FINAL SCORE: Canadiens 3, Bruins 2
BRUINS RECORD: 26-15-5
FROM JOE HAGGERTY:
1. Kevan Miller and Nicolas Deslauriers dropped the gloves for an old-fashioned, knock-down drag-out kind of fight with both guys throwing a flurry of punches at each other at the end. It might have been a bit of payback for Miller after Deslauriers was the one that dragged him down and injured his shoulder when the two big boys fought in Buffalo a few years back. Either way, Miller got the better of the battle and ultimately dropped Deslauriers after a pretty spirited fight out of both combatants.
2. A lot of the talk during morning skate had been about Boston’s top line struggling a little bit offensively over the last few games. Well, they took care of that. After matching penalties, Patrice Bergeron hit Brad Marchand in stride at the Montreal blue line and the Bruins winger snapped one under the bar on Carey Price for Boston’s first goal of the game. Marchand had six shots on net and a goal through two periods of play, but was also on the ice for a goal against when he lost a defensive zone face-off on an eventual Brendan Gallagher tipped goal in front. Both goals given up by the B’s in the first two periods were in the final minutes of the period and really, effectively acted like a gut punch to the Black and Gold.
3. It was pretty great to see Jake DeBrusk and Max Domi mixing it up in a Bruins/Canadiens scrum toward the end of the second period. That was some serious NHL second generation action going on with both of their dads, Louie and Tie, registering as some seriously tough hombres at the NHL level. It’s reassuring to see their sons following in both of their father’s footsteps.
4. David Krejci picked up the big third-period goal with 37 seconds left on the clock to tie up the game and send it to overtime. It was a long point blast with the goalie pulled from the Boston net and both Patrice Bergeron and Jake DeBrusk screening in front of Carey Price. It also marks the third consecutive game that Krejci has scored a goal as he continues to dial up the offense and give the B’s some secondary scoring at a time when they could really use it. It wasn’t enough obviously as the Bruins eventually fell to the Habs in overtime, but there’s no denying Krejci’s hot scoring hand over the last few games.
Boston Bruins
5. It didn’t end up as the winning goal for Montreal as things went to overtime, but it was another back-breaking shorthanded goal given up by the Bruins. Paul Byron scored on a shorthanded breakaway right at the end of the second period, and it registers as the NHL-leading 10th shorthanded goal allowed by the B’s this season. Obviously there is some level of risk for the B’s employing four forwards and a D-man in their power play formation, and it’s brought them some very good PP success this season. But they’ve got to be better than allowing that many shorthanded goals in the kind of special teams weakness that will crush them in the postseason.
HIGHLIGHTS
GILMORE SUPPORTING THE B'S
UNBELIEVABLE D FROM BERGERON
MARCHAND'S SNIPE GETS B'S ON THE BOARD
MILLER VS DESLAURIERS
HABS TIE IT BACK UP
CHARA KEEPS IT TIED
MONTREAL TAKES LEAD WITH SHORTHANDED GOAL
KREJCI TIES IT LATE
HABS END IT IN OT