Stanley Cup Playoffs Live Blog: Canadiens Stun Penguins With Game 4 Victory

Final, Canadiens 3-2: Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable. That was an outstanding third period, and the Bell Centre is so loud it might have just blown the speakers off my TV. Montreal showed almost nothing through two periods but capitalized twice in the third to steal Game 4 and even the series. Then, it was an all-out war with both goalies coming up huge and keeping the game in doubt until the final seconds. That was just fun to watch.

Third period, 1:15, Canadiens 3-2: Now, it's the Canadiens who are peppering the Pittsburgh net. The Penguins have been stapled in their zone, and Marc-Andre Fleury has done his part to keep this a one-goal game.

Third period, 3:57, Canadiens 3-2: Jaroslav Halak denied a tired Evgeni Malkin on a breakaway, with the goalie getting his stick in the way of the forehand bid. This game is crazy right now.

Third period, 9:00, Canadiens 3-2: Montreal truly escaped from that penalty kill, as the Penguins had a couple of golden opportunities to bury the puck and tie the score. Jaroslav Halak is owning it right now.

Third period, 11:05, Canadiens 3-2: The Canadiens don't want to keep messing with the penalty box. Mathieu Darche was called for tripping, and the Pens' mighty power play will get back to work. And the classy Canadiens fans have decided to throw stuff onto the ice.

Third period, 14:45, Canadiens 3-2: Brian Gionta ended Montreal's power play with a cheap shot on Brooks Orpik — two BC guys — and Gionta was bagged for boarding. The teams will play four on four for 48 seconds before the Pens go on the power play for 1:12.

Third period, 15:57, Canadiens 3-2: Matt Cooke has found a familiar place in the penalty box, and the Habs can increase their lead on their second power play of the game.

Third period, 16:20, Canadiens 3-2: Go, Habs, go? Well, here come the Canadiens. Brian Gionta centered a pass on a two-on-one break, and the puck deflected off Kris Letang's skate and past Marc-Andre Fleury. Holy cow, this thing has changed up in a hurry.

Third period, 17:53, 2-2: How 'bout that miracle? Maxim Lapierre scored on a whipping wrap-around from behind the net, snapping the puck past the skate of Marc-Andre Fleury, and the Canadiens have erased 42 minutes of misery.

Third period, 19:50, Penguins 2-1: Just 20 minutes left in Montreal.

End of second period, Penguins 2-1: The Pens have a 2-1 lead that looks like a 10-1 lead. Pittsburgh has utterly dominated Montreal in this game and looks to be toying with the helpless Habs. If the Canadiens couldn't turn it around after the first intermission, why should we believe they can do it after the second intermission? It's going to take a miracle for Montreal to win this game.

Second period, 7:30, Penguins 2-1: The Canadiens couldn't capitalize on the power play, and the ice is tilted back in Pittsburgh's direction.

Second period, 10:43, Penguins 2-1: Right on cue, Evgeni Malkin was busted for goaltender interference, and the Habs have their first power play of the night.

Second period, 12:45, Penguins 2-1: It's tough to figure out what's worse: the Canadiens' continuous diving, or the crowd's incessant booing when the officials don't call a penalty after the home team's Ben Affleck-esque acting ability. Could go either way, I guess.

Second period, 14:30, Penguins 2-1: Doc Emrick and Gus Johnson need to call a game together. Or maybe something like the Running of the Bulls.

Second period, 17:30, Penguins 2-1: The Canadiens got lucky and escaped any danger on the penalty kill. Kris Letang nearly padded Pittsburgh's lead, but he couldn't club a dancing puck into the weak side of an open net.

Second period, 20:00, Penguins 2-1: UFC president Dana White is in attendance wearing a Canadiens sweater. So much for growing up in Boston, huh?

End of first period, Penguins 2-1: That's it for the opening 20 minutes, and I think we need to start a collection for Doc Emrick, who needs a week in the Caribbean after that pressure-packed period. Jaroslav Halak let up a pair of soft goals, but his defense deserves an equal share of the blame in that department. Halak did recover, though, and he made some quality stops to keep the Habs in the game.

Pittsburgh is going to start the second period on the power play after Hal Gill was whistled for slashing Sidney Crosby at 20:00. That's not a good thing for the Canadiens, who have already allowed one man-advantage tally in this one. And the last time Gill was penalized for an infraction against Crosby, Geno Malkin scored the game-winner in Tuesday's third period. In fact, the Pens have scored twice in a row when Gill has gone to the box.

First period, 1:15: Penguins 2-1: Geno Malkin is fine, by the way. I don't think he even missed a shift since leaving the ice earlier in the period.

First period, 3:50, Penguins 2-1: Scott Gomez stole the puck from Alex Goligoski at the right circle in the Pittsburgh zone, but Gomez's chance was swatted away by Marc-Andre Fleury. That was Montreal's first scoring chance since the Expos left town.

First period, 4:52, Penguins 2-1: Wow, what a pace to this game. Pittsburgh was whistled for offsides, which was the first whistle in nearly 10 minutes. The Pens have built property in the Montreal zone, and the Canadiens are doing their best not to get run out of their own building.

First period, 12:20, Penguins 2-1: Geno Malkin just left the ice and is sitting on the bench in some pain. It doesn't look like it could be anything serious, though.

First period, 14:42, Penguins 2-1: In 40 years, Chris Kunitz will tell his grandkids about a rocket from the blue line, but Thursday night, the whiff works all the same. The Penguins were on the power play after Hal Gill's questionable penalty, and Kunitz helped the Pens capitalize. Sidney Crosby sent the puck to Kunitz in the slot, and his shot attempt went by the wayside. But the puck deflected off his skate and somehow glided softly through the crease and into the net. The play was under review for a couple of minutes, but the call looked to be correct.

First period, 16:33, 1-1: Max Talbot has Marc-Andre Fleury's back. Talbot picked up the puck in the neutral zone, skated alone into the Montreal end and backhanded the puck past Jaroslav Halak to tie the game 53 seconds later. It was a pretty soft goal from Halak's side, so each netminder has some issues to work through early in this one.

First period, 17:26, Canadiens 1-0: Marc-Andre Fleury was tremendous Tuesday in Game 2, keeping the Habs off the board with a flurry of beautiful saves in the third period. But his night got off to an ugly start here, as he allowed Tom Pyatt's poor-angle shot from the left circle sneak through his glove.

First period, 19:57, 0-0: They're underway at the Bell Centre. Mike Rupp is a scratch for Pittsburgh, which is also still without Billy Guerin.

7:00 p.m.: It's almost time for face-off in Montreal, where it's a must-win situation for the Canadiens. Sure, they erased a 3-1 deficit against Washington, but the Capitals proved to be a better matchup for the Habs. That, and Jaroslav Halak was walking on water during that comeback.

8 a.m.: Bruins fans are probably at the brink of insanity if they've been rooting for the Canadiens over the last week, but Thursday night is another big one for the Habs. The Penguins lead the series 2-1 after taking Game 3 in Montreal, and the two teams are back at the Bell Centre for the fourth game of the Eastern Conference semifinal series.

This one is big in Boston for two reasons. Most notably, it would keep the Bruins' dream alive of grabbing home-ice advantage in a potential conference final with Montreal. But a Canadiens victory in Game 4 would also guarantee at least two more games in this ultra-physical series between a pair of teams that like to get nasty all over the ice.

Stay with NESN.com's live blog throughout the night. If nothing else, it will keep you safe from any potential postgame riots on Saint Catherine Street.