chara’s stick.

The results showed on the scoreboard. The Black-and-Gold duo scored two goals in Canada’s 3-1 win. This window may not close upon the tournament’s conclusion. It’s possible that when they return to Boston, Bergeron and Marchand could assume more offensive opportunities.

Had circumstances been NHL-normal in Game 1, Bergeron and Marchand would have been tapped to shadow Tomas Tatar, Anze Kopitar and Marian Hossa, the opposing top line. But in the World Cup’s fantasyland, Canada has four lines that could serve as capable units to negate the other team’s best forwards.

Canada coach Mike Babcock selected Bergeron, Marchand, and Sidney Crosby to take the opening shift against Kopitar’s line. But as the game progressed, Babcock instructed his third line of Logan Couture, Jonathan Toews, and Corey Perry to take most of the shifts against Kopitar’s group. It gave Crosby’s line the opportunity of going on the attack instead of fretting about silencing Europe’s top threesome.

Early in the first period, after taking an outlet pass from Crosby, Bergeron broke away for an on-the-rush chance. He muscled off Nino Niederreiter’s backcheck, waited for Marchand to make himself available, and connected with his linemate at the top of the crease. Marchand went high on Halak to score his tournament-leading fourth goal.

In the third period, the first-line mates worked their down-low magic to give the Canadians some much-needed breathing room. Crosby started the flurry by trying a bank shot off Halak’s right side. The puck didn’t go in, but Crosby regained control and did his thing behind the net.

When Europe’s defenders converged on Crosby, he saw Bergeron slashing into the slot and gave his right wing a short-distance backhand pass. Bergeron scored at 9:24, giving Canada a 3-1 advantage.

“They’re good,’’ Babcock said. “They’ve had a good tournament. They’ve played real well. They’ve got three elite players on it, all different types of players. They’ve been really good. I don’t know if they were as good tonight as they have been, but they were good.’’

Kopitar was not on the ice for either of the first-liners’ goals. Marchand scored against Europe’s third line of Niederreiter, Leon Draisaitl, and Jannik Hansen. Europe’s second line of Tobias Rieder, Frans Nielsen, and Mats Zuccarello was on the ice for Bergeron’s goal.

“It is different,’’ Bergeron said of playing with reduced shutdown responsibilities. “But whoever you’re up against, you’ve still got to do the job. You’re still playing against some good players and some smart players.

“I think I’m still playing my game the same way, trying to play 200 feet, trying to create as much as possible. When you’re with Sid, it definitely helps a lot. He’s creating a lot of chances for us. We’re trying to take advantage of that.’’

When the Bruins open the regular season against the Blue Jackets Oct. 13, Julien likely will deploy Bergeron and Marchand against Brandon Saad, Columbus’s No. 1 left wing. But the 200-foot pairing might not have to take every hard shift, especially in the defensive zone.

One reason the Bruins signed David Backes was to relieve Bergeron of some of his most difficult assignments. Last year, Backes started 41.1 percent of his five-on-five shifts in the defensive zone, second-highest among forwards with 1,000 minutes or more.

Of all his options, St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock considered Backes his best tool to perform the defensive dirty work. It freed weapons such as Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz to rest on the bench while Backes executed the grinding.

If Backes takes some of Bergeron’s right-side defensive-zone draws, he and Marchand could enjoy deserved breathers and go on the attack.

Now all general manager Don Sweeney has to do is trade for Crosby.

Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeFluto.