CANADIENS
Montreal

BRUINS
Boston

Lineup

Forward lines and defense pairings 

[one_half]Tatar – Danault – Gallagher
Drouin – Domi – Shaw
Hudon – Kotkaniemi – Lehkonen
Deslauriers – Agostino – Chaput
[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Benn – Petry
Schlemko – Kulak
Alzner – Mete

[/one_half_last]

Goaltenders

Price
Niemi

Scratches

Reilly, Peca, Ouellet

Injuries

Weber, Byron, Armia, Scherbak, Juulsen

Game Report 

Post-game, Jonathan Drouin didn’t want to talk about the penalty. Drouin was assessed a double-minor for high-sticking David Backes well away from the play. The march to the box came with just 5:21 remaining in the game after the Canadiens had scored twice in the third period to tie the Bruins.

John Moore scored the game-winner on the power-play for Boston with 2:57 left.

Claude Julien did want to talk about Drouin’s penalty and made it very clear that it cost the Canadiens the game.

“Listen, a penalty at that time of the game isn’t a penalty you want to take,” said Julien. “In a game like this where we came back (to tie it), you really have to be undisciplined. It’s certain that even if [David Backes] came after him, [Jonathan Drouin] gave him a cross-check in the face. It’s a four-minute penalty and it’s something we can’t continue to do. If we want to win games, we need better discipline.”

There are mistakes and then there is careless play. Drouin has demonstrated numerous times this season that he has little to no interest in playing hockey without the puck. He floats waiting for others to do the heavy lifting and sometimes, like tonight, he takes dumb penalties.

It’s a selfish attitude with little regard for his team or teammates. And it is an attitude that he has displayed his entire career.

Former NHL’er Bobby Dollas was direct in his assessment.

The Habs had all of the momentum in the third period. The penalty zapped that energy resulting in a Boston goal and Montreal’s fourth straight loss.

The Canadiens can’t afford to make mistakes particularly irresponsible ones. They simply aren’t talented enough.

To compete defensively with the Sabres and the Bruins, the Habs were forced to abandon the high-octane offence that had generated the second most goals in the league at even strength this season. Their approach for the past two games has become far more timid as the five skaters do their best to protect the keep.

This game had all of the classic elements of a Habs – Bruins rivalry game: good goaltending, robust physicality and nasty confrontations after the whistle. With all of this intensity, it was disappointing for the Canadiens to come up empty.

===

▲  Carey Price, Artturi Lehkonen, Andrew Shaw, Victor Mete

▼  Jonathan Drouin, David Schlemko, Phillip Danault, Brett Kulak, Jordie Benn, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Karl Alzner, Nicolas Deslauriers,

1. David Backes  BOS
2. Tuukka Rask  BOS
3. Andrew Shaw  MTL

• “A penalty at that time of the game is not a penalty you want to take. In a game like that when we came back to tie it, you really have to be disciplined.”
• “It’s certain that even if [David Backes] went after him, [Jonathan Drouin] gave him a cross-check in the face and it’s a four-minute (penalty.) It’s something we can’t keep doing if we want to win games. We need better discipline.”

Charles Hudon

• “Hard penalty to take, when a cross-check rides up like that, Yes it’s an individual penalty, but it’s the entire team’s fault we gave up two early goals.”

Brendan Gallagher

• “With two teams that are so close in the standings, you’re going to get some animosity.”

Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy

• “Good, old fashioned Bruins-Habs hockey. Hockey Night in Canada, Saturday night. I think the temperature level went up. We rose to it, so did they. It looked like a rivalry out there tonight. Could’ve gone either way.”
• “It’s physical, guys are bleeding, guys are chirping each other, great saves at each end, some nice goals; so I thought it was a typical Habs-Bruins [game like] games I grew up watching and hopefully everyone got entertained. You always want to come out on the right side of it (and) we did.”

Quotes courtesy of NHL.com