Final Bruins 5-4 (OT): And the Bruins have evened the series.
Michael Ryder scores his second of the night off a feed from Chris Kelly to beat the Habs just 1:59 into overtime.
The Bruins head back to Boston with the series tied 2-2 and the home-ice advantage back, not that home ice has meant much in this series with the road team winning each of the first four games.
The Bruins will look to reverse that trend and maintain the momentum of these two wins in Montreal when they host the Habs in Game 5 at the Garden on Saturday.
Overtime, 0:49, 4-4: Montreal gets the first big chance as Chara whiffs on a clear in front and Plekanec ends up with a chance in the slot that Thomas saves.
Overtime, 0:00, 4-4: And we're under way in overtime here. The next goal will go a long way toward determining the winner of this series.
Third Intermission Notes: That's right, we've got a third intermission, as 60 minutes wasn't enough to settle this one.
Chris Kelly, playing with a full cage after getting his face slammed into the post in Game 3, has delivered a huge effort with a goal and an assist. His goal at 13:42 of the third is the reason we've got more hockey to look forward to tonight.
Patrice Bergeron is also having a monster game with a goal and an assist, plus seven shots, four hits and a 17-10 record on draws in 19:31. Zdeno Chara has five shots and is a plus-1 in a team-high 26:48 and Johnny Boychuk has sacrificed himself to the tune of five blocked shots already. After trailing most of the game, the Bruins outshot Montreal 12-6 in the third and the Habs have just a 36-34 lead in that category overall.
End Third Period, 4-4: The Bruins survive the late penalty, with several players sacrificing their bodies with big shot blocks, and this will be heading to sudden-death overtime.
Third Period, 17:41, 4-4: The Bruins face a huge penalty kill here in the closing minutes as Dennis Seidenberg goes off for interference. His shot at the right point was blocked by Tomas Plekanec, and Seidenberg stepped in front of Plekanec to prevent a break the other way.
Third Period, 16:39, 4-4: The Bruins have come close to taking the lead a few times, with Kelly denied on another opportunity in front and Nathan Horton getting around Hal Gill for a chance of his own. Price made the stop on that one, but left the rebound in front. Price was able to reach out and haul it in before any Bruin could get to it though.
Third Period, 13:42, 4-4: And we're all tied up again as Chris Kelly comes through with a huge goal for the Bruins.
He bangs home a rebound at the top of the right side of the crease to pull Boston even again.
Third Period, 11:50, Canadiens 4-3: A couple of nice rushes on that shift from Peverley to create scoring chances as the Bruins continue to threaten, but can't pull even.
Third Period, 8:44, Canadiens 4-3: The Bruins nearly tie it again, but David Krejci loses the handle as he's sent in all alone in front by Lucic. Then Thomas stones Cammalleri on a breakaway seconds later to keep it a one-goal game.
Third Period, 6:28, Canadiens 4-3: The Bruins do everything but score in a wild scramble in front of the Habs' net. Bergeron and Marchand each had chances in close and Boychuk pinched in deep only to be robbed by Price with a glove save while lying face down on the ice.
Third Period, 5:27, Canadiens 4-3: The clubs exchange chances, with Andrei Kostitsyn getting around Ference for a chance at the right post, the Milan Lucic tipping one just wide in front at the other end.
Third Period, 1:39, Canadiens 4-3: The Habs convert the power-play chance with P.K. Subban delivering the dagger.
He scored through a screen in front on a shot from the left circle.
Third Period, 0:32, 3-3: The Bruins face a big test early in the third as Montreal gets its first power play of the night with Patrice Bergeron called for hooking in deep in the Habs zone.
Third Period, 0:00, 3-3: And what could be the most important period of the Bruins' season is under way here at the Bell Centre, where the Bruins will look to finish their improbable comeback and head home with the series tied.
Second Intermission Notes: It's been a wild 40 minutes so far in this one at the Bell Centre, and it may take more than another 20 to settle it. That seemed unlikely midway through the second when Montreal scored two goals in less than a minute and its 3-1 lead finally started to reflect how much they had dominated the game to that point.
But give the Bruins credit for showing some serious character to dig deep and come up with an answer as they rallied for two of their own to tie it 3-3 heading into the third. The shots are now just 30-22 in favor of Montreal, which ended up with just a 15-14 edge in the second.
Boston got goals from the long-dormant Michael Ryder and an unlikely source in Andrew Ference before Patrice Bergeron scored the tying goal. It may take some other unlikely scorers to step up to pull this one out. Just as important will be finding a way to slow down Montreal's attack, as Tim Thomas can't be left on his own as much as he was in the first two periods.
End Second Period, 3-3: The Habs have dominated play most of the night, but the Bruins weathered the storm and have rallied to tie it heading into a huge third period that will go a long way toward deciding this series.
Second Period, 17:04, 3-3: Amazingly, the Bruins have tied this one as Patrice Bergeron nets the equalizer.
Price made the initial stop on a shot in from the point, but Marchand collected the rebound at the right post and passed it behind Price to Bergeron for the tap-in at the top of the crease.
Second Period, 16:25, Canadiens 3-2: The Bruins have settled things down a bit the last few shifts. Ference nearly had another goal with a blast from the left point that just sailed wide. Shots now 30-18 in favor of the Habs.
Second Period, 13:42, Canadiens 3-2: More sloppy play from the Bruins as a Chara giveaway and Milan Lucic being deked out of his skates by P.K. Subban leads to another scoring chance, but Thomas makes the stop on Subban.
Second Period, 9:59, Canadiens 3-2: The Bruins aren't quite dead yet, as Andrew Ference pulls them back within a goal.
Brad Marchand's shot from the left wing was blocked in front, but Ference stepped up and one-timed the loose puck home.
Second Period, 7:47, Canadiens 3-1: The Habs strike again, with Andrei Kostitsyn jamming in a shot at the left post off a crossing pass from Tomas Plekanec and this one is getting out of hand quickly.
Second Period, 6:52, Canadiens 2-1: The Bruins simply can't keep up with the Habs right now, and the constant pressure finally pays off with another goal by Michael Cammalleri.
That came after Cammalleri missed wide all alone in front, but Scott Gomez followed with a chance and in front and Brian Gionta collected that rebound and sent to to Cammalleri for an easy tap-in behind Thomas.
Second Period, 5:00, 1-1: That goal may have woken up the Habs, who are all over Boston now. Thomas has kept it a tie game with a series of stellar saves, robbing Travis Moen on a rebound with a toe save and also denying Michael Cammalleri in close. The Habs lead in shots 24-10 now.
Second Period, 2:13, 1-1: The Bruins do tie up, with Michael Ryder scoring the equalizer.
Ryder cmes down the right wing and fires in a shot from the circle taht Price is certainly going to want back, but the Bruins will happily take.
Second Period, 1:21, Canadiens 1-0: The Bruins come within inches of tying it, as Chara one-times a blast from the high slot that Price gets a piece of and the defense clears off the goal line before it can cross it.
Second Period, 0:00, Canadiens 1-0: And we're under way in the second period here at the Bell Centre, with the Bruins looking to turn around Montreal's momentum and even this game.
First Intermission Notes: That was not what the Bruins were looking for in the opening period of this one. The Habs once again came out flying as they did in the first two games, and the Bruins couldn't match that effort.
Only some strong work from Tim Thomas kept it from being a lot worse, as he stopped 14 of the 15 shots he faced in the first.
The Bruins did show some signs of life late with back-to-back strong shifts by the top two lines that helped close the gap on the shot chart to 15-8. They will have to build off that in the second period to try to slow down Montreal. They'll also have to cut down their own errors, as the Bruins have been way too sloppy with the puck early in this one.
Dennis Seidenberg lead the Bruins in ice time at 10:17, with a hit and a blocked shot so far. The Bruins actually have a 9-2 edge in blocked shots, with Montreal also missing six attempts. That shows how much time the Habs have spent in the Bruins zone, and that will have to chance if the Bruins hope to even this series.
End First Period, Canadiens 1-0: The first 20 minutes are in the books, and they didn't go well for the Bruins, who have fallen behind again to the Habs.
First Period, 18:07, Canadiens 1-0: The best shift of the night so far for the Bruins with the Bergeron line finally creating some chances, the best a pass from Marchand to Bergeron at the top of the crease, but Price made the save.
First Period, 16:24, Canadiens 1-0: The Bruins don't even manage a shot on that power play, as they continue to cough up the puck all over the ice.
First Period, 14:24, Canadiens 1-0: The Bruins get a chance to get back into this one with the game's first power play. Lars Eller is sent off for interference.
First Period, 14:14, Canadiens 1-0: It's just target practice on Thomas right now. The Bruins can't even manage to get the puck out of their own zone, with repeated turnovers leading to Canadiens chances. The shots are now 15-4 in favor of the Habs, who look like they want this one a lot more than the Bruins do right now.
First Period, 13:14, Canadiens 1-0: Thomas comes through with a couple of huge saves. he's under siege right now, with Montreal leading 12-4 in shots and dominating play.
First Period, 8:13, Canadiens 1-0: The Habs strike first, and the Bell Centre has become a giant wall of noise.
Brent Sopel gets the goal on a blast from the right point through traffic in front. The Bruins find themselves exactly where they don't want to be, trailing Montreal early.
First Period, 6:51, 0-0: Thomas gives up a juicy rebound to Travis Moen in the right slot, but gets across the crease in time to rob him.
First Period, 6:01, 0-0: Lots of good action early. Nice shift from Johnny Boychuk, who nearly got a one-timer from the point through, then blasted Andrei Kostitsyn with a huge hit along the boards that popped off Kostitsyn's helmet. The fourth line then created some chances for Boston, ending with a scrum in front as Shawn Thornton and Ryan White exchanged greetings.
First Period, 4:01, 0-0: The Bruins with their first chance of the night as Bergeron fires in a turnaround shot. Recchi is all alone in front with the rebound, but his attempt sails wide.
First Period, 1:04, 0-0: The Habs have come out flying as expected, delivering a couple of big early hits in the opening minute. The Bruins will have to weather this early storm and not allow Montreal to jump out to a quick lead.
First Period, 0:00, 0-0: After an amazing pre-game ceremony, both teams are clearly pumped for this one. Should be a flying start as we get under way here at the Bell Centre.
7:08 p.m.: Henri Richard with the torch presentation for this one, handing the flame on to a youngster who then "lights" the ice by touching the center faceoff dot with the torch and projected flames spread across the entire ice surface.
Have to give credit where due, the Habs do put on the coolest pre-game ceremonies in sports.
7 p.m.: The Bruins will open this one with the line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and Mark Recchi up front, Andrew Ference and Johnny Boychuk on defense and Tim Thomas in goal.
The Canadiens counter with Travis Moen, Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta up front, Romas Hamrlik and James Wisniewski on the blue line and Carey Price in net.
But first, we'll have the always impressive pre-game presentation here at the Bell Centre.
6:55 p.m.: Tyler Seguin is officially out once again. He and Shane Hnidy are the scratches along with the usual cast of Black Aces.
Montreal does in fact scratch Benoit Pouliot along with Paul Mara, Yannick Weber and Alexandre Picard. Jeff Halpern is in the lineup.
6:45 p.m.: Jeff Halpern was on the ice for the Canadiens in warm-ups. Benoit Pouliot was not out there. That appears to be the lineup change for Montreal, which did not have any extra skaters on the ice for warm-ups.
6:40 p.m.: No changes in the Bruins' lines in warm-ups. Chris Kelly took part in the line drills, as did Mark Recchi, who had the morning off and was the only Bruins not to participate in the morning skate.
Tyler Seguin and Shane Hnidy again skated in warm-ups, but did not take part in the line drills. They appear to be the healthy scratches once again.
Here are the line combinations from warm-ups:
Lucic-Krejci-Horton
Marchand-Bergeron-Recchi
Kelly-Peverley-Ryder
Paille-Campbell-Thornton
Defense Pairs:
Chara-Seidenberg
Kaberle-McQuaid
Ference-Boychuk
6:30 p.m.: Tim Thomas and Carey Price lead the teams onto the ice for warm-ups.
As expected, that will be the goaltending matchup once again here at the Bell Centre for Game 4.
6:10 p.m.: The Bruins will have Chris Kelly avilable for Game 4 and aren't expected to change their lineup, but Montreal will likely make at least one modification.
Forward Jeff Halpern is expected to play his first game of the series. He has been out with a lower-body injury, but has been practicing with the club.
Benoit Pouliot is the most likely candidate to come out of the lineup to make room for Halpern.
The Canadiens and Bruins both are fully cognizant of what's at stake in this game, as the difference between going back to Boston all even at 2-2 and Montreal taking a commanding 3-1 series lead cannot be overstated.
6 p.m.: The Bruins will look to even their first-round series with the Canadiens in Game 4 in just about an hour.
The Bruins already got some good news earlier in the day when forward Chris Kelly was cleared to play despite a facial injury suffered in Game 3.
No fractures were found when Kelly was examined back in Boston and he rejoined the team on the ice for the morning skate. Kelly will be in the lineup for Game 4, which likely means no lineup changes for the Bruins. Barring a last-minute change, Tyler Seguin is expected to remain a scratch.
8 a.m.: The Bruins came through with the win they needed on Monday to get back into their opening-round series with Montreal, but that effort will be for naught if they don't come up with another win on Thursday.
After a two-day excursion to Lake Placid, N.Y., the Bruins are back in Montreal looking to pull even in the series. Boston fell behind early in each of the first two games in Boston and never recovered in 2-0 and 3-1 losses. But it was the Bruins who jumped out quickly in Game 3, building a 3-0 lead and eventually holding on for the 4-2 win.
A quick start will again be vital for the B's, who will need to take the rabid Bell Centre crowd out of the game early and not allow the Canadiens to build a lead and sit back in their defensive shell.
Monday's victory give the Bruins a blueprint for how to beat the Habs, but they can't count on just simply picking up where they left off after a two-day break.
"I'm one on those guys who believes [momentum] is game to game," Bruins coach Claude Julien said in Lake Placid. "And the thing is, we felt that we needed the win [Monday] and we never talked about them having momentum [after the first two games], we just needed to play better. And that's the way I see it as well. I'm not a big guy about momentum. It's game by game, and you have to come back next game and realize that you're still down 2-1 in this series and you have to be ready because they will be."
The Bruins may have to create new momentum in Game 4, but they will at least have some added confidence after finally beating the Habs in Montreal. Boston had been 0-2-1 in the Bell Centre in the regular season, but had been a better road team than a home team overall. Now they've shown they can win in Montreal when the pressure is on, which is important since the pressure will only mount on Thursday.
A Bruins victory evens the series at 2-2 and restores home-ice advantage to Boston as the series shifts back to the Garden for Game 5 on Saturday. But a loss puts the Bruins down 3-1 and not even a return home may be enough to dig out of that hole.
"There is more at stake," Julien said. "That's normal [in the playoffs], there's more at stake. And you say best of seven, but you never want to lose a game because it's a lot of ground to make up and guys realize that. They know the season could end at any time so if you want to prolong it you have to make sure you're as sharp as possible and make it happen."
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.
