Here are five thoughts from the first period with the Bruins leading the downtrodden Montreal Canadiens by a 1-0 score after the first 20 minutes of play at TD Garden:
1) A Herculean effort from Tim Thomas in the first 20 minutes allowed the Bruins to maintain the slim lead over the Habs. Plenty of mistakes and sloppiness out of the starting gate for the Bs in this one. Best stop for Thomas: probably the bonehead turnover by Dennis Seidenberg to Andrei Kostitsyn that turned into an unobstructed shot from the high slot. Thomas turned it away and 15 others just like it.
2) Another really slow start for the Bruins after the players admitted they were sluggish in the first couple of periods against the Winnipeg Jets. This could be an issue tonight against a desperate Habs bunch if they cant snap out of it.
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3) Patrice Bergeron is 0-for-5 in the face-off dot after the first period. Perhaps hes a little down after missing out on the All-Star selection process today that he so richly deserved. Bergeron may still be a substitute once the injuries start piling up for the Eastern Conference hopefuls, but he was one of the top 25 players in the NHL over the first half.
4) Benoit Pouliot is still having trouble lassoing those emotions against his former team after taking a boarding penalty to wipe out a Bruins power play. Pouliot has an unorthodox, controlled aggression that makes him so effective, and it turns into something closer to blind rage against the Habs. Figured that would change with his nemesis Jacques Martin gone, but it hasnt yet.
5) Jordan Caron is the perfect example of a pay-off coming for those players showing persistence and being a good soldier when things dont go their way. Gets a great bounce off the glass from a Johnny Boychuk dump-in attempt and fires into the open net. Its like the Hockey gods wrote the script. Still wondering where Carey Price was going knowing the erratic bounces off the glass in this building.
Here are five thoughts from the second period with the Bruins still leading the Habs by a 1-0 score after the first 40 minutes of play:
1) A couple of missed chances for the Bruins in the second period to really extend that lead. The biggest lost opportunity was Patrice Bergeron lifting a shot just a little too high on a 2-on-1 with Tyler Seguin after a clever little breakout bank pass off the boards from Benoit Pouliot. Its just not Bergerons day today.
2) The BruinsCanadiens rivalry has definitely lost its luster this season. Its just not the same with the Vancouver Canucks now a part of the equation with the hate they bring. Montreals tough season also plays into it, of course.
3) Milan Lucic with a couple of good tipped attempts around the net, but couldnt pull the trigger in the first 40 minutes. That line has enjoyed some chances tonight, but hasnt been able to finish any of them off.
4) Adam McQuaid enjoying an excellent game tonight. Hes blocking shots and controlling the puck in his own end, and did a good job of jumping all over Alexei Emelin when the Habs troublemaker was going after Tyler Seguin following a whistle. Also dropped Lars Eller with a huge hit in front of the Montreal bench. Hes having a much stronger game than the box score might indicate.
5) Both teams did a really good job of clogging everything up on the ice in the second period after a pretty wide open first period. Montreal did a much better job of frustrating the Bruins offensively, and the Bs couldnt convert when they did get close to the net.
Here are five thoughts from the third period with the Bruins beating the Canadiens by a 2-1 score after 60 full minutes of play at TD Garden:
1) P.K. Subban hit on David Krejci looked clean on the first replay I saw, but multiple viewings showed some forearmelbow contact to Krejcis head. Andrew Ference did the right thing coming to the aid of his teammate, and then the refs did the wrong thing by encouraging Subban to do it again by handing Montreal a power play. Thats not the way the league should be going with these things.
2) Alexei Emelin is going to be a thorn in the side of the Bs for years to come. You heard it here first.
3) Never seen an athlete traded in the middle of a game, but that seems to be exactly whats happened with Mike Cammalleri getting yanked out of the locker room after the second period and sent back to the team hotel. Crazy.
4) Milan Lucic with the eventual game-winning goal and David Krejci with an assist for a point in his 10th straight game. Thats a career-high for Krejci and the longest streak in the NHL this season.
5) Impressive, gritty win by the Bruins without their best stuff tonight.