On the day of the 112th running of the Boston Marathon, it was the Canadiens perseverance, in addition to their skill and speed that finished off the Bruins. Full marks to the Habs for a decisive 5-0 victory that propels them on to the second round of the playoffs with some momentum and confidence.

After the game, Alex Kovalev summed up the series succinctly: “He (Carey Price) is the reason we are where we are now.”

Indeed! Price was sensational and shut out the Bruins for the second time in the series. Price was especially good in the first period, when the Canadiens ran into penalty trouble. At one point in the period, Boston was outshooting Montreal 11 to 4. Price made 3 great saves on Phil Kessel alone. Then came a miraculous save by Price on Marc Savard. Price had more magic in the second again bettering Kessel, Savard and Krejci. In doing so, Price should silence some of the unmerited criticism of the past few days.

Quick hits:

A new line Koivu, Higgins and Kovalev started the game and were a threat whenever they were on the ice. It worked because the Plekanec line with the two Kostitsyns also played very well. With Canadiens having the last change, Chara was less effective. Did it really take until game #7 to figure this out?

Alex Kovalev was motivated. He looked great setting up the first goal twisting away from Chara twice before passing off to Komisarek. He had 2 assists in the game.

Chris Higgins had an excellent game. Higgins led the Habs with 5 shots and was good in the defensive zone also. He was terrific against Lucic on the PK.

Saku Koivu’s presence in the line-up adds so much. He is a leader on the ice and really stabilizes the second line. He got an assist on Streit’s goal.

Andrei Kostitsyn had two goals and an assist. Sergei had a goal and an assist and an unknown number of stitches. Sergei is really playing a gritty game. On the Canadiens 3rd goal, Sergei showed great patience and poise as he positioned himself on the side boards and then fed his brother with a perfect pass. Andrei showed his quick release with two Bruin defenders on him and scored a goal with a shot that Thomas never saw.

Tomas Plekanec also played well. When the Canadiens were under siege in the first period, Plekanec dominated at the faceoff dot to help reverse the tide.

Jean Chretien didn’t have the energy to spin his towel…quite lame!

The Canadiens outhit the Bruins 38-24 with a 19-7 advantage in the first period. Steve Begin had 5 hits in the first period alone.

Glenn Murray did not return to the game in the second period due to a torso injury.

Mark Streit got a goal tonight when he was sent in alone. He made a nice move and Thomas guessed wrong on the play. Streit looked a little better on the power play but is still struggling.

The defensive corp is still giving up far too many chances. Carey Price bailed them out tonight. Bouillon and Gorges had trouble getting hemmed on their zone on a few occasions. Patrice Brisebois was simply a spectator. He couldn’t handle the speed of Kessel, Savard and Sturm. The three Bruins vs. Brisebois resulted in at least 6 excellent scoring chances, all requiring great saves by Price.

Hamrlik and Komisarek each had an excellent game. Markov is still logging a lot of minutes but is ailing.

Dryden leaned over to Dion and told him that its OK to stand when the Canadiens score. It’s not like the House of Commons where he sits on his hands and abstains.

The Canadiens got a power-play goal, but at 3 for 33 on the series, it needs some attention from the coaches before the next series.

Aaron Ward’s pre-game comments come back to haunt him, He was -4. Chara was -3 on the night.

The hideous tie is now 3-0.

Pregame:

Jacques Demers would have started Huet in game #6. …and Demers would have made an early exit from the playoffs.

Aaron Ward: “Must be some discomfort in the coffee. It’s really quiet in Montreal today. You’d never know it was game #7.”

Darren Dreger: “Habs defense stinks so far in the playoffs. They keep getting beat on the rush.”

Carbonneau’s ugly-but-lucky Hermes birthday tie makes it’s third appearance. The tie is currently 2-0.

Charles Prevost-Linton sings the anthems. A smattering of boos during the U.S. anthem. To the few idiots: grow up or stay home!

Rocket’s 3 stars:

1. Carey Price
2. Chris Higgins
3. Alex Kovalev
4. Saku Koivu
5. Andrei Kostitsyn

(yes, there are more than 3 but they all deserve recognition!)

(photo credit: AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Paul Chiasson)