Rocket:
A huge disappointment! It didn’t have to turn out like this.
The Canadiens played a great first period and went to the intermission with a 1-0 lead having outshot the Bruins 12-7. Alex Kovalev scored with a determined effort after losing his helmet courtesy of Zdeno Chara. Carey Price was solid making a great save on a shot by Glenn Murray. At the end of the period Price made a poke check on David Krejci, but the puck bounced off of Krejci into the crease. Price made an incredible save by swinging his stick behind him and knocking it out of danger. The Canadiens skated well and played a quick counter game. Tim Thomas looked quite beatable again in the period but the Habs couldn’t take advantage. In addition to the efforts of Price & Kovalev, Higgins, Kostopoulos, Hamrlik, Begin, and Plekanec all played well in the first period.
The Canadiens lost the game in the second period. Reminiscent of the Ottawa game on March 24th, the Canadiens stopped skating. Rather than deploying a strong forecheck, they fell back into the trap and seemed to want to protect the lead. One wondered if such a complete reversal of the style of play in the first period had been directed by the coaching staff.
Patrice Brisebois has been horrendous in his own zone during this series and it continued in this game. Brisebois had a brain cramp forcing Roman Hamrlik to take a holding penalty on Glenn Murray. On the ensuing power play Phil Kessel got two chances using Mike Komisarek as a screen to tie the score at 1-1. The period ended with a Shane Hnidy interference penalty. Montreal maintained a 18-13 shot advantage after two.
Kovalev took a highsticking penalty to negate the Canadiens powerplay at the start of the third. The Habs power play would struggle all night long. Early in the period, Price made two good saves and then tried to drop the puck to a teammate for a quick transition. Maxim Lapierre fumbled the exchange and lost the puck to Petteri Nokelainen. Glenn Metropolit knocked it in the open side of the net to put the Bruins up 2-1.
The Bruins made the score 3-1 on the power play as a Chara point shot deflected into the net off Bryan Smolinski’s stick. The Canadiens failed to score on their own power play. At one point Andrei Markov was forced to signal Patrice Brisebois to rotate who seemed cemented in one spot on the point at the blueline. The Canadiens not only failed to score on their next power play opportunity but they gave up a shorthanded goal as Marco Sturm scored with a blistering shot to make it 4-1. Sobotka scored to make it 5-1 with just under three minutes to play. Even though it deflected off Andrei Markov’s stick, it was a save that Price would have made if the game was not already out of hand.
It is a mystery why the Canadiens stopped playing their game and went to a trap in the second period. That style of play gave the Bruins a chance. That coupled with a poor night by the Canadiens on special teams was the reason for the loss. The power play went 0 for 4 and gave up a short handed goal while the penalty killers allowed 2 goals on 5 Boston chances. Giveaways were again a problem with 15 committed by Montreal and only 6 by the Bruins. Guillaume Latendresse, the giddy barber, was a -3 on the night.
There is a phrase: “You’re not in trouble until you lose at home in the playoffs”. The Canadiens may not be in trouble but they have just made their task much more difficult by allowing the Bruins to extend the series and take it back to Boston for game #6 on Saturday night.
Pregame:
lineup changes: Montreal – Streit in, Ryder out Boston – Alberts in, Ward out; Kessel in, Reich out
Joe Kaiser does a good job on the anthems.
Rocket’s 3 stars:
1. David Krejci
2. Andrew Ference
3. Roman Hamrlik
(photo credit: AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ryan Remiorz)