First period
- Montreal has a promising shift to open things up, but Josh Anderson has too much space to make a play, is overwhelmed by the options, and ends up getting stripped of the puck after holding it for about three seconds.
- On their fifth shot, the Bruins open the scoring, Samuel Montembeault couldn’t regain his balance, and even though Juraj Slafkovský shoved his man to the ice, Danton Heinen was still able to get enough on the puck to send it into an empty net.
- This isn’t the start the Habs wanted, and not the one I was expecting after all the comments yesterday.
- The penalty kill is going to get tested now with Kaiden Guhle to the box for high-sticking Brad Marchand. If they kill it off, it was worth it.
- Boston is getting three players to the crease, and that’s tough for even two defencemen to contain.
- Let’s hope the Canadiens are playing the second period first tonight. They can’t handle the Bruins’ intensity right now.
- There’s a nice, connected zone entry executed by the top line and it leads to a necessary blocker save from Linus Ullmark.
- The same line comes out after the TV timeout and nearly scores.
- Now the second line is on the action. The players have ramped themselves up to the needed level.
- Not surprisingly, it’s the top line that gets on the board with a quick little tap pass from Juraj Slafkovský to Nick Suzuki at the side of the net.
- It’s a new career high in goals for Suzuki with 26. He should easily get to 30.
- Guhle intercepts a pass meant to be a cross-crease tap-in for Boston, and sends it out of harm’s way.
- Montreal recovered from being completely outclassed in the opening half of the period to tie the game and make the shot counts more respectable.
Second period
- An intermission audit changed the shots from 10-7 Boston to 9-8, so fairly even all around, and the Bruins had a power play.
- Guhle joins the rush as the Newhook line gets the start in the second, and just sends a backhand shot wide.
- Another Habs penalty as Johnny Kovacevic is in the box for holding.
- The penalty is killed.
- Guhle is the most composed Habs player on the ice tonight, even as one of the players with a penalty.
- The Bruins are trapping. How boring. But they don’t care because they’re on the road.
- Montreal isn’t going to get any power plays for the type of things they’re getting called for, so they’ll have to do it the hard way.
- Suzuki has his stick held and just lets go of it, knowing full well there will be no call.
- Colin White has his hands hooked while trying to skate the puck to the red line, The play continues with the Bruins in possession.
- Slafkovský has a Bruin hanging onto him in the middle of the ice, and I fully expected the play to just keep going when the Bruins touched the puck.
- Just one shot on the power play as Boston defended well.
- The second line puts in a shift at five-on-five that looked more dangerous that the power play, and it results in another man advantage as the Bruins send the puck out of play.
- Shots in a tight-checking second period ended up being 5-5.
Third period
- The remainder of the power play sees the Habs get the puck to dangerous areas, but flub the shots for nothing particularly dangerous.
- Slafkovský uses his long reach to turn defence into offence in an instant, but can’t get his shot off the way he wants on a two-on-one.
- Now Boston survives a bit of Montreal pressure.
- Guhle gets slewfooted while defending the front of the net.
- If Boston gets this same level of officiating in the playoffs, the Maple Leafs may only last three games.
- Again, the pile of non-calls was getting too high, and the officials had to whiste an obvious hold on Jakob Lauko.
- Charlie McAvoy is down on the ice, and the officials are calling a double-minor for high-sticking to investigate. Their verdict is four minutes to Suzuki, and that will do it for the Habs’ power play, and then a three-minute one for Boston.
- Montreal rags the puck until Lauko’s penalty is done, then launches a short-handed attack. David Savard gets a shot and an offensive-zone faceoff.
- David Pastrnak jumps on Jake Evans’s back to prevent a short-handed breakaway Play continues.
- Suzuki is out of the box, and there’s a loud cheer from the crowd.
- Montreal looks for a late goal with full possession for the final minute, but we’re off to overtime.
Overtime
- Mike Matheson decides one point will be enough on this night and be advances deep into the offensive zone and loses the puck. Suzuki tries to defend the two-on-one, but Jake DeBrusk scores. Boston wins 2-1.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) It’s just a bit too obvious what’s going on sometimes
2) There’s no Bergeron to stop him now
1) Just how we all envisioned it
