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Completing another epic playoff comeback in Game 2, the Boston Bruins are in Montreal with a deadlocked 1-1 series against the Canadiens. And despite carrying the play for much of both games, especially in the latter half of both contests, you can make a legitimate case that the B’s are lucky to be tied up with Carey Price and company. Hell, thats what Price thought anyways.
“They got pretty lucky I thought,… Price said after Boston’s Game 2 win this past Saturday. “They were playing desperate at the end of the game, and they found a way to put it in the net. We’ve just got to regroup, realize the situation we're in, we’re in a good spot, and move forward.…
I’m not sure if luck or not that’s given Price a .727 save percentage in the third period of this series -- Boy that’s an awful lot of bad luck -- but the Bruins (especially their defensemen such as Torey Krug and Dougie Hamilton) are sticking to their gameplan of aiming high on Price.
That’s apparently a problem, too.
It’s all a big head-game from the Bruins, according to Montreal’s Michel Therrien.
From CBC:
"It's something they've tried in the past," said Therrien, whose team emerged from the opening two games in Boston tied 1-1 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal. "We all remember in the (2013) Stanley Cup final when they talked about [Chicago goalie] Corey Crawford and how he was giving up goals glove side."It's a part of their strategy. It's the same thing with Claude's comments, how they had to deal with penalties — which I find they're coming out of pretty well. They're trying to influence the decisions of the officials. These are the Boston Bruins. It's always been like this and it won't change. It doesn't seem to be affecting my players and, as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't affect me."
It took all of two games for the off-ice animosity to generate between these two Atlantic rivals. Shocking, I suppose. I thought it would’ve happened on the way into the Garden before Game 1, really. Between luck, the talk of ‘crap’ (penalties and non-penalties), and attempts to influence referees one way or the other, this certainly seems to sound like a Bruins-Canadiens series.
Oh, about that last one...
In tonight’s Game 3 showdown between the Bruins and Habs, the referee crew? Tim Peel and Chris Rooney. Good God, that’s a nightmare. Now, this isn’t a preemptive scream from the mountaintops about how the Bruins are going to get screwed by shoddy officiating, it’s just that I think that these two are a pretty awful duo (and the case against them is quite strong, too). Put them in a building where you have 21,000+ crazy, screaming people on top of the ice, and I don’t think it’s hyperbole to suggest that we’re all going to witness a pretty inconsistent night, to say the least.
And if this does turn out to be a night of penalties for a Bruins club that can’t seem to keep their cool this series -- Peel has called an absurd 21% more penalties on the road team this season -- tonight could be an unmitigated disaster from the Black-and-Gold’s point of view.
As if it’s not already been a disaster through a little over 140 minutes of this series. Through two games, Boston’s penalty kill is just 5-for-9, surrendering four power-play goals to the Habs’ ultra-talented man advantage. The biggest factor in all of these PP strikes? P.K. Subban.
Subban’s slap shot, among the best in the league, has struck for two tallies, while he’s had the primary assist on both of the Habs’ other power-play goals (both scored by Thomas Vanek).
So here’s the problem: Subban is too good to leave open. This much is obvious. But he’s such a strong skater and perhaps the league’s best at dancing along the blue-line that it’s borderline impossible to have someone track him the entire time on the power play (even Patrice Bergeron struggles to keep up with No. 76’s speed along the line). There’s also a developing problem when it comes to clearing Vanek out from in front of the net, where he’s just so good at tipping pucks home.
The biggest problem of all, however, has been Boston’s seriously undisciplined play. The Bruins have racked up 26 minutes in penalties in just two games (including four roughings) compared to Montreal’s 18 minutes in the box. That was in Boston, too. In Montreal, you’ll get away with less.
Read as: If you continue to take more penalties, you’re going to continue to get burned by the Habs.
But this is a Game 3, and everybody knows the success of the B’s when it comes to Game 3s.
Under Claude Julien, the Bruins are 14-1 in Game 3s, and have won 12 straight. Their last loss in a Game 3 came in the 2009 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Carolina Hurricanes, a series they ultimately dropped in seven games. When taking to Game 3 ice with the series tied, the Bruins have won six of seven contests, accomplishing this feat last round against Detroit.
This ain’t the Joe, though. The Bell Centre is a straight-up zoo. And while that’s something that the Bruins recognize, it’s not something they’ll get hung up on when they take the ice tonight.
“At the end of the day, we’ve just got to go out there and play our game. It’s important for us not to think that way,… Julien said of any Bell Centre jitters. “It’s important for us to think about what we need to do to win and not let those kind of distractions get in our heads.…
The Canadiens won 23 of 42 games at home during the regular season, 25 in 44 if you count the postseason, making a strong first period a simple must for the Bruins.
“I think good starts make for, most of the time, good games and I think our starts have been decent. Our guys have come prepared, whether we score or not. I think we’ve been pretty good against Montreal both games,… Julien said after Monday’s practice. “I thought we had good start and the power play goal that first game is what gave them the lead. And we were able to take the lead in Game 2. But it’s part of the whole process of playoffs — you’ve got to be ready at the drop of the puck.…
On a lineup note, the Bruins will likely go with Andrej Meszaros over Matt Bartkowski on the second pairing for the second straight game. The 28-year-old Meszaros recorded an assist, took a roughing penalty, and logged 16:35 in Game 2.