Ann 2Game 4 Review: Canadiens Defeat Bruins In Shootout 4-3 (Highlights Video Included)
October 16th 2008 23:46
For the home opener of their 100th season, the Montreal Canadiens put up a display that was the complete opposite of their performance in Philadelphia three days ago. To celebrate the opening of their 100th year (or 99th depending who you talk to), the Canadiens were pitted against an Original Six rival, the Boston Bruins, and also unveiled the Ring of Honor in the pre-game ceremonies. Running around the top of the Bell Centre, the Ring of Honor features the names of 44 players and 10 builders who are all members of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Fed by the energy of the crowd during the ceremonies and the beginning of the game, the Habs then proceeded to score three goals in the first before the Bruins caught up to them, scoring the equalizer in the final minute of the game.
All three Montreal goals came in the span of three minutes at the end of the first period. The Canadiens got a complete trifecta on those goals, scoring on the powerplay (Alex Kovalev), at even-strength (Saku Koivu), and short-handed (Maxime Lapierre). Georges Laraque, who was playing his first game in his hometown's jersey, didn't waste time getting in the heat of the things. He quickly got into a boxing match with Shawn Thornton on his first shift of the game. The Habs returned to their locker-room with a comfortable three-goal lead, and all of the signs pointed to another domination by the home side who went 8-0 in the regular season against Boston last year. Indiscipline and complacency ruined their perfect start as they slowly surrendered control to the Bruins in final 40 minutes.
Indeed, David Krejci ruined Carey Price's chances of getting a shootout when his rocket shot gave no chance to the netminder who didn't even know where the puck was on the play. The goal came right after the Habs had successively killed off a penalty. The Canadiens would take more penalties during this period (including a 10-minute misconduct for Mike Komisarek), but Carey Price stood tall, and Montreal almost got a second shorthanded goal when Maxime Lapierre's close-range shot was stopped by Tim Thomas. Only one goal was scored in this period as both teams left the ice on the scoreline of 3-1.
In the third period, the Bruins got even more intense while the Canadiens seemed content with simply sitting on their lead. Consequently, the visitors were able to do pretty much anything they wanted. They were rewarded with a 5-on-3 with less than fifteen minutes left to go. Marc Savard scored the inevitable goal, and both teams were frantically scrambling during the ten final minutes – the Habs trying to protect their lead, the Bruins trying to get the equalizer. With less than one minute left to go, a piece of luck hit Boston as Ryder's rim-around hit a misplaced board, and bounced back to the front of the empty net (Carey Price had left his goal to intercept the puck) where Savard simply had to push it in for the Bruins' third goal.
The Habs regained their skating legs in overtime but Lady Luck seemed to have planted herself firmly in the Bruins' camp as Lapierre missed an empty net and Chara's hook on Kovalev when the Russian winger attempted a breakaway was left unnoticed. In the shootout, Price stopped all three Boston shooters including ex-Hab Michael Ryder while Tanguay scored the winner at the other end.
In the end, the Canadiens simply unnecessarily gave away a point to the Bruins. They were in control in the first and simply stopped skating in the other two periods. Carey Price and Maxime Lapierre were the best players for the Habs last night – the former was great during the whole match (he had no chance on all three goals) while the latter probably played his best game since he came up in the NHL, showing great hustle and determination. Kovalev showed his brilliance with some skillful moves that impressed the gallery and left the Bruins' defense flat-footed. I didn't understand Carbo's reasoning in sending Markov first on the shootout, but Claude Julien's decision to send Savard instead of Ryder for the final shot didn't make a whole lotta sense either. So, we'll leave it that.
My 3 Stars:
3.Alex Kovalev
2.Maxim Lapierre
1.Carey Price
All three Montreal goals came in the span of three minutes at the end of the first period. The Canadiens got a complete trifecta on those goals, scoring on the powerplay (Alex Kovalev), at even-strength (Saku Koivu), and short-handed (Maxime Lapierre). Georges Laraque, who was playing his first game in his hometown's jersey, didn't waste time getting in the heat of the things. He quickly got into a boxing match with Shawn Thornton on his first shift of the game. The Habs returned to their locker-room with a comfortable three-goal lead, and all of the signs pointed to another domination by the home side who went 8-0 in the regular season against Boston last year. Indiscipline and complacency ruined their perfect start as they slowly surrendered control to the Bruins in final 40 minutes.
Indeed, David Krejci ruined Carey Price's chances of getting a shootout when his rocket shot gave no chance to the netminder who didn't even know where the puck was on the play. The goal came right after the Habs had successively killed off a penalty. The Canadiens would take more penalties during this period (including a 10-minute misconduct for Mike Komisarek), but Carey Price stood tall, and Montreal almost got a second shorthanded goal when Maxime Lapierre's close-range shot was stopped by Tim Thomas. Only one goal was scored in this period as both teams left the ice on the scoreline of 3-1.
In the third period, the Bruins got even more intense while the Canadiens seemed content with simply sitting on their lead. Consequently, the visitors were able to do pretty much anything they wanted. They were rewarded with a 5-on-3 with less than fifteen minutes left to go. Marc Savard scored the inevitable goal, and both teams were frantically scrambling during the ten final minutes – the Habs trying to protect their lead, the Bruins trying to get the equalizer. With less than one minute left to go, a piece of luck hit Boston as Ryder's rim-around hit a misplaced board, and bounced back to the front of the empty net (Carey Price had left his goal to intercept the puck) where Savard simply had to push it in for the Bruins' third goal.
The Habs regained their skating legs in overtime but Lady Luck seemed to have planted herself firmly in the Bruins' camp as Lapierre missed an empty net and Chara's hook on Kovalev when the Russian winger attempted a breakaway was left unnoticed. In the shootout, Price stopped all three Boston shooters including ex-Hab Michael Ryder while Tanguay scored the winner at the other end.
In the end, the Canadiens simply unnecessarily gave away a point to the Bruins. They were in control in the first and simply stopped skating in the other two periods. Carey Price and Maxime Lapierre were the best players for the Habs last night – the former was great during the whole match (he had no chance on all three goals) while the latter probably played his best game since he came up in the NHL, showing great hustle and determination. Kovalev showed his brilliance with some skillful moves that impressed the gallery and left the Bruins' defense flat-footed. I didn't understand Carbo's reasoning in sending Markov first on the shootout, but Claude Julien's decision to send Savard instead of Ryder for the final shot didn't make a whole lotta sense either. So, we'll leave it that.
My 3 Stars:
3.Alex Kovalev
2.Maxim Lapierre
1.Carey Price
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