Third period, 15 seconds, Penguins 2-0: Pascal Dupuis scored his second goal of the postseason, burying the puck into an empty net, and the Penguins will take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Third period, 39 seconds, Penguins 1-0: Pittsburgh is trying to survive Montreal's last push here. The net was briefly empty after Jaroslav Halak surprisingly dashed to the bench while the Pens had the puck in their own zone, but Halak has since returned for a neutral-zone face-off.
Third period, 3:22, Penguins 1-0: Marc-Andre Fleury made the stop of the night, going down into a split to get his right pad on a redirection in front by Tomas Plekanec. It would have been a beautiful goal after the puck work through the zone, but Fleury made a magical save.
Third period, 4:23, Penguins 1-0: Montreal has used its timeout to get its top power-play line a quick breather.
Third period, 5:31, Penguins 1-0: That call might have been made to appease the fans. About a minute after the crowd booed a non-call for a potential trip against Pittsburgh, Pens blue liner Jordan Leopold was nailed for tripping in the corner, and the penalty was called by the referee at the top of the zone — not the ref 15 feet from the play. This might be Montreal's best chance to knot the score.
Third period, 9:00, Penguins 1-0: Pittsburgh could probably pull Marc-Andre Fleury and still keep the Habs off the board due to their uncanny ability to block shots. Fleury has only been forced to make 13 saves so far.
Third period, 18:44, Penguins 1-0: Evgeni Malkin blasted a one-timer from the right point that flew through a Sidney Crosby screen, and the puck beat Jaroslav Halak on the near side. It was a power-play goal, further showing how deadly it can be for the Canadiens to keep taking unnecessary penalties. Sergei Gonchar fed Malkin with the pass.
Third period, 19:58, 0-0: Big penalty kill to start the third period here for the Canadiens. The Habs entered the final session with 1:48 remaining on Hal Gill's holding penalty.
Second intermission, 0-0: There was a real nice dust-up after the conclusion of the second period, and Sidney Crosby was once again at the center of it. Crosby dove to the ice after (possibly) getting thwarted in the back of the head by Josh Gorges' errant stick. After Gorges told Crosby to stuff it, a melee ensued, and we'll see if anything significant comes of it in terms of penalties.
Second period, 12 seconds, 0-0: Hal Gill was whistled for holding Sidney Crosby during a battle behind the net, and the Penguins have a big opportunity to capitalize after completely seizing momentum in this game. Crosby's line has been the difference, dominating the play during each shift in the period's last 10 minutes. Otherwise, the period was played pretty evenly.
Second period, 4:48, 0-0: Jaroslav Halak made a brilliant save, sliding to the right post to close up the cage on Alex Goligoski's one-timer from the left circle. That was all instincts from Halak, who had to catch up to the play and assume Goligoski's shot location.
Second period, 7:43, 0-0: That was an aggressive power play from the Penguins, but Jaroslav Halak kept the game knotted with a quick save with the right pad, and the teams are back to even strength. The Habs escaped a bullet after Matt Cooke did his job, successfully agitating Marc-Andre Bergeron enough to draw an elbow and the penalty. Cooke might be a punk who is widely hated across the league, but the Canadiens have to stay disciplined, even if it means clenching their teeth and taking out their frustrations on a tackling dummy in the locker room.
Second period, 10:18, 0-0: There was a good scrum behind the Montreal net after the whistle, and Maxim Lapierre dumped Matt Cooke in the middle of it all. Before the whistle, though, Marc-Andre Bergeron was caught elbowing Cooke in the face, and the Canadien will score two free minutes in the penalty box.
Second period, 13:40, 0-0: Matt Cooke has somehow turned himself into a scorer during these playoffs, potting four goals through a round and a half, but he was denied by Jaroslav Halak on a breakaway bid. Bruins fans immediately rejoiced in unison.
Second period, 14:45, 0-0: Sidney Crosby's line just left the ice after Pittsburgh's best shift of the game. In actuality, it's only the second or third good shift of the game for the Penguins.
Second period, 19:00, 0-0: If you're watching on TV, you're seeing a ton of open seats at the Bell Centre, and it's because the entire crowd heads to the concourse for a bathroom or food break during intermission. It's pretty cool because it shows how passionate the fans are, not wanting to miss any of the action during the period. But it also creates a huge traffic jam in the concourse, and some of them end up missing some of the play anyway.
Second period, 19:58, 0-0: Goals, anyone? Maybe we'll catch some scoring in the second period.
First intermission, 0-0: That's all she wrote for the opening 20 minutes. After Pittsburgh's suffocating start, the Canadiens truly dominated the play for nearly all of the last 15 minutes. They obviously haven't been able to crack Marc-Andre Fleury, and Pittsburgh's shot-blocking defense was a major reason for that. Fleury has made two or three pretty worthy saves, but Montreal hasn't made him work too, too hard to keep the puck out of the net.
First period, 2:01, 0-0: Mike Cammalleri was denied by Marc-Andre Fleury after breaking free through the slot. Seconds later, Sidney Crosby came in after the whistle and cross-checked Cammalleri in the back. Naturally, the officials would never want to insult Crosby by calling a penalty.
First period, 2:21, 0-0: I like how Montreal's defensemen have really gotten involved in the offensive zone, and it's helped the Habs extend their possessions. But Montreal's blue liners have to be careful they don't misplay the puck with their aggressive play because the Penguins are downright nasty when they create odd-man rushes.
First period, 4:44, 0-0: Not much of a momentum-swinger in terms of that man advantage. Pittsburgh generated very little on the power play. At least it rediscovered what Montreal's zone looks like, though.
First period, 7:36, 0-0: Maxim Lapierre was whistled for goaltender interference, and the Penguins have their first power play of the game. This is a good chance for Pittsburgh to regain some control of the game after the Habs have held the puck for a large chunk of the last 10 minutes.
First period, 10:00, 0-0: Montreal has definitely swung the play in its favor, and outside of a couple of short-lived Sidney Crosby waves through the neutral zone, the play has mostly stayed in Pittsburgh's end. The Penguins have done a superb job of getting in front of the puck, though, blocking an admirable amount of shots.
First period, 13:35, 0-0: That was an aggressive Montreal power play, but the Canadiens couldn't beat Marc-Andre Fleury. Let's see if the momentum carries over into five-on-five play.
First period, 15:38, 0-0: Alex Goligoski got a pair for tripping, and the Habs have the game's initial power play.
First period, 17:02, 0-0: The Habs are having a miserable time moving the puck out of their own end in the first period. Anything past center ice has been a major victory for them, and even those opportunities have been few and far between. Credit an aggressive Pittsburgh forecheck, but the Canadiens aren't doing themselves any favors, either.
First period, 19:56, 0-0: It's go time in Montreal, where the Canadiens and Penguins will do something about this 1-1 series tie.
7:07 p.m.: Bill Guerin won't dress for Game 3, which is a tough loss for the Pens. Also, as expected, it'll be Marc-Andre Fleury against Jaroslav Halak between the pipes.
6:36 p.m.: And, now it's time for some Habs news, courtesy of their website.
Defenseman Andrei Markov won't play due to a lower-body injury, and blue liner Jaroslav Spacek is a game-time decision with a virus.
6:27 p.m.: Here's some Penguins news, according to the team website.
Center Jordan Staal skated Tuesday for the first time since having surgery on his right foot, but there was no immediate timetable given for his return after slicing a tendon in the wheel. And center Bill Guerin, a former Bruin, missed practice and is a game-time decision. If Guerin can't go, Mark Letestu will take his place and make his NHL playoff debut.
12 p.m.: Oh, the moral dilemma in Montreal.
Canadiens fans have their team — Les Habitants — and they have their national hero wearing enemy colors, Sidney Crosby.
The Bell Centre will be rocking during Game 3 of the deadlocked Canadiens-Penguins series Tuesday night, and there are plenty of storylines to go around.
Stick with NESN.com's live blog throughout the evening to wrap your brain around the events, which begin with a 7:10 faceoff.
