Whenever the Bruins and Canadiens get together, we expect the fast-paced and physical type of play we are used to seeing. More recently, it has been all about the goaltending. Tim Thomas and Carey Price stole the show once again for their respective teams on Monday night.
The B's knocked off the Habs by a score of 1-0. They dictated the game despite being out-shot 33-18. They slowed down the game and grinded out the victory, something that Bruins head coach Claude Julien preaches every single day.
The only goal of the game came at 15:41 of the first period. Andrew Ference blasted a shot past Price after some great passing by Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley. The play occurred during a delayed penalty.
From then on, it was all about the defense for Boston. Yes they have won nine straight games at this point, but the defense and goaltender had not really been challenged. Adam McQuaid and Zdeno Chara each had a great game, combining for five hits. They also made some game-saving blocked shots as the Canadiens were making their late rushes. Honestly, the Bruins needed to be tested in a game like this.
With the win, the Bruins now sit on top of the Northeast Division with a 12-7-0 record. It only took 16 days for the B's to go from worst to first. The last time the Bruins lost a game was over two weeks ago when they dropped both games in a home-and-home series against this very same Canadiens team.
Boston goes for ten in a row on Wednesday night when they travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres. I am not sure but I think that is going to be an interesting game........
Gold Star: Tim Thomas: (33 saves on 33 shots, no goals allowed)...Thomas recorded his third shutout of the season Monday against Montreal. He proved that he still is one of the top goaltenders in the NHL.
Black Star: Benoit Pouliot...This was his worst game as a member of the black and gold. After getting hit (a clean hit by the way) by Alexei Emelin, he goes and hooks him in retaliation. Just a stupid penalty. Once he took a high-sticking penalty that gave Montreal a four minute power play opportunity, he did not see ice time for the rest of the game.
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