The Bruins now hold a five-point lead in the Northeast Division with two games in hand over the Habs.
They'll look to continue their win streak against another Original Six rival when the Rangers come to town on Saturday.
Third Period, 16:55, Bruins 7-0: Yet another penalty here for the Bruins, with Horton going off for hooking.
Third Period, 13:35, Bruins 7-0: Not even being two men down can slow the Bruins in this one. After a 2 on 1 by Bergeron and McQuaid came up empty, Greg Campbell strikes on a clean breakaway for the shorthanded goal.
Campbell goes top shelf on Auld after splitting the defense to swoop in alone.
Third Period, 12:43, Bruins 6-0: Thomas will have to work for his shutout. With Horton already in the box, Marchand is now sent off for roughing. It's a 5 on 3 for 1:23.
Third Period, 11:27, Bruins 6-0: The Bruins strike again, with Tomas Kaberle getting his first goal as a Bruin.
Brad Marchand took the puck around the net and was allowed to walk all the way around to between the circles. His shot was blocked, but Kaberle snuck in unmolested to pop in the rebound at the left post.
Third Period, 10:07, Bruins 5-0: The fight seems to have gone out of the Habs in this one. Not a lot effort to break the shutout and no sign of looking for any retaliation against Chara or any other Bruins, at least to this point.
Third Period, 6:30, Bruins 5-0: It's just a wall of sound here at the Garden, an eruption of noise after those goals not usually seen outside of the playoffs.
Third Period, 4:29, Bruins 5-0: The Bruins get another just 26 seconds later as Adam McQuaid fires in a point shot that appeared to hit Lars Eller's stick in front and slipped between Price's pads.
That ends Price's night, as former Bruin Alex Auld comes on to replace him. Chara and Lucic get the assists for this one.
Third Period, 4:03, Bruins 4-0: The Bruins get what could be the one to put this away, as Nathan Horton extends the lead to four goals.
Horton goes top shelf from the right slot off a feed from David Krejci. Milan Lucic picks up the second assist.
Third Period, 3:35, Bruins 3-0: The Bruins kill off that penalty, but just barely with Gionta missing a shot at an open net behind Thomas at the left post.
Third Period, 1:35, Bruins 3-0: And the first dive of the night has been rewarded, with Mathieu Darche going down awfully easy to draw a tripping call on Chris Kelly.
Third Period, 0:00, Bruins 3-0: And the final frame is under way, with the Bruins looking to close out this win and take control of the race for the Northeast Division crown.
Brick Breaks Down the Game: Spent a few minutes with NESN analyst Andy Brickley going over what we've seen so far and what the Bruins need to do in the third period to close out this crucial victory.
Here's Brick's breakdown:
"Before the game on the broadcast we talked about what the Bruins had to do tonight. They had to improve their attitude and not let Montreal get under their skin, and they've done that. They've played with a real sense of purpose and coupled with the discipline they've shown, that's been the key.
"They've done an excellent job of managing the puck out of the zone to counter Montreal's forecheck, while also establishing their own forecheck. They're making high-percentage decisions with the puck and forcing Montreal to pivot and go back and make decisions under duress.
"I expected a push from Montreal in the second and we got it. But Boston used a very effective timeout there, and from that timeout have been refocused. That, coupled with the lack of discipline by Montreal, led to a lot of chances.
"I felt like Montreal tried to come in here and prove their superiority over the Bruins based on how the season series had gone so far. But Boston has been the superior team tonight. I'm not sure we'll see any more combustible play the rest of the way, but if they decide to do that, the Bruins are more than capable of handling anything Montreal throws at them."
End Second Period, Bruins 3-0: No scoring in the second, but the Bruins are OK with that as they maintain their three-goal lead heading into the third. The Bruins had an 11-6 edge in shots in the second and lead 29-15 overall.
Second Period, 19:43, Bruins 3-0: The Bruins can't convert that power play either, then Greg Campbell and Paul Mara drop the gloves for the first bout of the night at center ice.
It's an even exchange with both players tossing plenty of rights before the linesmen break up the lengthy scrap.
Second Period, 17:43, Bruins 3-0: The Bruins now go back on the power play again, with Gomez headed to the box for holding.
Second Period, 17:28, Bruins 3-0: Dennis Seidenberg saves the day with a block of a Gionta bid along the goal line behind Thomas after a Bruins giveaway.
Second Period, 14:43, Bruins 3-0: The Bruins still can't get another one past Price despite plenty of solid chances on that power play.
Second Period, 12:43, Bruins 3-0: The Bruins put on a ton of pressure, but can't get another goal as the power play expires. Mark Recchi and Paul Mara then engage in a battle in front, with Mara drawing the extra minor with a four minutes for roughing and Recchi two for cross-checking, keeping the Bruins on the man-advantage for another two minutes.
Second Period, 10:40, Bruins 3-0: The Bruins have a chance to grab some momentum back, as Scott Gomez heads to the box for two minutes for high-sticking. The Bruins have finally shown some life on the man-advantage, going 1 for 3 so far in this one. Another goal here would be big.
Second Period, 9:10, Bruins 3-0: The Habs are surging and only Thomas is keeping this a 3-0 game. He denied Scott Gomez in front and after the Bruins ice the puck, Claude Julien calls timeout to settle the troops.
Second Period, 7:11, Bruins 3-0: Thomas comes up with a pair of huge stops, denying a Brian Gionta backhand at the left post, then Travis Moen's rebound in front.
Second Period, 6:02, Bruins 3-0: The Bruins hold a 20-9 edge in shots at this point, but this one is far from over. The next goal will be crucial. Boston can pretty much put it away if it makes it 4-0, but a Montreal goal will give the Habs life and could make this a long night.
Second Period, 3:37, Bruins 3-0: The Bruins continue to put the ressure on the Habs in this one, much to the delight of the crowd. That crowd is a little slow returning to their seats for this period though, with many still empty several minutes into play.
Second Period, 0:00, Bruins 3-0: The middle frame is under way, with the Bruins looking to build off their strong opening period.
End First Period, Bruins 3-0: The Bruins wrap up about as dominant a period as they've played this season, outshooting Montreal 18-9 and jumping out to a three-goal lead.
Chara put an exclamation point on the period in the final minute when Mathieu Darche took a run at him behind the net and bounced off taking the worse of the collision, then Chara dumped Kostitsyn with a hit in the left circle.
First Period, 17:28, Bruins 3-0: Nathan Horton took the high stick for the penalty, and he gets his revenge with the power-play goal.
Horton finished a feed from Milan Lucic at the left post in an impressive power play for the Bruins.
First Period, 14:10, Bruins 2-0: The Bruins now have a four-minute power play as Tomas Plekanec goes off for cutting Nathan Horton with a high stick.
First Period, 13:43, Bruins 2-0: The Bruins do double the lead as Greg Campbell bangs in a rebound of another Zdeno Chara shot.
Brad Marchand started the play by getting the puck out to Boychuk for the initial shot. Chara then threw the rebound back in and Campbell banged it home.
First Period, 12:35, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins with a golden chance to double the lead as Peverley follows up a Seguin rush that was broken up and feeds the puck over to Kelly in front, but Kelly whiffs on the shot.
First Period, 10:17, Bruins 1-0: Travis Moen with a slight shove on Chara after the whistle in the first sign of any attempt to confront the big guy. Chara appeared ready to go, but Moen backed off quickly and nothing further developed.
First Period, 8:41, Bruins 1-0: Lots of energy in the building for this one, and the tempo on the ice is matching it so far. No fireworks yet, but plenty of up and down action.
First Period, 8:05, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins can't convert that power play. They struggled to gain the zone early, but did create a few chances late.
First Period, 6:05, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins survive that penalty, and draw one of their own on a shorthanded bid as Roman Hamrlik goes off for holding. It's 4 on 4 for 13 seconds, then the Bruins get their first power play.
First Period, 4:18, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins will have to kill off the first penalty of the night, as Seidenberg gives away the puck in front, then has to make a diving trip of Travis Moen to prevent the scoring chance. Seidenberg will sit for two minutes for tripping.
First Period, 3:23, Bruins 1-0: Thomas with his first big stop, denying Kostitsyn from the slot.
First Period, 1:01, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins waste no time jumping out to a lead in this one, with Zdeno Chara playing a role as Johnny Boychuk scores.
Chara sent in the initial shot from the left point and Boychuk one-timed the rebound from the right point with Milan Lucic providing the screen in front. Those were the first two shots of the game.
First Period, 0:00, 0-0: The hype and buildup is finally over, and this game is under way as the ancient rivals meet up once again with plenty at stake before a raucous Garden crowd.
7 p.m.: The Canadiens' starters have been announced to a resounding chorus of boos at teh Garden. Montreal has Mathieu Darche, Lars Eller and Andrei Kostitsyn up front, Hal Gill and P.K. Subban on defense and Carey Price in goal.
The Bruins will counter with another new combination as Brad Marchand will start this game with Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley up front, with Tomas Kaberle and Dennis Seidenberg on defense and Tim Thomas in goal. That group should get a little better recpetion when introduced in a couple minutes.
6:55 p.m.: No surprises in the Bruins' scratches, with Paille, Kampfer and Hnidy remaining out.
The Canadiens have scratched Alexandre Picard, Yannick Weber and Tom Pyatt. That means all four of their questionable players are indeed back from injury for this one. Montreal gets lots of reinforcements in the lineup with forwards Tomas Plekanec, Jeff Halpern, Mathieu Darche and defenseman Brent Sopel all back for the Habs.
6:45 p.m.: Definitely an electric atmosphere for this one, even in warm-ups with most of the crowd yet to filter in to their seats.
6:40 p.m.: The Bruins are skating with the same line combinations they had in warm-ups on Tuesday, with Brad Marchand on the fourth line. Marchand ended up spending most of that game on the second line with Patrice Bergeron and Mark Recchi, and that could happen again in this one as Claude Julien said before the game that he would be shifting guys around depending on how they played.
For now, here are the combinations from warm-ups:
Lucic-Krejci-Horton
Recchi-Bergeron-Ryder
Peverley-Kelly-Seguin
Marchand-Campbell-Thornton
Defense pairs:
Chara-Boychuk
Kaberle-Seidenberg
Ference-McQuaid
Daniel Paille, Steven Kampfer and Shane Hnidy are not on the ice for warm-ups and will be the scratches as expected.
6:30 p.m.: Tim Thomas and Carey Price lead the clubs out onto the ice for warm-ups. That will be the goaltending matchup for this one as expected.
6 p.m.: The Bruins didn't hold a morning skate on Thursday, but there's been no lack of activity at the Garden.
The hype continues to build for another huge clash between the Bruins and Canadiens, with the kind of media horde usually reserved for the playoffs on hand to help fan the flames.
The sellout crowd that's already gathering at the Garden doesn't need much help, as this one promises to be another memorable night as these Original Six foes renew their rivalry.
8 a.m.: There's no shortage of storylines for this one.
The Bruins continue their homestand on Thursday with one of the most highly anticipated regular-season games in recent memory. A combined 182 penalty minutes followed by a game marred by a controversial hit that led to a police investigation in the past two meetings will have that kind of effect.
But Montreal's final visit to the Garden has a lot more significance than just the chance at any retribution for those past transgressions. A quick look at the Northeast Division standings is all that's needed to see the real meaning in this matchup.
The Bruins hold a slim three-point lead over the Habs for first place. A Boston win extends that advantage to five points and with the Bruins having two games in hand, that might be an insurmountable lead. But wins over the Canadiens have been hard to come by for the Bruins, who are just 1-3-1 against Montreal this year.
"We haven't played well against them," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "I think they've played well against us. It's something that if we can build on [Tuesday] night's performance hopefully it will be a better game [Thursday]."
The Bruins snapped a recent slide with a 4-1 win over New Jersey on Tuesday, while Montreal dropped a 2-0 decision to Buffalo. Even with Boston's struggles of late, the Bruins have actually fared better than the Habs since Montreal's 4-1 win at the Bell Centre on March 8. Montreal is just 3-4-0 since that game, while the Bruins are 2-2-2.
Still, the Original Six rivals are on a collision course for a first-round playoff clash if the standings remain as they are now.
"It's going to be one of those games," Julien said. "But again, we don't know what's going to happen from here on in. There's a lot of different scenarios that could happen. You never choose your opponents. What you want to focus on is winning the game [Thursday]. We know what it means in the standings. We can either let them get right back behind you within a point or you can spread that a little bigger and make it tougher for them to catch up. Based on that, I think it's important for us to be ready to play well, which is something we haven't done against this team so far this year."
The puck drops at 7 p.m., so check back here throughout the day for updates on all the action.
