B's continue to struggle vs the Habs, lose 4-1 at the Garden
No, the Bruins didn't score six goals for the fourth straight game.
In fact, they didn't do much at all.
The B's got wholly outplayed by the Montreal Canadiens on the Garden ice, losing 4-1 to their rivals, and reminding the Black and Gold that the standings can be deceiving.
Being 10 points behind the Bruins in the Atlantic gave the Habs a bit more incentive to play well, and they did just that.
Montreal opened up the scoring just two minutes into the game, when an Alexei Emelin slapshot from the blueline beat Tuukka Rask on the short side just inside the left post.
The Habs made it 2-0 12 minutes later, when a defensive breakdown (the theme of the night) sprung Max Pacioretty on a break away, where he held his ground on the rush and beat Rask five-hole.
As it stands, it's Dougie Hamilton's goal that got the Bruins within one, but NESN was showing the replays practically all game, and it sure looked like David Krejci got a tip on the puck with the heel of his stick. At any rate, it was about the only bright spot on the night for the B's, as the Canadiens never held up, and instead added two more tallies in the second period.
Brian Gionta restored the two-goal lead for Montreal on the powerplay at 11:54 of the second, tipping a shot from Tomas Plekanec, and ending Rask's night. It was Brad Marchand's idiotic extra roughing penalty on David Desharnais that put the Habs on the powerplay.
A few sequences before Marchand tried to rough it up with P.K. Subban, but the ref stepped in and most likely told Marchand to knock it off, yet he continued the extra-circulars on Desharnais, so the refs decision was easy.
Enter Chad Johnson. And enter another goal. Danny Briere made it 4-1 on another breakaway, beating Johnson with a snapshot over the glove and pinging the crossbar.
The Bruins didn't have much on the night, and they certainly did not play their best. There were tons of defensive breakdowns, a lack of energy, not much for premium scoring chances, and poor goaltending. For a Habs/Bruins matchup, this one did not have the juice that the rivalry is known for.
The B's just didn't have 'it.' Whether it be a natural letdown after playing so good for the past two weeks, or taking the Habs lightly with their current situation in the standings, it was a night to forget and move on from.
The Bruins turn the calender to February, where they'll take their crack at new NHL sensation Ben 'Can't Score On Me' Scrivens and the Edmonton Oilers.
In fact, they didn't do much at all.
The B's got wholly outplayed by the Montreal Canadiens on the Garden ice, losing 4-1 to their rivals, and reminding the Black and Gold that the standings can be deceiving.
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| photo by S. Babineau/Getty Images |
Being 10 points behind the Bruins in the Atlantic gave the Habs a bit more incentive to play well, and they did just that.
Montreal opened up the scoring just two minutes into the game, when an Alexei Emelin slapshot from the blueline beat Tuukka Rask on the short side just inside the left post.
The Habs made it 2-0 12 minutes later, when a defensive breakdown (the theme of the night) sprung Max Pacioretty on a break away, where he held his ground on the rush and beat Rask five-hole.
As it stands, it's Dougie Hamilton's goal that got the Bruins within one, but NESN was showing the replays practically all game, and it sure looked like David Krejci got a tip on the puck with the heel of his stick. At any rate, it was about the only bright spot on the night for the B's, as the Canadiens never held up, and instead added two more tallies in the second period.
Brian Gionta restored the two-goal lead for Montreal on the powerplay at 11:54 of the second, tipping a shot from Tomas Plekanec, and ending Rask's night. It was Brad Marchand's idiotic extra roughing penalty on David Desharnais that put the Habs on the powerplay.
A few sequences before Marchand tried to rough it up with P.K. Subban, but the ref stepped in and most likely told Marchand to knock it off, yet he continued the extra-circulars on Desharnais, so the refs decision was easy.
Enter Chad Johnson. And enter another goal. Danny Briere made it 4-1 on another breakaway, beating Johnson with a snapshot over the glove and pinging the crossbar.
The Bruins didn't have much on the night, and they certainly did not play their best. There were tons of defensive breakdowns, a lack of energy, not much for premium scoring chances, and poor goaltending. For a Habs/Bruins matchup, this one did not have the juice that the rivalry is known for.
The B's just didn't have 'it.' Whether it be a natural letdown after playing so good for the past two weeks, or taking the Habs lightly with their current situation in the standings, it was a night to forget and move on from.
The Bruins turn the calender to February, where they'll take their crack at new NHL sensation Ben 'Can't Score On Me' Scrivens and the Edmonton Oilers.
- The Bruins have lost their last five games against the Habs, with their last win coming on February 6th of last year. It's the first Bruins/Habs game decided by more than one goal since a 4-2 win by Montreal at the Bell Centre back on October 29, 2011.
- Tuukka Rask's last 11 games versus Montreal: 1-9-1, 3.24 GAA, .887%. Yowza.
- Rask was pulled for the fourth time this season, with the other three coming against the Canucks, the Senators and the Kings.
- It was a surprise to many when it was announced that Peter Budaj would get the start over Carey Price, but Budaj backed up his coaches decision quite well, stopping 34 shots and getting the W.
- The Bruins have four games left before the Olympic break ( vs. Oilers, vs. Canucks, @St Louis, vs Senators).
