End of overtime, 2-2: The Bruins and Canadiens are heading to a shootout, despite Dennis Wideman's best efforts to let the Habs end this thing in the final seconds of overtime. Wideman allowed Tomas Plekanec — you know, the guy who is tied for second on the team with 14 goals — to get behind him and get a good look at the net. Tuukka Rask was sturdy, though, recording his 23rd save of the night to force the shootout. Jaroslav Halak finished with 45 saves.
Overtime, 1:34, 2-2: I understand having patience on the power play, but backing up when the Canadiens aren't pressuring the puck doesn't really make a whole lot of sense. The Bruins generated a couple of more good looks, but Jaroslav Halak has been a monster in this game. Tuukka Rask's performance shouldn't go unnoticed, either.
Overtime, 3:41, 2-2: David Krejci has had a very solid game, and he drew a tripping penalty on Roman Hamrlik. The Bruins will have two minutes with a four-on-three advantage.
End of regulation, 2-2: It's time for bonus hockey between these two clubs, which has got to be a huge moral victory for the Habs, who have been out-shot 42-21. The Bruins are the most snake-bitten team I've seen in quite some time. They could have conceivably scored eight goals tonight.
Third period, 3:42, 2-2: It's now or never for the B's power play. Maxim Lapierre got two minutes for boarding — just a dumb penalty for someone to take at this point in the contest.
Third period, 4:30, 2-2: Habs fans took over the crowd with their "Ole" chant, which has got to be pretty embarrassing for the Boston fans.
Third period, 8:15, 2-2: Pretty funny moment during the last TV timeout. The video boards showed a fan wearing a Chiefs sweater, and as soon as he noticed himself on the screen, he lifted it up to reveal a T-shirt that read, "I Hate Peyton Manning," which drew a good rise out of the crowd.
Third period, 9:55, 2-2: Trying to figure out what's more predictable, these Dennis Wideman chants or the Bruins' inability to finish their grade-A chances.
Third period, 13:01, 2-2: Nothing doing on that power play. David Krejci got booked for high-sticking, and there will be a four-on-four for eight seconds before the Habs get a power play for 1:52.
Third period, 14:54, 2-2: Travis Moen got two minutes for hooking, and the Bruins are on their fourth power play of the game. They've converted once so far.
Third period, 17:39, 2-2: They're calling this an official sellout. Either the Bruins have flubbed the numbers, or the ticket agencies took one on the chin for this one.
Third period, 19:49, 2-2: It's hockey time at the Garden. This is a big period for the Bruins, who gave away a two-goal lead to a team they're chasing in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. The B's will obviously be happy with a win of any kind at this point, but they really need a regulation victory.
End of second period, 2-2: The teams head into the second intermission tied at 2. The Canadiens got a big effort from goalie Jaroslav Halak, who has made 30 saves, to keep the game within reach, and the Habs scored two goals in 39 seconds to equalize this contest. Things don't come easy for teams that lose eight consecutive games, and that's no different in this one. The Bruins have outplayed their bitter rivals, but a few seconds of poor hockey have erased 35 minutes of goodwill.
Second period, 2:15, 2-2: So much for dominating the game, as Montreal's second goal in 39 seconds has brought this thing back to square one. Roman Hamrlik took a slap shot from above the left circle that beat Tuukka Rask, who was screened by Mathieu Darche. And here come the boos.
Second period, 2:54, Bruins 2-1: That didn't take very long. The Habs blitzed the crease and cut the lead in half on the power play. Scott Gomez had the puck on Tuukka Rask's left side and sent it into traffic, where former Bruin Glen Metropolit collected the puck and sent it past Rask for a power-play goal.
Second period, 7:07, Bruins 2-0: Well, Blake Wheeler might be wearing that look of frustration again. He just had a great chance to extend Boston's lead, fooling Jaroslav Halak so badly that he dropped to the ice to make a save, but Wheeler couldn't lift the puck over the Montreal goalie. Halak has done his part to keep this a two-goal game, which might be scary for a Bruins team that has lost games in so many different ways in the last month.
Second period, 9:12, 2-0: Wow, the Canadiens look very unimpressive in this game. Maybe they're lost without Mike Cammalleri, or maybe this is just how poor teams at the bottom of the playoff race look this season. Either way, the Bruins have been in control of this one for awhile now.
Second period, 14:35, Bruins 2-0: Blake Wheeler has doubled the Bruins' lead, capitalizing on a nice rush up the ice. David Krejci's shot from the right circle rebounded wide to Wheeler, who batted the puck back into an open net for his 13th goal of the season. Wheeler appeared to look relieved after scoring, maybe letting go of a little built-up frustration.
Second period, 19:38, Bruins 1-0: They're back on the ice at the Garden, where the main story might just be the Ilya Kovalchuk trade. It's all everyone in the press box is talking about.
First intermission, Bruins 1-0: Ilya Kovalchuk has been traded to the Devils, according to USA Today and a couple of scouts in the Garden press box. What Atlanta got in return is still unknown, but this makes the Devils a scary team going forward. Credit New Jersey general manager Lou Lamoriello, who was the original Hockey East commissioner, for making the gutsy trade.
I'm hearing Kovalchuk is going to be a very tough target to sign this offseason. He apparently wants Alex Ovechkin money, and the Capitals superstar inked a 13-year, $124 million deal. The Thrashers apparently offered Kovalchuk something comparable to that deal, but he turned it down for a couple of reasons. First, he wants to test the open market and doesn't yet want to close the door on signing with a Russian team (which is starting to look more and more like a long shot, I've been told), and Kovalchuk doesn't want to stay in a place like Atlanta for a decade, since he isn't convinced he'll have a great chance to win a Stanley Cup there.
End of first period, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission after out-shooting Montreal 15-5 in the opening period. It was a good period for the Bruins, who dominated much of the play and were rewarded with a lead as a result.
First period, 4:12, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins broke the ice with the first goal of the game, and it came on the power play. Dennis Wideman cranked a one-timer from above the right circle, and it deflected off of Mark Recchi's stick and through Jaroslav Halak's five-hole. It's Recchi's 11th goal of the season.
First period, 5:10: The Bruins are about 20 seconds into their third power play of the night, which was awarded after Andrei Markov got whistled for delay of game.
First period, 5:44: The Bruins are continuing to generate some good chances, but they freeze up like a virgin on prom night every time they get near the net. There's got to be a mental thing creeping in on them.
First period, 8:28: Keep an eye on Zdeno Chara and Ryan O'Byrne, who exchanged words after the last whistle. O'Byrne gave Chara the old one-handed shove as the officials closed in to break up the disagreement.
First period, 10:47: Jaroslav Spacek got two minutes for interference, which gives the Bruins their second power play of the game.
First period, 10:54: Play has opened up a bit, and Michael Ryder had a great chance to bury the first goal of the game when he made a nice move to gain access to the low slot, but Ryder couldn't convert.
It's amazing what a losing streak will do to a team. This doesn't have the feel of a Bruins-Canadiens game by any stretch of the imagination. There's very little life in the crowd, and there are tons of empty seats all over the building.
First period, 16:57: Wow, that power play dried the paint off the walls. By my count, the Bruins had more turnovers in their own zone than shots with the man advantage, and one of those turnovers came from Dennis Wideman, who makes Steve Montador look like a Hall of Famer.
First period, 19:14: Brian Gionta gets two minutes for hooking 46 seconds into the game. Gionta, a former Boston College star, had to have broken Jerry York's heart when he joined the hated Habs.
7:04 p.m.: Boston will start left wing Marco Sturm, center Patrice Bergeron, right wing Mark Recchi, defenseman Dennis Wideman, defenseman Matt Hunwick and goalie Tuukka Rask.
6:57 p.m.: Montreal will start left wing Travis Moen, center Tomas Plekanec, right wing Sergei Kostitsyn, defenseman Ryan O'Byrne, defenseman Andrei Markov and goalie Jaroslav Halak. Too bad there's no Carey Price. It's always fun listening to the Boston crowd get on one of their favorite villains.
6:32 p.m.: It'll be Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak in net for the Bruins and Canadiens, respectively. Things are starting to pick up at the Garden, where both teams are on the ice in preparation for the start of this shindig. In the "for what it's worth" department, a Carolina scout was checking in earlier, and it seemed like an impromptu visit because he wasn't on the credential list. The Bruins and Hurricanes have been recently linked in trade rumors regarding Aaron Ward and Ray Whitney, so maybe something is up.
1:05 p.m.: Maybe it'll just take an old rivalry to snap the Bruins out of this awful funk.
The B's host the Canadiens on Thursday night at the Garden in a matchup between a pair of teams fighting for playoff spots. The 12th-seeded Bruins (23-22-9, 55 points) have a little ground to make up on the seventh-seeded Habs (26-25-6, 58 points), but the Bruins shouldn't be worrying about other teams as much as they need to worry about themselves. Taking care of this eight-game losing streak would be a good way to start.
