The Bruins Continue To Roll Along While Claude Julien's Canadiens Fall Deeper Into a Pit of Despair

One of the many fun things about sports is how they can almost eerily echo things that happen in anybody's everyday life. Sometimes, a team can play bad but then figure out how to turn the momentum just at the right time to ultimately get the desired result. Is that not similar to when you are having a crappy day but then some simple act of kindness or random thing (a song, a joke, a pet, etc.) makes you smile and suddenly, things are looking up again. This is a long-winded way of pointing out that right now, the Bruins (19-3-5) are on fire while their hated rivals the Canadiens (11-10-6) are falling apart at the seams.

In their third of four meetings of the season (stupid NHL schedulemakers) already, Boston allowed the first goal less than two minutes into the tilt but then used a trio of third period goals to send Montreal away with their eighth straight loss. The 3-1 victory for the B's extended their win streak to seven games and their point streak to 11 games (8-0-3) overall, they last lost in regulation on November 8 in Detroit (4-2)-a entirely forgettable setback that we shall not ever talk about again. Another tell-tale sign of a club that's on a serious roll is when they get unexpected contributions from role players up and down the lineup. Enter David Backes: playing in his first game in nearly a month (Nov. 2 vs. Ottawa was when he got concussed), he scored the game-winning goal midway through the third, on the power play of all things.

The regular season is not even a third of the way through so I'm not suggesting that we start making plans for a Bruins duck boat parade next June quite yet but you have to admit that this team is A) really fun to watch and B) also very easy to root for. The fact that the Black and Gold could even cost Claude Julien his job for the second time in less than three years is deliciously ironic as well. Poor Coach Potato Head aka Handsome Ralph is watching his franchise goaltender Carey Price play like a bum (he entered tonight with a 3.19 goals against average-46th in the NHL-and .897 save percentage-43rd in the league) while their penalty kill unit is similarly awful (30th in the NHL).

Claude has already been fired once as Canadiens head coach so why not make it twice? Granted, he's still owed a ton of money the next few years so I don't know how willing they will be to get rid of him at this juncture but that's always the obvious move in pro sports when a team is floundering like this. Also, the Montreal media and fans are not exactly the most reasonable and well-adjusted people in the world either which doesn't help his cause.

The only goal that the Habs scored was a direct result of a brutal mistake from captain Zdeno Chara. His defensive partner Charlie McAvoy passed the puck to him behind Boston's net but Montreal third line right wing Joel Armia stole the puck off his stick then flipped a backhander at Tuukka Rask (28 saves, 13-2-2) that ended up in the net after it deflected off of McAvoy's skate. Armia's 10th goal of the season was unassisted and it tied him with that little weasel Brendan Gallagher for the meager team lead. Rask made sure that his team didn't face a bigger deficit as he made a pair of good saves later in the opening frame-on a blast from the point by defenseman Jeff Petry then a one-timer by Armia from the slot.

By turning up the intensity (both emotional and physical) the Bruins started to dig their way back in the second period. Defenseman Connor Clifton knocked over Montreal second line left winger Nick Cousins with a nice hit. Price (31 saves, 10-9-3) made a good save on Chris Wagner's spinning shot from the slot but soon after that, all hell (for all intents and purposes 2019 style) broke loose as Pasta went after Canadiens captain Shea Weber. Jake DeBrusk got taken down by Gallagher while Charlie Coyle and Brandon Carlo played peacemakers. It all resulted in a power play for Boston (interference on Weber) which they didn't score on. Still, Price almost let a shot by Matt Grzelcyk elude him and the Charlestown native swept the rebound across the goal line (but never over). Montreal still led 1-0 after the second period but you could feel like things were going to change soon enough for the home team.

David Pastrnak scoring the tying goal at 6:16 of third period was perhaps the most predictable part of the whole evening. His NHL-best 25th goal (!!) was a rocket off the post and in. Anders Bjork and Carlo had the assists on Pastrnak's eighth goal in his last eight games. Boston's second power play was the moneymaker as Cousins was called for holding and Backes put in a one-timer from David Krejci and Grzelcyk at 10:29 for his first goal of the season (in his 9th game). With Patrice Bergeron (lower-body injury) out, Backes stepped into Bergy's bumper position on the man-advantage and did a reasonable enough impression of it. The Canadiens quickly folded from there as Jake DeBrusk scored on a one-timer of his own less than three minutes later (at 13:27). Charlie Coyle (3 goals, 7 assists in his last 11 games) had the lone assist on DeBrusk's sixth goal of the season. Jake is starting to heat up a bit himself with six points (3 goals, 3 assists) in his last five games. Price was getting the classic Carey Carey chants from the Garden crowd and for old time's sake, Julien's hapless team got called for too many men on the ice thus nullifying the slim chance they had to comeback.

The Bruins get the day off tomorrow then they will have a pregame skate on Tuesday ahead of that night's (7, NESN) meeting with the Hurricanes (16-10-1). Can you say 2019 Eastern Conference Finals rematch? Carolina isn't a great team but they have some talented players and they play generally entertaining games so that should be more interesting than your typical Tuesday night in early December affair. Boston still hasn't lost in regulation at TD Garden (11-0-4) this season and with the way that Pastrnak and Marchand are playing along with the timely things by everyone else, there are many good reasons to tune into the Bruins these days.

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The Canadiens Completely Shut Down the Bruins 3-0 In Their 1st Meeting of the 2018-19 Season

Is any goaltender in the NHL currently worse in first periods than Tuukka Rask (3-3-0)? That might be a slight exaggeration but it feels that way as another slow start by the Bruins' (6-3-2) embattled goalie put his team in a hole that they ultimately never recovered from in an utterly lifeless 3-0 loss this evening at TD Garden. Montreal (6-2-2) has been one of the early surprises in the league this year and while they don't appear to be anything too special, they certainly own Rask (10-16-3 in his career vs. the Canadiens). Conversely, Carey Price (25-11-5 in his career vs. the Bruins) made 33 mostly routine saves for his 1st shutout of the season and 41st of his NHL career.

The Atlantic Division should continue to be run by Tampa Bay (7-1-1), Toronto (8-3-0) and Boston once again this season so it will take awhile longer for me to take the rebuilding Canadiens seriously. There are three more meetings between these ancient rivals in this campaign but for Chapter 1, you have to give it up for Claude Julien's rag tag group of young guys and no-name veterans. Not counting the garbage time empty-netter late in the third period, Montreal's two even strength goals were scored 1:21 apart midway through the first period. On one hand, you could say that gave the B's plenty of time to recover. However, I would contend that the first one was so weak that it deflated the home team, only to be accentuated by another that came via a bizarre scramble shortly thereafter.

Brendan Gallagher's sixth goal of the season was all thanks to Rask who somehow couldn't squeeze his pads against the near side post at 9:18. Quinnipiac's Matthew Peca and Xavier Ouellet had the assists on a shot that any NHL goaltender should be able to stop in their sleep. Tie Domi's little boy Max got in on the fun with his first career goal against the Bruins at 10:39. Artturi Lehkonen was hooked on a breakaway (it would have been a penalty) but before Boston could touch the puck for the whistle, it went to Domi who initially whiffed on his shot but then had enough time to recover and roof it by Rask (20 saves) for his sixth goal of the season (extending his point-streak to 6 games). Former Lightning bust Jonathan Drouin (8 points in his last 7 games) and Lehnkoen had the helpers on what turned out to be an insurmountable lead for the Canadiens.

Just like Claude's old Bruins teams, Boston controlled play in the third (outshooting Montreal 14-4) but ended up with nothing to show for it. The gameplan wasn't sexy but the Habs certainly executed it as they had eight more hits (28-20), five more takeaways (16-11), four more blocked shots (12-8) & one more faceoff win (35-34) than the B's. Boston's fourth-ranked power play also went 0-for-3 which didn't help matters. Jamie "the other" Benn banked in the empty-netter with 28.2 seconds left in regulation to send the traveling Montreal fans home happy. That was his first point of the season and first goal since Dec. 5, 2017.

There is one game left in October for the B's as they visit another upstart club-Carolina (6-3-1) on Tuesday (7, NESN). It's an odd (and very rare) two-game road trip that ends in Nashville (8-3-0) next Saturday night (8, NESN). The good news is that will be followed by what has the potential to be an entertaining four-game homestand against Dallas (5-4-0), Vancouver (6-5-0), Toronto and Vegas (4-5-1) that lasts for a week. Boston is 4-1-0 at home and 2-2-0 on the road so expect those records to balance themselves out a little bit more.

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Nearly A Year Later, The B's Are One of the Top Teams in the NHL & The Habs are One of the Worst

Remember when it felt like the Bruins (25-10-8) could never quite seem to catch up with the Canadiens (18-21-6) both in terms of overall team speed up and down the ice and more importantly on the scoreboard? My oh my how things have changed recently as now Boston has won four straight games against lowly Montreal following tonight's easy 4-1 victory at TD Garden. Of course for Bruins fans, they'll never grow tired of seeing the Habs become a complete dumpster fire like this. After beating them 4-3 in a wild shootout at the Bell Centre on Saturday night, the B's let the Canadiens score the first goal before they slowly made them submit to another defeat. Even better, Boston can beat these jokers three times in eight days since they meet this Saturday night (7, NESN) in Montreal as well. Thanks, NHL schedule makers!

Faster than you could say Handsome Ralph, the Canadiens were up 1-0 as rookie defenseman Jakub Jerabek threw the puck at the net and it deflected in off Zdeno Chara just 31 seconds into regulation. Jerabek's first career NHL goal was assisted by Charles Hudon and Paul Byron. Montreal led the entire game for a grand total of 6:19 as Boston tied it up on a sweet passing play from Brad Marchand to Patrice Bergeron to David Pastrnak for the goal. Marchand was actually on his knees when he flung the puck to Bergeron who quickly dished it to Pastrnak (get it?!) for his 18th goal of the season. Against Isaiah Thomas and Paul Pierce's wishes, the Bruins showed a nice tribute video for Claude Julien that drew a huge ovation from the Garden crowd. See NBA, these things can be done with minimal drama and whining.

In soccer terms, both clubs enjoyed the benefit of an own goal as Ryan Spooner put the Bruins ahead 2-1 at 2:37 of the second period when his attempted pass went off the enigma known as Jonathan Drouin, by Canadiens goaltender Carey Price (28 saves; 13-15-4) and into the net. Spooner's sixth goal of the season was assisted by David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk. Not only is Montreal a terrible team but they are also boring to watch (unless you hate yourself) which is about the worst combination that you can be in sports. They were only down a goal going into the third period but once Marchand bagged a power play goal at 3:40 of the third period, it was basically over. His 19th goal of the season was assisted by Bergeron and Torey Krug. The final score actually could have been way more lopsided as three Bruins hit the crossbar or post (Noel Acciari, David Backes and Krejci) over the course of 60 minutes. Julien pulled Price for an extra attacker with a few minutes left since what the hell right? It predictably backfired immediately as Krejci (8th goal of the season) scored an empty-netter at 16:46 from Backes.

All in all it was a great day for the Black and Gold as they honored former Bruin Willie O'Ree on the 60th anniversary of his first NHL game (he broke the league's color barrier). PS how is he not already in the Hockey Hall of Fame? Boston mayor Marty Walsh declared tomorrow "Willie O'Ree Day" and the city is opening a street hockey rink in his honor which will be completed by this summer in Allston. The B's extended their point streak to 14 games (10-0-4) which is the longest in 2017-18 in the NHL and goaltender Tuukka Rask's (21 saves; 16-8-4) personal point streak reached 15 games (13-0-2) as well. Finally, after missing 36 games recovering from the broken leg that he suffered vs. Vancouver on October 19, veteran defenseman Adam McQuaid returned to action subbing in for Kevan Miller who has the bird flu or something.

The B's are right back at it tomorrow night (7, NESN) against the Islanders (23-19-4) at Barclays Center. New York is one point out of both Wild Card spots in the Eastern Conference so unlike the Canadiens, they have plenty to play for. That figures to be another start for Anton Khudobin (9-2-4) with Rask getting the Canadiens once more on Saturday. If it ain't broke, don't fix it right? So while we chuckle at Julien circling the drain in Montreal (again), realize that these Bruins under head coach Bruce Cassidy are a real force in the East. This is probably looking too far ahead (but what else do you want to hear in mid-January?) but with a few breaks going their way, the Bruins could make this spring a real memorable one for Boston sports teams and I'm not just talking about the Celtics.

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Bruins Sweep Their Pivotal 3-Game Homestand with Resounding 4-0 Victory vs. Montreal

Remember like a week ago when we were all resigned to the fact that the Bruins (29-23-6) weren't going anywhere this season? The inevitable firing of head coach Claude Julien finally happened on Tuesday and that was one of the only real interesting facets left in 2016-17. As my old pal Lee Corso loves to say on ESPN's College GameDay, "not so fast, my friend!" In case you haven't noticed, the B's look like a completely different team these last three games under interim head coach Bruce Cassidy. Tonight, they beat Montreal (31-19-8) 4-0 at TD Garden as they go into their NHL-designated bye week with a three-game win streak (tying a season-high) and a whole new outlook on life. Perhaps the best part was after the beating when Canadiens goaltender Carey Price admitted that "we seem to have lost our identity." That is one beautiful quote from the best player of the team that I hate more than any other in pro sports.

It's hard to fathom how the same group of underachieving guys can suddenly turn into a quality team: knocking off the Sharks, Canucks and the Canadiens in the span of four nights. Boston improved to a season-best two games over .500 at the Garden (15-13-0) and they also ended with a split of the four-game season series with Montreal. Tuukka Rask (25 saves, 6th shutout of the season) actually notched his first ever win vs. the Canadiens in Boston (he had been 0-9-3 before that). The heated rivals are going in opposite directions as the Canadiens fell to 3-6-1 in their last 10 games while the Bruins improved to 6-4-0 in their last 10.

Obviously it's way too early to explain why Cassidy's team is superior to Julien's but there are a few interesting trends to point out: the power play which was good under Claude has stayed red-hot with goals in each of their last eight games (11 for 30, 36.7%) while Boston's defensemen have been frequently activated and in turn, contributing way more offensively (adding 2 more goals tonight including Zdeno Chara's 1st shorthanded goal since 2011). From the start, this felt like an old Bruins-Canadiens game when the rivalry was entertaining and unpredictable. Torey Krug and Andrew Shaw fought 58 seconds into the proceedings, settling a longstanding beef from the last matchup.

Adam McQuaid started the scoring with what quite possibly was the prettiest goal of his NHL career (in his 400th game). His one-timer (2nd goal of the season) was assisted by rookie Peter Cehlarik (1st NHL point) and Torey Krug at 8:57 of the first period on what looked like a set play of sorts off of a faceoff win by the B's in Montreal's defensive zone. Boston's penalty kill unit (6 for 6) was great all night, especially late in the first when they had to negate a two-man advantage for 1:37. The Bruins' special teams were the story in the second period as well with Zdeno Chara of all people dangling around Alexander Radulov for a shocking shorthanded goal at 5:08 (his 5th of the season was assisted by Ryan Spooner and Brad Marchand) and then David Krejci finished a beautiful sequence of touch passing on the power play with David Backes and Cehlarik registering helpers on his 14th goal of the season at 15:05.

Both teams had played yesterday (Boston is now 2-6-2 in Game 2s of back-to-backs while Montreal is 6-4-2) but it was still a bit surprising that Price didn't get pulled either after the second period with his team lifeless and trailing 3-0 or when Frank Vatrano put in a lucky bounce off the boards (after Krejci's one-timer from David Pastrnak missed the net) for his eighth goal of the season at 5:00 of the third period. This being the Habs, they were up to their usual low rent tricks as Nathan Beaulieu gave Chara a Milan Lucic memorial nut tap late in the second and Alex Galchenyuk hit Kevan Miller with a high-stick right in the face (which drew blood for a double-minor) late in the third. Miller fought Mike McCarron in garbage time with the funniest part being that McCarron was sent straight back to the AHL after the game. Happy trails, you bum!

The Bruins are tied with the Canadiens and Jets for the most games played so far this season so I'm sure that they are happy to get a rest. They are off through Friday and they will practice on Saturday in San Jose before facing the Sharks (34-18-5) on Sunday night (8:30, NBC Sports). That tilt kicks off a four-game road trip in California (Anaheim and Los Angeles) before they end in Dallas (22-25-10) two weeks from now on February 26 (12:30, NESN). Boston's next home game isn't until February 28 (7, NESN) vs. Arizona (18-28-7) so let's hope that they are still the quality road team (14-10-6) from earlier this season under Julien.

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Bruins Fall 4-2 to the Canadiens in their First Meeting of the Season

We are nowhere close to being sure if the Canadiens (4-0-1) are a quality team in 2016-17 but this much is true: they are better than the assorted slop that the Bruins (3-2-0) faced in their first four games of this campaign (Columbus, Toronto, Winnipeg and New Jersey). Many of the names and faces have changed but in this opening installment of Bruins-Canadiens, Boston was no match for Montreal as they lost 4-2 at TD Garden. Tuukka Rask (general soreness) was surprisingly out for the B's but backup goaltender Anton Khudobin (25 saves) did the best he could on short notice, frankly his teammates let him down for the most part. Oh and Montreal improved to 7-0-2 in their last nine regular season games in Boston, yeesh!

Carey Price (19 saves) didn't need to be anywhere near his best since Boston only managed 21 shots on goal in the entire contest. After a scoreless first period, Montreal potted a pair of goals midway through the second. Brad Marchand's brother from another mother Brendan Gallagher made it 1-0 Canadiens at 11:41. He was left wide open above a face-off circle to fire an easy one-timer from Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk for his third goal of the season. Something named Phillip Danault doubled Montreal's lead at 17:44 when he finished a 2-on-1 from Alexander Radulov for his first goal of the season. Greg Pateryn notched the second helper on the goal that came courtesy of the Bruins getting caught up ice.

The Bruins trailed 2-0 going into the third but thankfully, they woke up a bit thanks to another goal from their fourth line that has already shown some nice chemistry early on. Harvard's Dominic Moore got the goal, assisted by my PC guys Tim Schaller and Noel Acciari. Moore's second tally of the season came at 5:34 to cut it to 2-1 Canadiens. Montreal didn't give Boston much of a sniff at a comeback attempt though as "Lord" Paul Byron broke free for a shorthanded breakaway and goal less than two minutes later at 7:32. Shea Weber (who you might have heard was traded straight up for P.K. Subban over the summer with Nashville) banked the pass to him off the boards that eluded Torey Krug pinching in at Montreal's offensive zone. Andrei Markov had the second assist on Byron's first goal of the season.

Boston's scuffling power play (2 for 20) finally came through 37 seconds after Byron's backbreaking goal as Ryan Spooner (who for some reason was a healthy scratch on Thursday vs. the Devils) hammered in a one-timer from David Backes' sweet cross-crease sauce. David Krejci had the other assist on Spooner's first goal of the season. The B's put some pressure on the Habs for a few minutes when it was a one-goal game but yet again, their suspect defense fell apart when UVM's Torrey Mitchell stole the puck from Joe Morrow and put it past Khudobin with a beautiful diving shot (while he got a high stick in the face by Morrow for his troubles).

This inaugural three-game homestand ends on Tuesday night (7, NESN) as the Bruins host the Wild (3-1-1). Minnesota is at the Islanders (2-3-0) tomorrow night but at the moment, they are in first-place in the Central Division. Unless it's something really serious, you'd have to think that Rask will be back for that one. Following that matchup, Boston heads out on a four-game road trip (Rangers, Red Wings, Panthers and Lightning) that promises to be much more difficult than their first trip. Plus those are all Eastern Conference foes that they'll be seeing plenty of from now until April and hopefully beyond.

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The Bruins Are Off to Their Worst Start Since 2005-06, So There Is That

Another game and another humbling defeat by the Bruins. All we can hope is that this isn't an omen for how things are going to go for the bulk of the 2015-16 season. Montreal (2-0) came to TD Garden on Saturday night and topped the B's (0-2) 4-2 in a contest that truthfully wasn't that close since Boston scored with 31 seconds left to make the final score appear a little less grotesque. Boston has started 0-2 just 13 times in their 91 years of existence, most recently in 2005-06. 0-3 is certainly a distinct possibility since the defending Eastern Conference champs-the Lightning (2-0)-pay them a visit on Monday afternoon (1, NESN).

First things first, the best rivalry in hockey has become very one-sided over the last few years. Montreal has won seven games in a row in Boston (dating back to Jan. 12, 2012) and six overall in the series that has seen the most meetings (730) of any NHL matchup. Tonight was more of the same as the Canadiens used their spectacular team speed and skill to draw six power-plays. They only cashed in on one of them (the first) but for whatever reason, the B's under head coach Claude Julien never seem to have an answer for this style for the most part. Boston's plodding and lack of creativity never looks as bad as it does when they face the Habs, every time it sticks out like a sore thumb.

It didn't take long for Montreal to jump ahead as they drew a bogus illegal check to the head penalty on Matt Beleskey at 1:14 then 11 seconds later, David Desharnais had an easy tap-in from Andrei Markov and Alex Galchenyuk. Boston should have had at least a goal or two later in the first as Torey Krug hit the post, Carey Price (20 saves) robbed David Pastrnak not once but twice on the doorstep and Brad Marchand hit the crossbar.

Lars Eller scored a pair of goals early in the second period, sandwiched around what should have been a goal by Joe Morrow that cut it to 2-1. Instead, the Canadiens basically clinched it by going up 3-0. With Boston's lack of goal-scoring against Price-the Vezina Trophy winner-that is an insurmountable lead in most instances. Morrow's goal was off a rebound but it was ruled no goal since Patrice Bergeron slightly bumped Price (because he was pushed by a Canadien). Julien used the new coach's challenge but still lost (thereby forgoing the timeout) even though it appeared to be an easy correction.

A bounce finally went the Bruins' way as Matt Beleskey's centering pass went off a Montreal skate past Price at 14:26 of the second to make it 3-1. The first goal of his Boston career was assisted by David Krejci and Pastrnak. Mild-mannered Ryan Spooner received a boarding and game misconduct penalty for a hit from behind at 3:30 of the third. Boston was able to kill a two-man advantage for Montreal that lasted 1:05. Dale Weiss hit the post but more importantly to Boston's season, Marchand jumped into his elbow (this is how it happened) and ended up very woozy (he went right to the dressing room and never returned). Tomas Plekanec scored an empty-net goal for his 500th career NHL point and Bergeron scored a power play goal in garbage time after Torrey Mitchell got a match penalty.

Julien made two lineup changes coming into this contest with Max Talbot and Colin Miller (playing in his first NHL game) taking the place of Joonas Kemppainen and Zach Trotman. Talbot's only stat was one hit in 12:18 of ice time so it's hard to quantify any contributions he might have made. Miller had a shot on goal and blocked a shot in 16:13. Claude was happy with his performance so I see no reason why he would be switched out on Monday, why not take Matt Irwin (-2) out and replace him with Trotman? I know that messes up the whole left shot/right shot thing but at this point, do the B's really have to worry about secondary stuff like that? How about the best players play while the scrubs take a seat or better yet, go to Providence or get waived.

Call me crazy but at some point, things will click for the Bruins this season and they will look like the playoff contender that most thought they could be, right? We knew it would be bumpy with Zdeno Chara (still no need to rush him back) and Dennis Seidenberg but these first two games have been downright ugly. Julien is probably coaching for his job and you'd like to see him get a fair shake with a legitimate defensive corps, not this slop. Nobody looks good when your team has this many holes already, Tuukka Rask (34 saves) says hello. One of their major downfalls last season, Boston lacked a real identity and they sure don't have a positive one so far this young season.

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The Bruins Better Hope That They Don't See the Canadiens In the Playoffs This Season

There will always be teams and players that you struggle against consistently but the way that the Canadiens have owned the Bruins this season is some next level stuff. Montreal (34-14-3) swept Boston (28-18-7) in the four-game season series capped off by an easy 3-1 win tonight at TD Garden vs. the Bruins. It seems like no matter what the B's throw at the Canadiens, they always have the answer. Conversely, no team shatters Boston's confidence faster than Montreal, it's like clockwork every time that they play.

It has gotten so one-sided that some Bruins fans actually wanted them to start rookie goaltender Malcolm Subban (in his NHL debut) vs. his brother P.K. Yeah, because that makes sense. As usual vs. Montreal, Tuukka Rask (31 saves) wasn't the main issue. Still, there is no hiding from the depressing reality that he fell to 3-13-3 against them all-time.

After a scoreless first period, where Boston killed two penalties, the Canadiens struck first 38 seconds into the second. Dale Weise was stationed on the right post for a laser pass by Max Pacioretty. All Milan Lucic's buddy had to do was stuff it in for his ninth goal of the season, David Desharnais had the second assist.

Carey Price (34 saves) is having a spectacular year, he has to be the front-runner for the Vezina trophy since Pekka Rinne has missed so much time. You can't say the Bruins really challenged him though despite the gaudy save total. Similar to their first goal, Montreal once again found Boston to be flat-footed to open a period and like only they can, made them pay for it immediately. Two Boston defensemen collided in the offensive zone leaving Pacioretty to leak out for a breakaway. He shot the puck by Rask 56 seconds in for his team-leading 24th goal of the season and wouldn't you know that Weise had the lone assist.

The only instance of the Bruins showing any pride at all is when rookie David Pastrnak got just enough of the puck for it to go in at 15:29 of the third. The mad scramble in front of Price was reviewed and correctly called Pastrnak's fifth goal of the season. Lucic and Dougie Hamilton had the assists on the rookie's first tally since January 13.

That brief excitement finally generated for the B's lasted exactly four minutes as that's how long it took Montreal to clinch the two points with an empty-netter by Andrei Markov. His seventh goal of the season was unassisted. It's bad enough that Boston has drawn the fewest penalties in the NHL (122) but the next closest team isn't in the same area code (New Jersey, 147). That inability to get the man advantage always hurts the most when they play the Canadiens who want nothing more than to make it a special teams game (where they excel vs. big, dumb, slow Boston).

Boston hosts Dallas on Tuesday (7, NESN), their final home game before a five-game road trip to the West Coast/Canada. The Stars are not particularly good and the Bruins already beat them in Dallas (24-21-8) so might as well do it again.

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No Other Way To Say It: The Canadiens Currently Own the Bruins & Rask

This is really far away but at this rate, the Bruins have to hope that they don't see the Canadiens again in the playoffs this spring because I think we all now how that will turn out, again. Montreal (16-5-1) is currently the best team in the Eastern Conference and they also have the most points in the NHL so you could make a logical argument that they are the top team period. The Canadiens improved to 3-0 vs. the Bruins this season with a nip and tuck 2-0 shutout by Carey Price (33 saves) tonight at TD Garden that clinched the season series. Their only other meeting is February 8 back in Boston.

Montreal snapped a six-game home win streak for Boston and they've outscored the Bruins by an aggregate score of 13-5 this season. This was one of those wins that felt way more dominant than the final score and shots on goal total (33-23 in favor of the B's) would indicate. The Bruins could have played for 180 minutes against Price without scoring a single goal, it was that pathetic. Of course, David Krejci, Brad Marchand and Zdeno Chara being out doesn't help but injuries happen so there is no point dwelling on them for too long.

The scary thing is that Tuukka Rask (21 saves) played about as well as he ever does against Montreal but he still fell short. In his career, he fell to 3-12-3 vs. the Canadiens which is baffling. This loss clearly wasn't his fault since the Bruins should be able to muster a couple goals at home, even in a back-to-back.

Montreal came in with the No. 27 power play in the league which is shocking, especially after Andrei Markov's seeing-eye shot from the point went through countless bodies in front and by Rask at 11:37 of the first period. It was the seventh time in the last nine games that Boston had allowed the first goal, not a trend that you want to see continue. Brendan Gallagher and Tomas Plekanec had the assists on Markov's second goal of the season.

The Canadiens doubled their lead midway through the second period at 8:59 when Plekanec was on the doorstep to sweep in a rebound. Gallagher and Alex Galchenyuk had the assists. Boston tried to get some energy by fighting (Gregory Campbell vs. Dale Weise in the first period and Torey Krug vs. Galchenyuk in the third), something that even they rarely do anymore but that did nothing to noticeably spark them.

Chris Kelly was a late scratch for the B's as well with an injury picked up last night in Columbus which meant that Matthew Lindblad was forced to make his NHL debut. Boston wants to get all these young guys experience in the NHL but not at the same time while they're trying to stay afloat.

The Bruins have one final game before their Thanksgiving break: they host Pittsburgh (13-4-2) on Monday (7, NESN). The Penguins are off to their usual superb start but unlike the Habs, Boston typically has their number. We'll see if that holds true this time with so many important players out for Boston. That will be the first time that they meet this season.

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Well It Doesn't Get Much More Bitter Than That: Losing Game 7 at the Garden to the Canadiens

Ugh, that's about all I can say. The Bruins were on the short list of true Cup contenders in the NHL this season but that matters little now since they were unceremoniously bounced 3-1 by the Canadiens in Game 7 at TD Garden this evening. Montreal advances to the Eastern Conference Finals vs. Rangers while Boston is left to wonder what happened after they blew a 3-2 series lead. It's going to be a long summer in the Hub for a team that rightfully had very high expectations for itself and not getting out of the second round hardly cuts it.

As they have all series long, Boston was forced to chase Montreal as they fell behind by two goals for the fifth time (not a winning strategy by any means). Dale Weise scored at 2:18 on an easy tap-in from Daniel Briere and the game might as well have been stopped there since the team that scored first had won every game. Boston couldn't really get out of their own way in the first as even captain Zdeno Chara wasn't himself getting called not once but twice for holding.

The Canadiens proved to be the far more dangerous and deeper team as the series progressed. Max Pacioretty who got untracked with his breakaway goal in Game 6, scored a similarly huge goal in the second period at 10:22-a one-timer from David Desharnais after multiple Bruins including Mr. Selke Patrice Bergeron failed to clear the puck.

Boston finally got on the board at 17:59 as Jarome Iginla tipped in Torey Krug's shot from the point, a power play goal and his fifth overall in the postseason. That's all that Carey Price (29 saves) would allow though and once more, he was better than Tuukka Rask (15 saves). Of course, Rask and the B's also had what the British call "Buzzard's luck" as illustrated by the final Montreal goal-Briere's harmless pass deflected off Chara's skate into the net. It was a fitting end for a team that scored one goal in its final two games and basically forgot how to score. Iginla hit the post with a backhander earlier in the third.

This truly sucks, hockey season is abruptly over and now all we have for months upon months is tedious regular season baseball. Sorry Revs and Cannons, I kind of pay attention to you but nobody else does. The part that really hurts is having to admit that grimy Montreal actually deserved this since they carried play for most of the series. Our worst fears came to life as Boston consistently loses their focus against cheap but effective Montreal. It also helps that the Canadiens have a bevy of guys that can shoot the puck in the ocean which the Bruins sadly do not.

In closing, go Rangers/Blackhawks and Ducks/Kings. I don't think that we can stand much more success for joke city Montreal.

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Why Did the Bruins Even Bother Showing Up for Game 6 in Montreal?

What's that, you thought that the Bruins would make life easier for themselves and eliminate the Canadiens in six games? Oh, well you must be new around here. One of the things you can count on in the last decade is for Boston-Montreal series to go the distance no matter what. After the Canadiens rolled 4-0 over the Bruins tonight in a Game 6 win at Bell Centre that felt more like 10-0, the teams will play a deciding Game 7 on Wednesday (7, NBCSN) at TD Garden. It's the fourth time since 2004 that they've gone seven games against each other.

This never seemed in doubt either as Montreal scored 2:11 into regulation (Lars Eller after a brutal turnover by Kevan Miller in his own end) then added a Max Pacioretty breakaway goal in the second period at 15:24 followed shortly after by Thomas Vanek's power play goal at 17:39. Boston was back to its pop gun ways: Loui Eriksson hit another crossbar, Milan Lucic missed a stunningly easy shot with Carey Price (26 saves; 4th career postseason shutout) out of position and there was even a shot that bounced off Carey and behind him but spun back away from the goal line so it wasn't a goal. I've never seen something like that happen before in my life.

As always with losses by Boston teams, fans were quick to blame someone rather than crediting an opposing team that simply kicked their ass all night. Tuukka Rask (24 saves) actually kept the B's in it for a while including an incredible save with his stick laid on the ice. It's tough to bash him for Eller's goal since it happened in a split second right in front of him. For Pacioretty's, Rask seemed to get caught trying to decide between coming out more to poke it or not with Zdeno Chara skating with Pacioretty. Unfortunately, the B's captain lost the race which was a fitting metaphor for their poopy Game 6 performance.

Vanek's second goal was a de facto empty netter since Rask was still coming off for an extra attacker when the puck went in. After putting together their best win of the series and maybe postseasonin Game 5, it was surprising that the B's laid suck a huge egg in their worst game of the postseason. With any luck, they've already forgotten about this debacle as they try to focus on Game 7. The Bruins earned the President's Trophy which means that the most important game of their season comes on their home ice. Boston has to be happy just to be out of Montreal where they went 1-2 and were outscored 8-3 in this series.

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Matt Fraser Likely Saved the Bruins' Season, Wait What?

Playoff hockey definitely takes years off your life when your favorite team is competing in the NHL postseason but we wouldn't have it any other way, right? In Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals tonight at Bell Centre, Boston outlasted Montreal 1-0 in overtime on Matt Fraser's game-winner at 1:19. Yes, you read that correctly: a 23-year-old rookie that was recalled earlier in the day was the main reason that Boston tied the series at two heading back to Boston for Game 5 on Saturday (7, NBCSN).

There really is no way to properly equate how unlikely Fraser was to be the hero but that's one of the million reasons that makes the NHL playoffs superior to any of the other American pro sports-the sheer unpredictability. Johnny Boychuk's shot from the point went wide of Carey Price (34 saves) and bounced up in front of the cage. Carl Soderberg had the first whack at it then Fraser wheeled around the net to poke it in for his first career postseason goal in his first career NHL playoff game. Not a bad night for the other guy from the Tyler Seguin trade (along with Loui Eriksson and Reilly Smith).

Tuukka Rask's (33 saves) fifth career postseason shutout wasn't as memorable (at least on his end) as you might expect but he did make a huge save on Brian Gionta's breakaway in the second period. This would have been a horrible loss for the B's, not just because they have never rallied from a 3-1 series deficit in franchise history, but they outplayed the Canadiens for long stretches of this game. Often times, they would dominate possession in Montreal's end but had nothing to show for it. Boston hit the post three more times by Jarome Iginla, Soderberg and Smith. I think that makes nine posts or pipes in the series for them, yikes.

Boston improved to 3-1 on the road this postseason while handing Montreal its first loss (3-1) at the Bell Centre. Game 5 is everything since the teams have alternated wins and losses through the first four games. It would help if the B's scored a power play goal. Again, there were very few penalties (3) but Boston went 0 for 2 on the power play making them 0 for 8 in the series. Technically speaking the team that has scored first is also 4-0.

Fraser and Matt Bartkowski were the two changes to Boston's lineup so expect those to stay the same in Game 5, no need to change the mojo now.

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Canadiens Take Game 3, 4-2, For A 2-1 Series Lead Over the Bruins

Around New England if you're a Boston sports fan (and who isn't?), the next couple days are not going to be fun: everyone will be freaking out and there's nothing we can do about it. The Bruins fell 4-2 to the Canadiens tonight at the Bell Centre in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Montreal takes a 2-1 series lead with Game 4 on Thursday (7:30, NBCSN).

Shockingly, for the third straight game the B's fell behind by a pair of goals. They upped the torturous ante more as they went down 3-0 before finally waking up late in the second period. Boston expended plenty of energy to get back in it and they did cut it to 3-2 with a few minutes left but the Canadiens held on and added an empty netter by Lars Eller. Montreal had blown two-goal leads in three consecutive games but you will basically never see a three-goal rally especially in this setting.

Tuukka Rask (22 saves) has allowed three goals or more in every contest this series but you'd be hard-pressed to blame any of these on him, particularly the last two. The Canadiens went up 1-0 at 10:57 on Tomas Plekanec's pretty goal, assisted by Thomas Vanek and P.K. Subban. Boston actually received the first power play (which I didn't think was allowed at the Bell Centre) but six seconds after it was fruitlessly over, Subban came out of the box and beat Rask on a breakaway from Lars Eller and Dale Weise at 14:44.

Believe it or not, Boston played pretty well before that but they were understandably stunned by those and even more so when Weise (a complete bum) was sent in on yet another breakaway and he found a way to score at 13:52. At that point, many teams (cough, Lightning) would have been run out of the Bell Centre but the B's showed their usual dose of heart and spirit as Patrice Bergeorn tipped in Torey Krug's shot at 17:48. Bergeron's third goal of the postseason was assisted by Krug and Brad Marchand.

The Bruins carried the momentum but couldn't make it more interesting until it was too late. Where was that playoff urgency in the first period? The Canadiens for all their faults, are not the Red Wings. Nope, this team kept fightning and Jarome Iginla tipped in Andrej Meszaros' shot from the point at 17:44 of the third period. Milan Lucic had the other assist.

Boston generated some decent pressure with Rask pulled but Carey Price (26 saves) and Montreal's shaky defensemen held firm. Eller punctuated the win with his empty netter. I still believe in the B's since they have yet to show anything close to their best performance vs. the Habs. Given the fact that Game 4 is basically a pseudo must-win for the Black and Gold and I think we'll see them bounce back. Nobody said this series would be easy, we have to stay positive.

UPDATE 5/8: In an interesting roster move, the Bruins recalled forward Matt Fraser from Providence and sent Justin Florek back to the Baby B's. This makes it seem like Fraser could be appearing in Game 4, stay tuned.

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Bruins Sure Like Their Improbable Rallies In 3rd Periods of Playoff Games

Should the Bruins just start Game 3 down 2-0 and skip the first two periods of play? That seems to be when Boston excels the most vs. Montreal as they rallied for the second time in two games when they were faced with a two-goal deficit in the third. Instead of 2-0, it was 3-1 on Saturday afternoon at TD Garden in Game 2. However, this time the B's got the job done completely and it didn't even take overtime as they won 5-3 thanks to four goals in the third period (1st time in 3 years they had done that in the playoffs). Now the series is tied 1-1 heading to Montreal for Game 3 on Tuesday (7, NBCSN) and Game 4 on Thursday (7:30, NBCSN).

For whatever reason, Canadiens goaltender Carey Price (30 saves) looks unbeatable for the first two periods before he becomes a puddle in the third (Boston has outscored Montreal 7-2 in the third). A change in Game 2 was that Boston managed to score the opening goal as Daniel Paille made it 1-0 at 13:02 of the first period. Carl Soderberg and Andrej Meszaros assisted on his first goal of the postseason (in only his second game).

There were way too many penalties on both sides in the first two periods and that clearly favors Montreal who is 4 for 9 on the power play through two games while Boston is 0 for 4. Something named Mike "Dream" Weaver tied it with a screened shot at 1:09. Thomas Vanek came out of the dog house to score not one but two power play goals for the Habs that were eerily similar. He tipped in P.K. Subban's shot at 18:09 of the second then did the same thing at 6:30 of the third for a commanding 3-1 lead (or so we thought).

The Bruins came roaring back as Dougie Hamilton cut it to 3-2 at 10:56. That was his second goal of the postseason and the wicked wrister was assisted by Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. The Garden exploded less than three and a half minutes later as Patrice Bergeron's harmless flip on net deflected off Canadiens defenseman Francis Bouillon. Bergy's second goal of the playoffs was again assisted by Marchand who quietly has four assists vs. Montreal.

The Canadiens had already burned their timeout so they could do nothing as Reilly Smith scored what turned out to be the game-winner at 16:28. His third goal of the postseason and second of the series was assisted by Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara. Milan Lucic's empty-netter sealed a truly remarkable and also vital win.

We still haven't seen the best of Tuukka Rask (25 saves) in this series which means it should be coming in Montreal. Boston needs to win at least one of those games so they might as well start it off with Game 3 and put some pressure back on the Canadiens. We should all be thankful to have an extra day to get ready for Game 3 since you know there will be numerous calls and plays that will drive us bananas. Oh joy, looking forward to it!

UPDATE 5/4: I had honestly forgotten about him but defenseman Adam McQuaid is officially out for the rest of the season following ankle surgery.

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Montreal Takes Game 1, 4-3 in 2OT

It's only one game but you can feel that the next few weeks are going to be full of some intense NHL playoff games between the blood rival Bruins and Canadiens. Montreal won Game 1 tonight at TD Garden, 4-3 in 2OT on P.K. Subban's power play goal (his second of the game). There is something about Game 1s this postseason that apparently don't agree with Boston as they lost their second in a row. Unlike the one vs. Detroit where they were shut out 1-0, this time they rallied from down 2-0 with three goals in the third period but still came up short.

Boston had 51 shots on goal but Canadiens goaltender Carey Price (48 saves) played about as well as he could plus he was helped out by countless Bruins bungling fantastic chances to score. Montreal built the 2-0 advantage thanks to Subban's power play goal at 11:23 of the first period, a wrist shot through traffic that Tuukka Rask (29 saves) never seemed to pick up.

The Canadiens doubled their lead early in the second period as Rene Bourque beat Rask through his five-hole at 3:38. Boston finally woke up in the third period, in a big way. Reilly Smith cut it to 2-1 at 2:44, his screened shot from the sidewall was his second of the playoffs and it was assisted by Brad Marchand and Dougie Hamilton. Another Bruins youngster stepped up as Torey Krug tied it at two at 6:30 with one of his patented low missiles. His second goal of the postseason was assisted by Milan Lucic and Patrice Bergeron.

Credit to Montreal as all the momentum in the Garden was on Boston's side but still they scored a go-ahead goal at 12:09: Francis Bouillon (what other team would he be on with a name like that?) slammed one home from former BC star Brian Gionta and Bourque. The third period was basically bananas as the team's traded haymakers; Johnny Boychuk's was the last as he tied it at three at 18:02. His Johnny Rocket was his first goal of the postseason, assisted by Marchand and Loui Eriksson. That bomb from the point caught Price off guard (he barely moved) because he was screened beautifully in front of the net.

As always, this game serves as a reminder that anything can happen in overtime. The B's should have wrapped it up in the first overtime since they outshot the Canadiens 14-6. Two penalties ultimately crippled them though as Daniel Paille was called for tripping with 27 seconds left. Boston killed that off but shortly thereafter, Matt Bartkowski was nabbed for holding. Refs never want to make a call in overtime but these two were so obvious that they had to.

Montreal's power play looked like something to fear (2 for 3) and Boston's had an off night (0 for 2) with not enough chances if we're being honest. It's probably best for the Bruins that Game 2 is so close by on Saturday (12:30, NBC), therefore they don't have to let the pain of Game 1 fester for too long. It's not a must-win but they could really use a victory before they head to the Bell Centre where it is really hard for visiting teams to win.

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Bruins Drop Out of 1st Place in the Atlantic Division, Fall 2-1 at Canadiens

Normally I would rip the Canadiens and their lame fans to shreds but I lack the venom tonight after watching the Bruins lose 2-1 at the Bell Centre and defenseman Johnny Boychuk get wheeled off on a stretcher with some sort of serious injury (back?) early in the first period. The good news about that is he flew back with the team so their doctors can check him out.

Montreal earned the win and they are now in first place in the Atlantic Division. Granted, the Habs have played two more games than the Bruins but only have one additional point to show for it. Oh well, let's not get the facts caught up in a Stanley Cup parade scheduled for Montreal in December. What's that, they play three more times this season?

The weird part is that Boston dominated in the first period (outshooting Montreal 10-3) and the third period (16-6) but only had one goal to show for it. Conversely, the Canadiens basically saved up all their limited energy for the second period (outshooting Boston 18-7) and it paid off. The Canadiens (18-9-3) scored both of their goals in the frame as they won their second game in two nights to improve to 8-0-1 in their last nine games.

The Bruins (18-8-2) hadn't played in a game since Saturday night which is an eternity in the NHL. Gregory Campbell opened the scoring at 17:35 of the first period thanks to a 2-on-1 with Milan Lucic. His second goal of the season was assisted by Lucic and Dennis Seidenberg (specifically his skate which he used to kick the puck to Looch).

Tomas Plekanec beat Tuukka Rask (25 saves) with a sharp angle shot at 9:16 of the second period. You don't see Rask give up many goals like that but credit to Plekanec who picked a corner, top shelf. He gets paid too you know. Josh Gorges and former BC Eagle star Brian Gionta had the assists. Shawn Thornton and former Ranger Brandon Prust dropped the gloves when it was 1-1 but the fight wasn't anything to write home about.

Just like there always seems to be drama when the B's visit Montreal, Max Pacioretty morphs into a Hall of Famer when he plays Boston. This evening that meant scoring the game-winner at 17:42 of the second period on a backhander through traffic. Raphael Diaz and Brendan Gallagher had the assists.

Sadly, we'll probably have to root for Pacioretty on Team USA at the Olympics which is no fun. Conversely, it should be fantastic to hate on Carey Price (32 saves) who is making a push to be Team Canada's starting goaltender.

Boston gets a breather on Friday but things don't get any easier as they host the Eastern Conference's top team-Pittsburgh (20-9-1, 1st in Metropolitan Division)-on Saturday night (7, NESN) then travel North of the border (again) to Toronto (7, NESN) on Sunday night. The B's and Penguins split their first two matchups this season with each winning on home ice, Boston most recently won 4-3 in OT on Nov. 25 when Torey Krug ended it with his first career overtime tally.

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Whelp, There Goes That Northeast Division Banner In 2013

As much as it makes me want to light my hair on fire and stab my eye balls with a butter knife, I can admit that so far this season the Montreal Canadiens have been better than my Boston Bruins. What other rational conclusion can you reach after the Habs beat the B's 2-1 tonight at the Bell Centre to wrap up a 3-1 season series?

The win put Montreal (25-8-5) three points up on Boston (24-9-4) in the Northeast Division, the Bruins only hope is that they still have a game in hand over the Canadiens but then again they don't play head-to-head again in the regular season so they'll be swimming upstream for sure.

Goal-scoring has been a major issue for the Bruins the last three weeks (5-5-1): other than the 6-5 shootout loss to Montreal on March 27 which was an outlier, the B's have scored three goals or less in 10 of their last 11 games. That breaks down to five games of one goal, four games of two goals & one game of three goals. This makes the margin for error when it comes to their goaltenders and defense extremely thin.

That previous paragraph is why it was so inexplicable that B's head coach Claude Julien decided to put Jaromir Jagr on the third line tonight with Gregory Campbell and Daniel Paille. I'm not kidding, this really happened.

Carey Price (26 saves; 19-7-4) and Tuukka Rask (27 saves; 16-6-4) basically played to a stalemate, the difference being that Montreal had more puck luck. How else do you explain Alex Galchenyuk's goal at 6:49 of the first period? Yes, Bruins rookie defenseman Matt Bartkowski coughed up a bad turnover in his own end but Galchenyuk's attempted pass ended up going off Bartkowski's skate and in. Brandon Prust and P.K. Subban were credited with the assists when that honor should have gone solely to Bartkowski.

God damn Michael Ryder continued to torment his former employers, this time he scored a power-play goal at 57 seconds of the second period. He tipped in Subban's shot from the point for his 16th goal of the season (he would be Boston's leading scorer by two goals). Tomas Plekanec had the second assist.

The only puck that would find its way past Price was a tip by Daniel Paille at 7:10 of the second period. His seventh of the season was courtesy of Johnny Boychuk's shot following a faceoff win. For those keeping track, he has two more goals than Milan Lucic. Haha maybe Paille should be skating on that killer first line.

Nothing better symbolized Boston's inept power-play and goal-scoring touch in general than the miserable final 56 seconds of the game. The Bruins had drawn their first power play of the game and pulled Rask to have a 6-on-4. They kept the puck in Montreal's end but like the drive to nowhere from the Patriots a few years back in their playoff loss to the Jets, this was the power play to nowhere. The B's didn't even get off a shot before time expired, it's like they forgot the situation entirely.

The only solace for Boston is that they return home to face free-falling Carolina (16-19-2, 3rd in Southeast Division) on Monday (7 p.m., NESN) at TD Garden. The Bruins have 11 games left in the regular season which lasts less than three more weeks. It's time to get their game in gear before the postseason begins.

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Beating The Canadiens Never Gets Old, Am I Right Bruins?

The only thing missing from tonight's 2-1 win by the Bruins (7-1-1) at Montreal's (6-3-0) Bell Centre was a dandy new soliloquy from NESN's Jack Edwards shitting on the Canadiens. The game was carried on NBC Sports Network as part of its "Rivalry Wednesday" series that they've started this season so we settled for a parting gift in the form or Doc Emerick and Pierre McGuire. Boston vaulted to the top of the Eastern Conference with the comeback win and put three points between themselves, Montreal and Ottawa in the penthouse of the Northeast Division.

Tuukka Rask (20 saves; 6-1-1) was exceptional, especially in the first period when his teammates were caught running around and the Canadiens outshot them 11-4. Public enemy No. 1 for B's fans-P.K. Subban-gave Montreal a 1-0 lead at 10:53 of the second period with a power play goal that deflected off Rich Peverley's stick. Andrei Markov and Tomas Plekanec had the assists as Rask couldn't find the puck in time through a sea of bodies.

No worries as Tyler Seguin broke his slump with the tying goal (2nd of the season) only 14 seconds into the third period. It was all thanks to David Krejci's centering pass and Seguin's net drive plus a well-timed backhander past Carey Price (21 saves). Krejci (3rd of the season) added the game-winner 1:51 later from new linemates Milan Lucic and Seguin. Similar to Seguin's goal (which was his second of the season, first non-empty netter), Krejci went to the net and good things happened: Looch found him and Krejci stuffed it in.

Boston survived another pathetic performance by its power play (0 for 4), making them 3 for 34 (8.8%) this season which is second worst in the NHL (.2% better than the Rangers). Sooner or later, when they start to lose a few games in a short amount of time, that will be brought up ad nauseum and for good reason. Until then, let's enjoy this wonderful start as the B's look like a serious contender in the East.

UPDATE 2/7: Ryan Spooner was sent back to Providence which is a good sign that Brad Marchand, Daniel Paille or Shawn Thornton will be able to play this weekend: Boston hosts Tampa Bay on Saturday then travels to Buffalo on Sunday.

UPDATE 2/8: The Bruins-Lightning game tomorrow was pushed back to 7 p.m. from its original start time of 1 p.m.

UPDATE 2/9: Predictably, the B's-Lightning game has been postponed tonight since the roads are only being opened up again at 4 p.m. Not enough time for everyone to get there and too dangerous. Good call Bruins. That means their next game is tomorrow night in Buffalo (7 p.m., NESN).

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Bruins Pick Up Their Third Straight Win Against The Canadiens, 2-1 At TD Garden

How much of a mess are the Montreal Canadiens this season? Well they pulled a bush league move that I've never even heard of by trading forward Michael Cammalleri to the Calgary Flames for forward Rene Bourque, between periods of a game.

The best part is that Cammalleri likely got shipped out of town because he ripped the Canadiens organization the other day for their "losing mentality". Just great stuff.

This all happened tonight as the Habs (16-20-7) fell 2-1 to the Bruins (28-11-1) in a meeting that was a complete snoozer as far as this storied rivalry goes.

Boston recorded its third straight win against Montreal-after starting the season with two consecutive losses-thanks to a fluky goal from Jordan Caron, a nice backhander from Milan Lucic and 33 saves by Tim Thomas (18-7-0).

The fact that Vancouver was here last weekend and also that the Canadiens sit 18 points behind the Bruins in the Northeast Division took some juice away from this matchup.

Of course, P.K. Subban had to do something cowardly while he was at the Garden so he chose to give David Krejci a forearm shiver to his head. Andrew Ference jumped all over Subban but all the Canadiens defenseman could do was lay on the ice with his hands covering his head. Really.

Caron was a surprise addition to the lineup after getting called up from Providence yesterday. He took Zach Hamill's spot. 1:23 into the proceedings, Johnny Boychuk's dump in took a crazy bounce off the back boards leaving Montreal goaltender Carey Price (28 saves) totally out of position (somewhere Roberto Luongo lectures the media). Caron (2nd of the season) got an easy tap-in with Zdeno Chara picking up the second assist.

After a scoreless second period, Lucic (15th of the season) scored the game-winner at 3:43 of the third on a backhander. Nathan Horton set him up from behind the net and Krejci (points in 10 straight games) had the other assist.

Ference was tagged with two penalties so the Canadiens took advantage as Yannick Weber (4th of the season) ended Thomas's shutout bid at 12:46 with a screened blast from the point.

This concluded a four-game homestand for the Bruins, all against Canadian teams. They went 3-1 and now they head out to face the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night. Hopefully nothing too crazy happens because I'll be watching only be watching bits and pieces of it between commercials during the Patriots-Broncos game.

Boston has one final game in Montreal, on February 15, but after that they can bid adieu to an opponent that is going nowhere fast this season. I'd be shocked if the Canadiens made the playoffs. At least they have a bunch of other professional teams and sports to focus on up there, oh wait.

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Bruins Turn Up The Heat Late, Beat Canadiens 3-2

If it's possible, tonight's Bruins-Canadiens game didn't have the requisite hype, even though Milan Lucic was suspended for the contest and Montreal had fired head coach Jacques Martin over the weekend. I blame Tim Tebow fatigue.

Whatever the case, Boston (22-9-1) got the job done at TD Garden with a 3-2 win over Montreal (13-4-7). It was the fifth straight win for the B's who took a two-point lead over idle Philadelphia for first-place in the Eastern Conference (not that we're scoreboard watching quite yet).

The victory also evened up the season series at 2-2 with a game remaining in both January and February. After losing the first two, the Bruins have captured the last two against their biggest rival.

After a few sluggish minutes to start the action, the Bruins drew first blood thanks to a fantastic play by Rich Peverley.

After the Habs iced the puck, Pevs won the faceoff forward through former Bruin Petteri Nokelainen's legs before finding Benoit Pouliot (6th of the season) in the crease. The former Hab beat Carey Price (28 saves) stick side on a shot that the Garth Brooks mask wearing goalie had no chance on at 12:13.

After a furious Bruins shift, the Habs evened the game at one as Bruin killer Michael Cammalleri found thomas Tomas Plekanic (7th of the season) down low, who buried the beautiful feed at 13:26. Travis Moen clearly hooked Patrice Bergeron in the Bruins zone to set up the odd man rush but it was to no avail.

The second period was a pretty tame one but the Bruins were able to retake the lead when David Krejci took (kicked) a pass from Andrew Ference past Price, his sixth of the year at 2:42. It was reviewed by the officials and upheld but it seemed like he kicked it in. Oh well, too close to call I guess.

One of the prettiest plays of the year was a product of the Bergeron line with 5:46 left in the third. Bergeron forced a turnover and expertly kept the puck in the Bruins' zone before finding Tyler Seguin. Seguin held the puck just long enough, pulling the defense out of position just enough to find Brad Marchand (12th of the season), who lifted a backhand past Price to extend the lead to 3-1.

Eric Cole (13th of the season) trimmed the lead to one with 1:14 left when his backhander beat Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas (33 saves; 16-5-0). Montreal kept the pressure up with some tying bids but Thomas was able to stop all of them and Boston hung on for two points.

The Bruins host the Panthers on Friday, the rare Friday night game, in their last game before Christmas. Florida is still playing very well and they proved they were legit on December 8 when they blanked the B's 2-0 at the Garden.

***Game Notes***

* If I had a nickel for every time Jack Edwards said that Bergeron is the best defensive forward in hockey, I would be able to afford one of the Fenway Park 100-Year commemorative books. That is IF I wanted one.

* In somewhat of a shocker, Claude Julien inserted Daniel Paille onto the first line alongside Krejci and Nathan Horton. He has used Peverley in that same spot in the past, so it was nice to see Paille get a reward for his hard work and solid play in the past few weeks since returning from his pair of injuries.

* Joe Corvo played in his 600th career game tonight. He had four shots on goal and was a plus one. And yes, the only reason I say that is because he is on one of my fantasy teams. So what?

* Gregory Campbell returned to the lineup today after missing a few games with a foot injury and played pretty well in his first game with Zach Hamill, who has been a pleasant surprise for the Bruins.

* Before the game, I was wondering whether or not Tomas Kaberle was going to elicit any sort of reaction from the Garden faithful. I didn't hear a peep on TV when he touched the puck, telling me that the Garden crowd is going to be indifferent towards him, much like that WWE wrestler who is neither a good or a bad guy, he's just there.

* Rob Gronkowski was interviewed by Dale Arnold during the second intermission, which was every bit as awkward as you would expect. NESN had the brilliant idea of replacing Gronk's name with Christmas movie titles. Genius stuff: The Polar Express became Gronk Express, Home Alone became Gronk Alone and Elf became simply Gronk. I wish I was kidding.

* I don't necessarily agree that the Lucic hit was dirty, but you have to admit that Brandon Shanahan has been very clear in the criteria for what it means to be a suspendable hit, something that Colin Campbell (Gregory's dad) always sucked at.

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Bruins Return To Where They Hit Rock Bottom & Show How Much They Have Changed

I will never say it is easy being a Boston sports fan. On nights such as this one, we have to come up with a gameplan so that we can fully enjoy a Bruins-Canadiens game and the Patriots on Monday Night Football.

By watching the first period of the Bruins and then catching up on DVR at halftime, during commercials and after MNF had ended, I was able to glean some of the essence of Boston's (12-7-0) 1-0 win at the Bell Centre over Montreal (9-9-3).

Sure I could complain about not being able to fully appreciate another classic performance by B's goaltender Tim Thomas (9-4-0, 33 saves) who posted his second straight shutout, but when your favorite team has won nine in a row, does all that noise really matter?

This victory was particularly significant, winning streak aside, because the Bell Centre is where the B's truly hit rock bottom: on October 29 to be exact. After losing that night, the second of a home and home with the Habs, the Bruins fell to 3-7-0. They turned the calendar to November and they have yet to lose since then.

Most impressively, after falling to last in the Eastern Conference and the Northeast Division, Boston pulled themselves to the top of their division tonight along with third in the Eastern Conference. Not bad work for 21 days (when the streak began).

By all accounts, Thomas stole this game as Montreal outshot Boston 33-18, including 15-5 in the third period. The Canadiens had a power-play to end it as Rich Peverley picked up a cross-checking penalty but they couldn't convert (0-for-4 on the night).

Montreal goaltender Carey Price (17 saves) wasn't tested nearly as much but he failed to stop the one shot that turned out to be the difference.

B's defenseman Andrew Ference (2nd of the season) was the unlikely offensive star as he scored the game-winner at 15:41 of the first period. Sadly, there were no unintentional birds to be had. Montreal was about to be called for a penalty when Peverley found Ference jumping up from the blueline. He roofed/sniped it over Price's shoulder. Chris Kelly had the second assist.

The Bruins will look to extend this win streak to double-digits on Wednesday as they also wrap up this three-game road trip in Buffalo. You remember what happened the last time these division rivals met?

That was when Milan Lucic knocked Ryan Miller over. I'd say expect retaliation on the Sabres' part but they didn't do anything that night to stand up to Looch so who knows? It's hard to predict what that fraud Lindy Ruff and his charges will do.

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