Third Period, 18:50, Canadiens 2-1: The Bruins are back at full strength, but have just over a minute left to try to tie this one.
Third Period, 17:53, Canadiens 2-1: The Bruins nearly get the equalizer shorthanded, as Krejci has a chance in front. Price makes the stop, and the puck stays out in a wild scramble in front.
Third Period, 16:50, Canadiens 2-1: The Bruins commit yet another costly penalty, as Chris Kelly is called for high-sticking with just 3:10 to play in this one.
Third Period, 14:36, Canadiens 2-1: Desperate times now for the Bruins, with just over five minutes left in regulation to try to tie this one. They’ve put a lot of pressure on the Habs this period, but haven’t been able to get anything past Price.
Third Period, 11:30, Canadiens 2-1: Horton fires in a long-range blast from the right point that nearly surprises Price, but he gets a pad on it.
Third Period, 8:30, Canadiens 2-1: The Habs are back in their rope-a-dope mode from Games 1 and 2. The Bruins have an 8-2 edge in shots in the third, with one of Montreal’s shots a dump-in, but the Canadiens are content to sit back and let the Bruins fire away from the perimeter as they try to hold on to their one-goal lead.
Third Period, 5:58, Canadiens 2-1: Dennis Seidenberg sends in a one-timer from the right point with Marchand creating traffic in front, but Price makes the glove save. Subban then shoves Marchand to start a scrum, but immediately skates away to leave his teammates to clean up the mess.
Third Period, 4:06, Canadiens 2-1: The Bruins have used Daniel Paille and Greg Campbell in Milan Lucic’s spot on the top line with Krejci and Horton so far in the third period as they scramble to fill the void left by Lucic’s ejection in the second period.
Third Period, 0:36, Canadiens 2-1: The Bruins nearly get a quick one to tie it, but Price stops Recchi from the right wing and robs Bergeron on the rebound from the left side.
Third Period, 0:00, Canadiens 2-1: The final frame is under way here at the Bell Centre, with the Bruins needing a rally to avoid facing a Game 7 at home in less than 24 hours.
Second Intermission Notes: The Bruins are doing just fine at even strength, with the only goal of the night when the sides were even. They’re even OK down a man. Unfortunately, they’ve gone down two men on two occassions already, and Montreal has converted each time.
That’s the difference in this one. The Habs are 2 for 6 on the power play with a pair of 5-on-3 goals. The Bruins are 0 for 4 with the man-advantage and now are 0 for 19 in the series.
Boston is also without Milan Lucic for the rest of the night after he was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct for boarding. As far as legal hits go, Montreal has a commanding 17-6 edge in that category. the Habs also lead 21-8 in blocked shots and are 25-19 on faceoffs, winning 57 percent of the draws. The shots are even at 21-21 after the Bruins had an 11-10 edge in the second, but Montreal has clearly had the better of the play, thanks largely to all the time the Bruins have spent in the box.
End Second Period, Canadiens 2-1: The first 40 minutes are in the books and the Bruins remain down a goal after the teams exchanged goals in the second period.
Brad Marchand nearly tied it in the closing minutes, but couldn’t quite get a handle on a bouncing puck at the left post with an open net in front of him behind Price.
Second Period, 16:48, Canadiens 2-1: That power play ends with Nathan Horton called for slashing. Plekanec hacked him back up high, but only Horton goes. Just prior to that penalty, Chara was shaken up and appeared to be favoring his arm, but remains out there.
Second Period, 16:26, Canadiens 2-1: Here we go again. The Bruins will get yet another power play, this time with Spacek called for hooking. Marchand nearly put the puck in during a scramble in front just before the whistle.
Second Period, 15:49, Canadiens 2-1: The Bruins with another poor effort on the power play as they fail to generate any serious threats.
Second Period, 13:49, Canadiens 2-1: The Bruins will get another chance to finally break through on the power play as this time it’s Montreal called for too many men.
Second Period, 12:23, Canadiens 2-1: The Bruins remain without a goal on the power play in the series. They got one decent bid from Krejci with a shot from the right circle, but otherwise didn’t generate much on that man-advantage.
Second Period, 10:23, Canadiens 2-1: The Bruins finally get their turn on the power play, as Roman Hamrlik goes off for interference.
Spacek, by the way, has returned for the Habs after being treated for the cut sustained from Lucic’s hit.
Second Period, 9:37, Canadiens 2-1: The Bruins kill off the rest of the major penalty and the sides are back at even strength, but the Habs have regained the lead and the momentum in this one.
Second Period, 5:48, Canadiens 2-1: The Habs retake the lead with their second 5-on-3 goal of the night.
Brian Gionta gets the goal, banging home a rebound at the left post. Cammalleri had the initial shot from the right circle, with Scott Gomez then getting the rebound in front before Gionta finally put it home.
Second Period, 4:53, 1-1: The Bruins are now down two men for the next two minutes, as Bergeron heads to the box for delay of game for clearing the puck over the glass.
Second Period, 4:37, 1-1: The Bruins will be shorthanded again, and for a while after Milan Lucic hit Jaroslav Spacek from behind into the boards in front of the penalty boxes. Spacek is cut and injured, and Lucic is gone for the night with a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct.
This is going to be a huge kill for the Bruins, who had just started to take over the momentum.
Second Period, 2:38, 1-1: The Bruins nearly take the lead but Price bounces back from the quick goal to rob Bergeron with a glove save on a shot from the slot off a feed by Recchi.
Second Period, 0:48, 1-1: The Bruins waste no time in the second in pulling even on this one, as Dennis Seidenberg evens the score while playing 4 on 4.
Seidenberg makes up for his earlier penalty as he goes down low behind the net, then comes out and slips the puck in at the near right post.
Second Period, 0:00, Canadiens 1-0: The middle frame is under way here at the Bell Centre, with the sides playing 4 on 4 for the first 1:40 before a very brief 13-second Montreal power play.
First Intermission Notes: The Bruins dodged one bullet early when a Montreal goal was waved off after a quick whistle, but that just delayed the inevitable as the Canadiens eventually struck for a 1-0 lead midway through the opening period.
That goal came on a two-man advantage as some undisciplined play gave Montreal a golden opportunity. A bench minor for too many men and a slashing call on Dennis Seidenberg off the ensuing faceoff gave the Habs nearly two full minutes of 5-on-3 play, and even with both teams’ power plays struggling this series, that was an advantage that was too much for teh Bruins to overcome.
The Bruins are fortunate to be down just one goal, as that period was definitely played at Montreal’s pace. The shots are almost even at just an 11-10 advantage to the Habs, but that is deceiving. The Bruins struggled to get much going through the neutral zone for most of the period and Montreal had more quality opportunities. The other stats bear out Montreal’s edge in play. The Habs had an 11-5 advantage in hits, 10-5 in blocked shots and were 16-9 on faceoffs. The only Bruins with a winning record on draws is Zdeno Chara, who was 1-0 after taking a draw on the 5-on-3 penalty when Patrice Bergeron was tossed.
End First Period, Canadiens 1-0: The first 20 minutes are in the books and they didn’t go the way the Bruins would have liked, as Montreal takes a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
First Period, 19:52, Canadiens 1-0: That power play is erased quickly as Patrice Bergeron is called for goalie interference. It will be 4 on 4 for 1:47 carrying over to the second period.
First Period, 19:39, Canadiens 1-0: The Bruins get a late power-play chance here as Michael Ryder draws a hooking call on Andrei Kostitsyn.
First Period, 18:13, Canadiens 1-0: Lucic withn a steal from Kotstitsyn for a chance down the right wing, but Subban gets back to deflect his shot up into the netting.
First Period, 14:40, Canadiens 1-0: Good shift from the Bruins fourth line, cycling down low and taking some pressure off the defense as the Habs have been pressing the attack for much of this period.
First Period, 10:07, Canadiens 1-0: The Habs convert on the two-man advantage for the early lead.
Michael Cammalleri one-times a blast from the right circle off a crossing pass from P.K. Subban. The Habs lead 1-0 and still have a 5-on-4 advantage.
First Period, 8:57, 0-0: The Bruins are in real trouble now, as Dennis Seidenberg is called for slashing. The Habs will have 5 on 3 for 1:57.
First Period, 8:54, 0-0: The Bruins take the game’s first penalty with a bench minor for too many men.
First Period, 9:40, 0-0: The Habs threaten again with Tomas Plekanec on the wraparound at the left post. Thomas makes an awkward looking save leaning backward, but keeps the puck out.
First Period, 7:39, 0-0: The Bruins seemed to have weathered Montreal’s initial charge out of the gates and things have settled into a more even back and forth affair. There’s a fast pace to the action, but both sides are getting chances.
First Period, 3:27, 0-0: The Bruins catch a rare break in Montreal, as a Brian Gionta goal is waved off thanks to a quick whistle. Scott Gomez sent the initial shot in. The puck got away from Thomas and Gionta poked it in at the left post, but the play had already been blown dead.
Rally towels and at least one rubber chicken now litter the ice as the fans in Montreal are not happy with that call.
First Period, 2:23, 0-0: The Bruins with the first big chance as Rich Peverley tries to stuff it in at the right post and Chris Kelly had a shot at rebound in front.
First Period, 1:22, 0-0: Incredible atmosphere here at the Bell Centre to start this one. The noise is deafening as it alternates between chants of “Go Habs Go!” and boos whenever Zdeno Chara touches the puck.
First Period, 0:00, 0-0: And we’re under way here at the Bell Centre, with the Bruins looking to close out this series and avoid going back to Boston for a Game 7 and the Canadiens looking to stay alive for at least one more night.
7:05 p.m.: The Bruins will open this one once against with Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Mark Recchi up front. Andrew Ference and Johnny Boychuk start on defense, with Tim Thomas in goal.
The Canadiens counter with Travis Moen, Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta up front, Jaroslav Spacek and Roman Hamrlik on the blue line and Carey Price in net.
7 p.m.: The Canadiens have scratched both James Wisniewski and David Desharnais. Wisniewski skated in warm-ups, but will not play.
Yannick Weber and Paul Mara are in for Montreal.
The Bruins scratch Shane Hnidy and Tyler Seguin once again as expected.
6:45 p.m.: James Wisniewski was on the ice for Montreal in warm-ups, but David Desharnais was not.
Yannick Weber and Paul Mara also skated, but Benoit Pouliot did not. That leaves Montreal with one extra skater to scratch from wrm-ups.
It looks like Weber will play at forward in place of Desharnais. Mara will be in on defense if Wisniewski can’t go after testing his undisclosed injury in the warm-up.
6:40 p.m.: There were no changes for the Bruins in warm-ups. Tyler Seguin and Shane Hnidy as usual are on the ice, but not part of the line drills.
Based on warm-ups, the line combinations will again be:
Lucic-Krejci-Horton
Marchand-Bergeron-Recchi
Kelly-Peverley-Ryder
Paille-Campbell-Thornton
Defense pairs:
Chara-Seidenberg
Kaberle-McQuaid
Ference-Boychuk
6:30 p.m.: In what should be a surprise to no one, Tim Thomas and Carey Price lead the clubs onto the ice for warm-ups here at the Bell Centre.
That’s the goaltending matchup once again for Game 6, just as it has been for each of the previous five games this series.
6:15 p.m.: Both the Bruins and the Canadiens have recent history to draw upon for inspiration in this game.
For the Bruins, it’s about applying the lessons learned from last year’s collapse against Philadelphia when they were unable to close out their second-round series with four chances to get that elusive fourth win.
For Montreal, they will look to repeat their success from last spring when they staved off elimination five times to rally for wins over Washington and Pittsburgh in the first two rounds.
6 p.m.: The Bruins are about an hour away from having their first chance to close out this series with Montreal. They hope it’s the only chance they will need, as no one is looking forward to the potential of a Game 7 less than 24 hours after Tuesday’s Game 6.
The Bruins aren’t expected to make any lineup changes after winning the last three games, but Montreal will have game-time decisions for forward David Desharnais and defenseman James Wisniewski both banged up in Game 5.
Yannick Weber is capable of playing either spot and will get the first shot if either cannot go. If both are out, either forward Benoit Pouliot or defenseman Paul Mara will also return to the lineup.
8 a.m.: The Bruins and Canadiens will play their first elimination game of this postseason at the Bell Centre on Tuesday. And thanks to Boston’s 2-1 win in double-overtime on Saturday, it’s Montreal that finds itself on the brink.
Saturday’s win was Boston’s third straight after dropping the first two games of the series on home ice. They evened the series with back-to-back wins in Montreal before the Bruins became the first home team to prevail in Game 5’s marathon.
Now the Bruins will have to hope that the trend of road victories returns as they head back to the Bell Centre.
“I think we just have to turn the page here and understand there is another full game to be played,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “When you win three in a row, you should feel confident. But again, there is a lot of work to be done. We know this next game is going to be the toughest one. You have a team playing for their lives and they are playing in their home building. So it represents a pretty big challenge for us so we are going to have to be at our best.”
The Bruins shouldn’t expect a warm welcome at the Bell Centre. Zdeno Chara, who was named a finalist for the Norris Trophy on Monday, has been subjected to boos every time he touches the puck throughout the series, as his controversial hit on Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty has made the Bruins captain Public Enemy No. 1 in Montreal.
On Tuesday, the Habs faithful may have to divide their attention though, as fellow defenseman Andrew Ference is sure to hear it as well after he celebrated a Game 4 goal with an “unintentional bird” directed at the stands. That earned Ference a $2,500 fine, despite his apology and insistence he didn’t deliberately make the gesture.
The Bruins will have to keep their focus on the ice as they try to close out the series against what will no doubt be a desperate and dangerous Canadiens club. Boston can’t afford to let Montreal jump out quick and make the crowd an even bigger factor.
“I think that’s been something we’ve had to really adjust to in this series, is making sure we don’t give them an early lead,” Julien said. “But when they are in that situation, I think they are playing out of desperation, they are playing for their lives, you have to play that game with determination and that’s the difference. For us, it’s about determination. For them, it’s about desperation, and you have to hope that the determination is better than their desperation. It’s as simple as that.”
The puck drops at 7 p.m., so check back here throughout the day for updates on all the action live from the Bell Centre.
