Rocket:

The Canadiens bent but didn’t break and they have a 2-0 lead in the series. The team can thank Carey Price tonight. He held the Bruins long enough for Alex Kovalev to get the winner in overtime.

Bruins needed to make a statement from the drop of the puck. Everyone on both sides of the ice knew what was coming. Carbonneau started the energy line centered by Smolinski. Boston was very aggressive in the first 10 minutes of the first period. Bruins were outshooting Montreal 10-4 at one point. Canadiens really could have used an additional physical defenseman.

Canadiens were fortunate to have a 1-0 lead at the end of the first period. Hamrlik made a big shot from the point but it is one that Tim Thomas should have saved. Good hit by Begin on Alberts to start the play. Bruins were deflated as they played well yet were still behind after the first period.

At the beginning of the second Kovalev made two laps of the Boston goal before making a perfect pass to Brisebois. Sergei K fought off a check to score his second goal of the playoffs on the rebound.

To their credit the Bruins pressed the Canadiens all through the third period. Boston outshot Montreal 11-4 and got two third period goals to tie the game. Boston’s tying goal came on a 5 on 3 power play with Kovalev in the box. Montreal had a chance to win the game when Brisebois’ shot hit the post with 0.1 seconds remaining in the game.

In overtime, Kovalev redeemed himself somewhat by scoring the game winner on the power play.

The aggressive Boston forecheck and defense that challenged Hab forwards at the blueline seemed effective. The Canadiens still out hit Boston 38-31 but it was much more even than in game #1. The Canadien forwards seemed much more tentative and on their heels at times. The most telling statistic of the game was giveaways: Canadiens had 28 while Boston committed just 11. Patrice Brisebois was the worst offender with 7 giveaways alone.

Roman Hamrlik had another strong game with a goal and 4 hits. Mike Komisarek had a better game leading the team with 5 blocked shots and 4 hits. Josh Gorges struggled at times. Gorges’ man Schaefer scored Boston’s first goal. Streit played better on the power play. When Shawn Thornton slashed Carey Price’s glove after a save, I wondered about Ryan O’Byrne’s reaction if he had been on the ice. Brisebois just looked at Thornton.

The Smolinski line played well again with Kostopoulos and Begin playing a physical role. The Higgins line had a strong game as well especially Sergei Kostitsyn. Alex Kovalev seemed to be playing on emotion which turned out to be a mixed blessing. Kovy scored the winner and showed a determined effort to set up the Canadiens second goal. But he also took a bad penalty to give the Bruins the 5 on 3 power play that tied the game. Also, during a Canadiens power play, Kovalev’s helmet was knocked off. He stopped, picked up his helmet and put it back on during live play. I have never seen that before.

The power play has been a disappointment so far in the series going 0 for 10 until Kovalev scored the winning goal via the PP. Penalty killing has been good but I would rather see more of Chris Higgins and Mathieu Dandenault who are much better at blocking shots than Steve Begin and Max Lapierre.

The star of the game was Carey Price. He was sensational all night. Montreal was under siege by Boston in the first and third period and it was Price that held them in the game. He was good on rebound control and his puckhandling helped to start rushes. A long pass that sprung Kovalev on a breakaway could have made the score 3-1. Price made 37 saves on the night.

Canadiens have a 2-0 lead in the series but the Bruins will take confidence from their performance. Not that he has a case but Claude Julien will use officiating as a motivator for his team to get ready for game #3. After the game Mark Savard said “everyone in this building knew that we deserved a better fate”. Montreal will have to come out with a better effort in Boston tomorrow night as the Bruins will be playing desperation hockey.

Pregame:

Dennis Wideman injured in game #1 on Dandenault hit. He will be replaced by Andrew Alberts. Phil Kessel is a healthy scratch. Vladimir Slobotka will play.

Elliotte Friedman on Tom Kostopoulos: Habs management noticed when he played with the Kings that he got better as the games got more important.

Dick Irvin Jr.: “My father used to say, give me some young legs and they will win me a lot of games.”

Nikki Yanofsky sang the anthem. A stirring performance by a young lady with an amazing voice. Not many can say that they made their Carnegie Hall debut on their 14th birthday but she can.

Rocket’s 3 stars:

1. Carey Price
2. Mark Savard
3. Alex Kovalev

(photo credit: Dave Sandford/Getty Images)