Bruins Lose 4-3 in OT as Rangers Fight to Stay Alive

For the Bulletin Board: Lundqvist’s “Lucky Bounces,” Savard’s “#ByeByeTorts”

Jacoby Ellsbury’s Struggles Continue – What Next?

Bill Belichick No Longer NFL’s Highest Paid Coach

Canadiens Get Revenge on Bruins; Pacioretty Hospitalized After Chara Hit

Have there ever been two NHL teams that hate each other more than these two? I really don’t think an argument could be made for any other two teams in the history of the league. Every time the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens meet up, there’s always a story to go along. On Tuesday night, the Canadiens got the best of the Bruins as they came away with the 4-1 victory.

Carey Price was near flawless for Montreal as he shutout the B’s until late in the third period. He got his redemption from the 8-6 loss his team suffered in February. Max Pacioretty left the game on a stretcher after a dangerous hit from Zdeno Chara left him motionless on the ice. It was reported that Pacorioretty was moving his extremities on his was to the hospital.

The last time these two teams met less than a month ago, they collectively racked up 182 penalty minutes and 14 goals. This time around, Bruins center Patrice Bergeron wanted a different kind of game. Before Tuesday’s game both teams were vying for the top spot in the Northeast Division and wanted to win the game, not just the physical aspect.

“We’re not heading to Montreal trying to do the same thing as last game,” Bergeron said. “I don’t expect anything at all. It’s huge points for both teams when you look at the standings. It’s going to be huge until the end of the year, and it’s going to be a big game.”

It’s too bad things didn’t work out as well as Bergeron wanted them to. The Bruins lost and the team didn’t look very good doing it either. Struggling to score and giving up too many opportunities on the defensive end really hurt the B’s.

The loss brought the Bruins to 38-20-8 on the season, but Boston is still in first place in the Northeast with 84 points. It was the Bruins’ second consecutive loss after going on a seven-game winning streak (including 6-0-0 on the road).

The Canadiens are catching up to the B’s, as they improved their record to 37-23-7, good for 81 points. Montreal has now won five games in a row and are looking strong.

Tuukka Rask started in goal for the Bruins and had a tough time from the start. Letting up two goals in the first period and then two more in the second, Rask saw his record fall again to 9-12-1 on the year. He had been playing very well as of late too, having won his last four games before Tuesday night, and five of his last six starts.

Price, meanwhile, had yet another stellar outing. Tuesday’s win was his fourth in a row and fifth of his last six. He now how has a record of 32-21-6 on the year and is in the talks of Vezina Trophy candidates, alongside Tim Thomas as well.

First Period

• Tempers flared early as Johnny Boychuck and Ryan White got into a scuffle just three minutes into the game. Boychuk got a five-minute fighting major while White got an additional two-minute instigator penalty.
• Montreal got things going just over eight minutes into the game with a goal from Lars Eller. It was his sixth of the season and he was assisted by Travis Moen and Paul Mara on the play. Canadiens up 1-0
• With less than three minutes left in the period, Eller got his second goal of the game and seventh of the season. His goal barely slipped in as Rask was unable to fall on it and Ellers just had to push it past the goaltender. Moen and Andrei Kostitsyn got assists on the play. Canadiens up 2-0
• Shots on goal: Boston 11, Montreal 9

Second Period

• Seven minutes into the period and Bruins failed to kill off Chris Kelly‘s hooking penalty as Brian Gionta netted his 24th goal of the season. He was assisted by Scott Gomez and Tomas Plekanec. Canadiens up 3-0
• Less than five minutes left in the period and yet again the B’s struggled to kill penalties. This time it was James Wisniewski, who scored his eighth goal of the year with assists from Mike Cammalleri and David Desharnais. Canadiens up 4-0
• All of Montreal held it’s breath right before the period ended as Chara hit Max Pacioretty into the boards and side of the Plexiglas. Pacioretty was down on the ice motionless before he was taken off on a stretcher. Chara received a five-minute major for interference and a ten-minute misconduct.
• Shots on goal: Boston 7, Montreal 11.

Third Period

• The Bruins decided to get on the board midway through the third as Milan Lucic netted his 29th goal of the season. He was assisted by David Krejci on the play. Canadiens up 4-1
• Shots on goal: Boston 13, Montreal 6.

Up Next

The Bruins will head back home to take on the Buffalo Sabres, who are looking to improve on it’s 2-1-1 record in the month of March. The Bruins are 2-2-1 against the Sabres this season, with the last game being a 4-2 loss at the end of January. Buffalo is currently 32-26-8 (72 points) and is in third in the Northeast, 10 points behind the Canadiens for second place.

Game Notes

• The Bruins struggled on the power play (0-for-4) while the Canadiens made a living with the man-advantage (2-for-5).
• Montreal was little more physical (22 hits) than Boston (20 hits).
• The Bruins were very successful on the faceoff, winning 32-of-51.
• Boston spent a little more time in the penalty box than Montreal, 28-to-23 minutes.

Tags: Boston Bruins, Carey Price, Lars Eller, Max Pacioretty, Milan Lucic, Montreal Canadiens, Tuukka Rask, Zdeno Chara