MONTREAL – Based on the start of this game viewers of game four of this series would have been forgiven if they had believed they were watching a TiVo of game three. The first period of game four was a twin version of game three as Montreal dominated the first three-quarters of the period only to watch it all go down the drain.
To make matters worse for the Canadiens they had to stand by and watch Michael Ryder, a player management forced out of town last season, finish them off with a terrific two-goal, three-point evening.
With the win the Bruins move on to the next round where they will take on the remaining Eastern Conference team with the lowest-seed.
Montreal was a desperate team and when the puck dropped for all intents and purposes it appeared the series was heading back to Boston for game five. The Canadiens blitzed the Bruins and opened the scoring just 39 seconds into the match when Andrei Kostitsyn notched a goal.
Saku Koivu took a pass from Alexei Kovalev and then headed to the net after dishing the puck off to Kostitsyn who patiently waited for Koivu a nd Bruins defender Aaron Ward to block Boston goaltender Tim Thomas’ vision. It was at the point Kostitsyn fired the puck past the screened goaltender.
In game three an innocent tip-in by Phil Kessel evened the period, but in this game the Canadiens would shoot themselves in the foot. Montreal defenseman Roman Hamrlik committed a gaffe and turned the puck over directly to Ryder who ripped a wrist shot past a surprised Carey Price. When it looked like the period would end in a tie a supreme individual effort by David Krejci stole the period for Boston.
Krejci handled the puck into the zone and bounced off Montreal defender Ryan O’Byrne and got the puck near the net to Ryder, who in turn quickly passed the puck across the crease to Krejci for an easy score. Despite out-shooting the Bruins by a 16-7 margin the Boston outfit shrugged their shoulders and took a 2-1 lead into the second.
Montreal’s Centennial Season would be doomed in just 45 seconds of the second period. After giving Montreal a chance to tie the game by picking up a slashing penalty near the mid-point of the game, Kessel broke the Canadiens back. Patrice Bergeron claimed a loose puck just as Kessel exited the penalty box and banked the puck off the boards. Although the play may have been offside the officials did not rule it as such and Kessel broke in all alone on Price and beat him. Ryder and Krejci would team up again for the final nail in the coffin. Just seconds after Kessel’s goal Krejci slid the puck from the left of the goal to the right and Ryder knocked it home.
The end of the game was a microcosm of the series. Boston held their tempers in check and the Canadiens simply melted under the pressure. Desperately needing a goal to at least make things difficult on Boston, the Canadiens spent nearly six minutes of their last seven and a half shorthanded. Defenseman Michael Komisarek effectively ruined any chance of extending Montreal’s season when he took a major penalty for cross-checking rival Milan Lucic. Then with just 45 seconds left the Canadiens took a symbolic too many men=2 0on the ice penalty. The penalty was symbolic due to the fact they were so outplayed, except for brief stretches, they needed an extra man to keep up with the Bruins.
Notes
Price was and is being pilloried in Montreal for his lackluster play, but without him in game four it would have been a complete blowout. Price stopped several clear breakaways during an up-and-down four-on-four session early in the second period just to keep Montreal in the game. While it is true Price could have played better, to blame him as the sole reason for their loss in this series would be a grave disservice to the team for their 2009-2010 campaign.
No one knows what Montreal will look like next year. They had 12 free agents on their playoff roster, not including Robert Lang who is on the injured reserve list. The list includes play ers such as Koivu, Alex Tanguay, Kovalev, Komisarek and Chris Higgins. With the pressure the city places on the players it might be very difficult for the Montreal organization to replace players without having to overpay them. You can be sure the Vincent Lecavalier rumors will be in full swing after the team failed with this group of players.
Blake Wheeler was shut out when the NHL’s finalist’s list for the Rookie of the Year award was announced, but no one will overlook what his season meant to the Bruins. Wheeler came into camp and was one of the team’s best forwards, but many assumed since he would have a large cap hit the Bruins would send him to Providence. Instead the club ate Peter Schaefer’s contract and sent the veteran to Providence. This sent the message that performance and not cash would be king in Boston this year. Although he is currently on the fourth line, Wheeler tied for sixth amongst all rookies with 21 goals but more impressively he finished second overall in plus/minus and still kills penalties regularly in the post-season.
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