Final Bruins 4-1: That’s it, and that’s all.
The Bruins have snapped their five-game losing streak to the Canadiens, and they have extended their own five-game winning streak to six with a pretty impressive win.
Third period, 2:00, Bruins 4-1: Down in the final minutes of the game, and the Bruins’ fourth line is getting plenty of run. That’s a good thing, of course, as the B’s will have a short turnaround and will play Thursday night in Boston.
Third period, 14:30, Bruins 4-1: The Bruins got a couple of scoring chances off the sticks of Zdeno Chara and Milan Lucic, but they weren’t able to break through on the power play.
The game is back to even strength, as the Bruins look to put this thing away.
Third period, 12:18, Bruins 4-1: The Bruins are going on the power play.
Lars Eller just laid a dangerous hit from behind on Jordan Caron. That gets Eller a boarding penalty, and both players got roughing minors, so it all works out to a Bruins power play.
Third period, 7:30, Bruins 4-1: The Bruins’ third line has been their best of the game so far, and that trio almost potted another goal.
Chris Kelly took a pass in the slot from Loui Eriksson and quickly put the shot on net. Kelly hit the post, which is the second time in this one that the B’s have found iron.
Third period, 3:00, Bruins 4-1: The Canadiens have finally broken through.
David Desharnais has been credited with the goal after he was able to jam home the puck at the end of a mad scramble in front of the Bruins’ net. The referee elected to not blow the puck dead, as he must have seen it loose in the crease. That’s when Desharnais finally was able to beat Tuukka Rask by jamming the puck into the back of the net.
Third period, 0:23, Bruins 4-0: Well, that’s exactly how the Bruins wanted to start the period, I’d imagine.
Zdeno Chara jumped into the play and was left all alone in the slot. He put a shot on goal that Peter Budaj stopped, but Budaj couldn’t stop the second chance as Chara jumped on his own rebound.
Third period, 0:01, Bruins 3-0: The third period is underway.
End second period, Bruins 3-0: That’s the end of a pretty dominant third period for the Bruins who now hold a commanding three-goal lead.
Second period, 18:32, Bruins 3-0: That one could be a back-breaker.
The Bruins finally got a line change and got the first line on the ice after a long shift from the fourth line. The B’s got numbers in transition, and Milan Lucic jumped into the play late. He hammered a one-timer from Jarome Iginla that beat Peter Budaj to push the lead to three.
Second period, 14:30, Bruins 2-0: Andrej Meszaros just threw down Tomas Plekanec after a whistle, which is a good way to endear yourself to the new fans.
Second period, 11:57, Bruins 2-0: The Bruins are this close to being ahead 3-0.
Patrice Bergeron just won a faceoff and the puck got back to Johnny Boychuk. He hammered the puck from the blue line and beat Peter Budaj, but the shot ended up ringing the post.
Second period, 9:52, Bruins 2-0: Brandon Prust is trying to get his club going.
The Canadiens’ fourth-line forward just dropped the gloves with Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller in the game’s first fight. Prust certainly got the better of Miller, and we’ll have to see if that sparks the Habs.
Second period, 9:25, Bruins 2-0: The Bruins now have a two-goal lead.
The Boston second line just worked the 3-on-2 to perfection, and Patrice Bergeron ended up scoring his 19th goal of the season. Bergeron passed it to Brad Marchand late in the rush, and Marchand fed it right back for Bergeron who beat Peter Budaj.
Second period, 7:00, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins killed off the penalty.
The Canadiens had their chances, but they missed the net twice. That included Brian Gionta missing a pretty open net from about 15 feet away. Tomas Plekanec also missed a golden chance after a great pass from Alex Galchenyuk.
Second period, 4:41, Bruins 1-0: Big power play coming up here for the Canadiens. Montreal gets the man-advantage after Jarome Iginla just hauled down Thomas Vanek in the neutral zone.
Iginla is being sent off for holding.
Second period, 1:33, Bruins 1-0: Carl Soderberg is playing some incredible hockey right now.
He just made the Canadiens pay dearly for a turnover in front. He quickly gathered the puck right outside the crease and put a shot by Peter Budaj to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead.
Second period, 0:01, 0-0: The second period is underway in Montreal with the two clubs looking for the game’s first goal.
End first period, 0-0: The first period has come to an end with a really, really good shift from the Bruins’ third line, pinning Montreal deep into its own zone. That line has been solid yet again so far.
Other than that, though, there’s not a ton to like about that Bruins’ first period other than Tuukka Rask. The Boston goalie stopped all 13 shots he faced. The B’s had just six shots on goal.
First period, 15:00, 0-0: The Bruins are now 2-for-2 when it comes to killing penalties. They killed off the Johnny Boychuk interference penalty, but it wasn’t necessarily easy.
Alex Galchenyuk blew by Andrej Meszaros for a semi-breakaway, but Tuukka Rask made the save. Rask looks real sharp so far.
First period, 12;27, 0-0: The Canadiens are going to get another power play, and the Bruins are going to be without one of their best penalty killers because of it.
Johnny Boychuk was just called for interference, and he’s going to sit for two.
First period, 8:41, 0-0: The Bruins did not convert on the power play. The B’s did get three shots on goal, including one gorgeous chance from Milan Lucic all alone in the slot, but Peter Budaj made the blocker save.
Shortly after the power play ended, Max Pacioretty got a breakaway chance, but Tuukka Rask made a great pad save to deny the chance.
First period, 6:15, 0-0: The Bruins are going to get a chance on the power play as well now.
Brandon Prust was just called for holding the stick.
First period, 6:00, 0-0: The Bruins were able to kill the penalty, and it got a little dicey at the end, but Tuukka Rask came up with a big save to keep the game scoreless in the first period.
First period, 3:43, 0-0: The Bruins are going to have to kill off a penalty in the early going.
Andrej Meszaros was just called for a questionable interference call, and he’s going to the box.
First period, 0:01, 0-0: Finally, we’re underway.
7:12 p.m.: Here are the projected lines and defensive pairings.
Bruins (42-17-5, 89 points)
Milan Lucic — David Krejci — Jarome Iginla
Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — Reilly Smith
Chris Kelly — Carl Soderberg — Loui Eriksson
Jordan Caron — Gregory Campbell — Shawn Thornton
Zdeno Chara — Andrej Meszaros
Matt Bartkowski — Johnny Boychuk
Torey Krug — Kevan Miller
Canadiens (35-24-7, 77 points)
Max Pacioretty — David Desharnais — Brendan Gallagher
Thomas Vanek — Tomas Plekanec — Brian Gionta
Alex Galchenyuk — Lars Eller — Danny Briere
Brandon Prust — Ryan White — Travis Moen
Andrei Markov — Alexei Emelin
Francois Boullion — P.K. Subban
Douglas Murray — Jarred Tinordi
7:04 p.m.: The pregame warmups are underway. Tuukka Rask will make the start for the Bruins, and Peter Budaj will get the nod for the Canadiens.
4:45 p.m.: “They’re a better team, and I look forward to facing them.”
Those were the words of Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli one week ago today, as he talked about the rival Montreal Canadiens shortly after the league’s trade deadline passed. That remark was in response to the Habs acquiring Thomas Vanek at the deadline.
“I know there’s been talk about Vanek going to Montreal, and they’ve strengthened their team and good for them,” Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said. “It never seems that we’re an anointed winner of trade deadline, and I’m fine with that. They’re a better team, and I look forward to facing them.”
It’s not quite Chiarelli’s “they’re a lock” comment in regards to the Pittsburgh Penguins last season, but the remark was delivered with almost a sense of annoyance. That would make sense, too. Montreal was able to acquire Vanek for a small price, and in the process, they bring in someone who’s had a ton of success against the Bruins. Entering tonight’s game, Vanek has 30-31-62 totals in 3 games against Boston.
“He’s always played well against us, and Montreal’s always been a tough team,” Bruins center Gregory Campbell said last week. “It’s going to be a good challenge for us. He’s a good player, and with that offensively skilled team, he’ll fit in pretty well with them. Anywhere he goes, he’s going to challenge the opposition. He’s just another talented guy that we’re going to have to contend with, but that’s fine.”
The Bruins will get their latest chance to try and slow down both Vanek and the Canadiens in just a few hours.
12 p.m.: Brandon Prust will be in the Montreal lineup tonight, and Peter Budaj will get the start in net.
11:55 a.m.: Claude Julien just revealed that Andrej Meszaros will be back in the lineup again tonight. He’ll be in there for Dougie Hamilton, who is a healthy scratch for the second straight game.
[tweet https://twitter.com/JamieErdahl/status/443776645678514176 align=’center’]
11:45 a.m.: As expected, Jordan Caron will be in the lineup tonight in place of Daniel Paille, who is out with a concussion. Paille skated at the team’s optional morning skate, but he’s out tonight and tomorrow night; he could return for Saturday’s game against Carolina.
It’s a nice thing for Caron, of course, who is a Quebec native.
11 a.m.: When the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens meet on Wednesday night, something has got to give.
The historic rivals will get together once again on Wednesday at Bell Centre in Montreal, and a pair of winning streaks will be on the line. The Bruins will be looking to extend their current season-long winning streak to six games, while the Canadiens come in having won their last five games against the B’s.
The importance of Wednesday’s game for the Bruins varies depending on who you ask. But there’s no doubt that the B’s would like to give a better effort than they did the last time out against their longtime rivals. The Canadiens came into Boston on Jan. 30 and walked all over the Bruins on their way to a 4-1 win at TD Garden. B’s goalie Tuukka Rask was chased in that game, a contest in which the Bruins didn’t really show up for.
On the other side of the things, the Habs are hoping they can snap a two-game losing streak. Considered one of the winners of the trade deadline, the Canadiens’ changes haven’t clicked just yet. That could change against the Bruins, though. Montreal acquired talented winger Thomas Vanek at the trade deadline, a move that bolstered its forwards group. Not only that, but Vanek represents someone who absolutely torches the Bruins. In 53 career games against the Bruins, Vanek has scored 30 goals and added 31 assists. He’s yet to tally a point with the Canadiens, so maybe seeing the black and gold across the ice will be what gets him going with his new team.
Puck drop from the Bell Centre is slated for 7:30 p.m.
