Tuukka's Stellar Play Leads Bs To 4-1 Win In Montreal
After the disaster that was the Winter Classic, the Bs likely had some measure of redemption on their minds going into last night’s tilt in Montreal. Thanks to all-world goaltender Tuukka Rask, they were able to wash away most of the ‘who shit in my mouth?’ aftertaste of the New Year’s Day debacle with a big 4-1 win.
Per usual, the struggling Habs came out with a decided advantage in energy and challenged Rask immediately. But the Finn held them at bay with several big saves while his mates finally got their legs underneath them. With a little under seven minutes left in the first, Max Talbot was rewarded for his hustle when he potted his second of the year to stake the Bruins to a 1-0 lead.
8:48 into the second, Montreal’s Mark Barberio blast from the right circle beat Rask to tie things up. The Bs goalie appeared to lose the puck due to bodies out front and picked up on P.K. Subban’s pass a second too late. But eight minutes later Patrice Bergeron (who else?) reclaimed the lead with a wrap-around in a second period that saw the Bs outshot 16-7.
Given that finishing games has been an issue at times this season, there was some trepidation among the fandom as the puck dropped to start the third. But David Pastrnak put those fears to rest with under eight minutes left when he also beat Mike Condon on a wrap-around to make it 3-1. Seeing the kid’s smiling mug after the goal was a sight for sore eyes. Brad Marchand’s 17th of the year into an empty net put a bow on a huge win up in Quebec.
The victory keeps the Bs ensconced in seventh place and also gives them a three-point cushion over their rivals who are now on the outside looking in thanks to New Jersey’s win (who thought I’d be writing that sentence a month and a half ago?). Their 53 points has them in fourth place in the jam-packed Atlantic Division but they’re just one point behind Detroit and Tampa. They’ll look to keep pace in the frenzied race when old friend Ryan Miller and his Vancouver Canucks visit tomorrow night.
A few more buds for your bowl…
*Pasta also assisted on Bergy’s goal to give him 1-1–2 on the night in just 7:05 of ice-time. He started the game on the fourth line as Claude eases him back into the line-up. But you might wanna bump his TOI if he’s gonna produce like that.
*David Krejci made the trip to Montreal and will be re-joining the team soon. Nothing like dropping an high-end center into the line-up for the playoff stretch. Ryan Spooner has more than held his own in his absence (here’s a good take on his progression).
*We have a lot of fun here playing up the rivalry with Montreal and making fun of shit. But I wanted to give the franchise a “thank you” for their incredibly moving pre-game video about Denna Laing and their support for her. Well done, Habs.
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