OMEN
04-21-2008, 08:17 PM
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After recording a shutout in Game 4, Montreal goaltender Carey Price has allowed 10 goals in two games.
History is not on the Boston Bruins' side, but this year's team has defied the odds time and again to reach Game 7 against the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference quarter-final on Monday night (7 p.m. ET, CBC, CBCSports.ca).
Just six days ago, the Canadiens seemed a certain bet to advance to the second round of the playoffs. Carey Price had recorded his first NHL shutout and was playing with a swagger that had Montreal supporters harkening back to the years of Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy.
Boston has proven resilient, though, scoring five times in each of the last two games to put some doubt in Montreal's best-laid plans.
"The good thing that we've done when we have been down is kept it calm and stuck with the way we've played good hockey, which is under control," Andrew Ference told the Boston Globe. "As soon as we get too excited, we start running around, and that's usually when the other team scores."
Unsurprisingly, Ference's words were echoed almost verbatim by Montreal captain Saku Koivu.
Keeping calm will be a test for both clubs, however, as the atmosphere at Bell Centre figures to be even more rollicking than it was for the weekend's Ultimate Fighting Championship event.
The Bruins and Canadiens will be meeting in a Game 7 for the seventh time, the most of any pro sports teams in North America, according to the NHL.
In over 80 years of existence, the Bruins have never come back from 2-0 and 3-1 deficits, while Montreal as a franchise has never seen a 3-1 lead fall out of its grasp.
Coach Guy Carbonneau's claim on Sunday that the Canadiens weren't expected to even make the playoffs this season seemed almost desperately cautious so early in the playoffs against an eighth-place club. But he was also undoubtedly right in his belief that several of his players have more to offer.
"There's a limit you have to push," said Carbonneau. "We did it in Games 1 and 4, and now we have to find it again. We have to play on the edge but stay focused.
"We have to play with more urgency."
Koivu's comeback not enough
Forwards Tomas Plekanec and Chris Higgins finally broke out offensively for the Canadiens in Saturday's Game 6 loss, with their first goals of the series. Alex Kovalev, however, had his worst game of the series, finishing with a minus-3.
Veterans Koivu, Mark Streit and Francis Bouillon returned from injuries and will be playing in Game 7. Koivu didn't miss a beat after missing nine games with a foot injury, coming up huge to tie the game late in the third with one of his two assists.
Power plays have been vexing for both clubs. The top power-play unit in the league, Montreal is just 2-for-29 in the series, while Boston has made good on just three of 24 opportunities.
As a result, Norris Trophy candidates Andrei Markov of Montreal and Zdeno Chara of the Bruins have been stymied offensively from the back end, each with one point.
The Bruins have been irrepressible after the Game 1 blowout, showing the kind of mettle that saw them overcome several injuries to qualify for the playoffs. Boston has been outscored 10-4 over the first two periods during the period, but has roared back in several games to hold a 10-3 edge in the third period.
It's hardly a trend they want to continue, however. Getting behind early in front of a Game 7 Montreal crowd could be one comeback that would prove insurmountable.
Bruins seeking more offence
Boston forward Marco Sturm broke out offensively in Game 5 with two goals and an assist, and the club hopes fellow veterans Glen Murray and P.J. Axelsson can finally get their names on the score sheet as goal scorers, although Axelsson has been instrumental in the effective Boston penalty killing.
Phil Kessel, who has scored three goals in two games since being benched earlier in the series, took a slash to the arm late in the last game but is expected to play the series finale.
Boston last won a playoff series in 1999. The Canadiens were last victorious in 2004, with eight members from the current squad on that edition that came back from two games down to beat the Bruins in seven games.
Claude Julien was coach for Montreal back then, and he'll be aiming to perform the feat again, but with the Bruins this time.
Julien made noise on Sunday, saying that if Patrice Bergeron received medical clearance to return after missing 78 games due to a concussion, he would have no choice but to put the impressive centre in the game. More than likely, it was a ploy to keep everyone, particularly the Canadiens, on their toes.
With a victory, Montreal would battle the Philadelphia Flyers or New York Rangers in the next round, depending on the outcome of the Philadelphia-Washington Capitals series. Should Boston win on Monday, they will face the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round.
CBC
After recording a shutout in Game 4, Montreal goaltender Carey Price has allowed 10 goals in two games.
History is not on the Boston Bruins' side, but this year's team has defied the odds time and again to reach Game 7 against the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference quarter-final on Monday night (7 p.m. ET, CBC, CBCSports.ca).
Just six days ago, the Canadiens seemed a certain bet to advance to the second round of the playoffs. Carey Price had recorded his first NHL shutout and was playing with a swagger that had Montreal supporters harkening back to the years of Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy.
Boston has proven resilient, though, scoring five times in each of the last two games to put some doubt in Montreal's best-laid plans.
"The good thing that we've done when we have been down is kept it calm and stuck with the way we've played good hockey, which is under control," Andrew Ference told the Boston Globe. "As soon as we get too excited, we start running around, and that's usually when the other team scores."
Unsurprisingly, Ference's words were echoed almost verbatim by Montreal captain Saku Koivu.
Keeping calm will be a test for both clubs, however, as the atmosphere at Bell Centre figures to be even more rollicking than it was for the weekend's Ultimate Fighting Championship event.
The Bruins and Canadiens will be meeting in a Game 7 for the seventh time, the most of any pro sports teams in North America, according to the NHL.
In over 80 years of existence, the Bruins have never come back from 2-0 and 3-1 deficits, while Montreal as a franchise has never seen a 3-1 lead fall out of its grasp.
Coach Guy Carbonneau's claim on Sunday that the Canadiens weren't expected to even make the playoffs this season seemed almost desperately cautious so early in the playoffs against an eighth-place club. But he was also undoubtedly right in his belief that several of his players have more to offer.
"There's a limit you have to push," said Carbonneau. "We did it in Games 1 and 4, and now we have to find it again. We have to play on the edge but stay focused.
"We have to play with more urgency."
Koivu's comeback not enough
Forwards Tomas Plekanec and Chris Higgins finally broke out offensively for the Canadiens in Saturday's Game 6 loss, with their first goals of the series. Alex Kovalev, however, had his worst game of the series, finishing with a minus-3.
Veterans Koivu, Mark Streit and Francis Bouillon returned from injuries and will be playing in Game 7. Koivu didn't miss a beat after missing nine games with a foot injury, coming up huge to tie the game late in the third with one of his two assists.
Power plays have been vexing for both clubs. The top power-play unit in the league, Montreal is just 2-for-29 in the series, while Boston has made good on just three of 24 opportunities.
As a result, Norris Trophy candidates Andrei Markov of Montreal and Zdeno Chara of the Bruins have been stymied offensively from the back end, each with one point.
The Bruins have been irrepressible after the Game 1 blowout, showing the kind of mettle that saw them overcome several injuries to qualify for the playoffs. Boston has been outscored 10-4 over the first two periods during the period, but has roared back in several games to hold a 10-3 edge in the third period.
It's hardly a trend they want to continue, however. Getting behind early in front of a Game 7 Montreal crowd could be one comeback that would prove insurmountable.
Bruins seeking more offence
Boston forward Marco Sturm broke out offensively in Game 5 with two goals and an assist, and the club hopes fellow veterans Glen Murray and P.J. Axelsson can finally get their names on the score sheet as goal scorers, although Axelsson has been instrumental in the effective Boston penalty killing.
Phil Kessel, who has scored three goals in two games since being benched earlier in the series, took a slash to the arm late in the last game but is expected to play the series finale.
Boston last won a playoff series in 1999. The Canadiens were last victorious in 2004, with eight members from the current squad on that edition that came back from two games down to beat the Bruins in seven games.
Claude Julien was coach for Montreal back then, and he'll be aiming to perform the feat again, but with the Bruins this time.
Julien made noise on Sunday, saying that if Patrice Bergeron received medical clearance to return after missing 78 games due to a concussion, he would have no choice but to put the impressive centre in the game. More than likely, it was a ploy to keep everyone, particularly the Canadiens, on their toes.
With a victory, Montreal would battle the Philadelphia Flyers or New York Rangers in the next round, depending on the outcome of the Philadelphia-Washington Capitals series. Should Boston win on Monday, they will face the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round.
CBC