BOSTON, Mass – The Boston Bruins’ road to redemption hit one of the city’s famous potholes last night with a 2-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. In a series in which the Bruins are supposedly holding an advantage in goal and in team defense, it was Montreal who pitched the shutout in a 2-0 win.
The game truly could have gone either way but Montreal goaltender Carey Price turned in the shutout with a fine positional effort. Boston had opportunities to score, but they either botched them completely or Price was in the correct spot to make an easy save.
Brian Gionta scored both of the game’s goals. Gionta’s first period goal came off a defensive breakdown while the second came on a shot he blistered through Boston netminder Tim Thomas. With the Bruins desperately trying to even the score, Gionta capitalized on a turnover and fired a blast from the face-off circle. It was a tough save for Thomas, but one of the kind he must make in order for Boston to get out of this series and onto a long playoff run.
Boston carried the play for most of the night, but it was a classic road win for the Canadiens. Montreal was able to make the most of the few chances they did have and stood up to the Bruins physically.
On paper the Bruins hold the advantage in the series as the third seed, but those who have watched these two teams head-to-head know the Canadians should be the favorite. Unfortunately for the home crowd the Canadiens showed why they are a tough matchup for the Bruins while taking the first game.
Contact Tom.Schettino@prohockeynews.com
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