MONTREAL — It finally happened!
For the first time in eight regular-season attempts, the Boston Bruins (15-9-3) beat the Montreal Canadiens (19-7-3).
With two goals in 42 seconds in the third period, Boston’s Loui Eriksson and Landon Ferraro erased a one-goal deficit and grabbed the lead. Five minutes and seven seconds later, Brad Marchand set up Patrice Bergeron to put the Bruins up 3-1.
That was all she wrote.
There were some minor scares for Boston toward the end. With Bruins defenceman Kevan Miller sitting in the penalty box after an ill-timed interference penalty with 5:22 left in the third period, a puck trickled to a stick-less Zdeno Chara who nearly kicked it right through goaltender Tuukka Rask.
Crisis averted.
With that, the Bruins breathed some life into one of the best rivalries in sports. It was in desperate need of resuscitation, weeks ahead of their next meeting in the Winter Classic—at Gillette Stadium on New Year’s Day.
As for what we learned from this game, let’s start with Rask.
He hadn’t won in Montreal since March of 2014
And yet, Rask downplayed the idea that winning Wednesday offered any kind of relief.
"But it was a great win," Rask said. You couldn’t wipe the smile from his face.
A third period comeback made possible by his strong performance in turning aside 25 of Montreal’s 26 shots through the first two periods was something for Rask to build on.
He faced seven shots in the third and turned them all aside.
‘Tough night’ for Galchenyuk
That’s how Canadiens coach Michel Therrien classified it.
For the first time this season, Alex Galchenyuk was put on a line with Canadiens leading goal-scorer Max Pacioretty. This was supposed to be an opportunity to show he belonged on Montreal’s top line.
But he finished minus-2, losing Marchand on the insurance marker scored by Bergeron.
Therrien, who had the option of matching the lines as he saw fit, placed Galchenyuk, Pacioretty and Sven Andrighetto in a matchup against perennial Selke Trophy-winner Bergeron and perennial Norris Trophy-candidate Chara.
It was a tough night for Galchenyuk through two periods, and it got rougher in the third. No adjustment came from Therrien.
When asked whether or not playing against such fierce competition influenced Galchenyuk’s showing, Montreal’s coach simply repeated that it was "a tough night."
Therrien doesn’t match lines. He prefers to roll all four of his lines as often as he can, and he’s said on several occasions this season that he structures his lines to be trusted against any of the competition’s lines.
But without regular forwards Brendan Gallagher, Torrey Mitchell and Devante Smith-Pelly, the Canadiens had Christian Thomas, Dan Carr, Brian Flynn and Andrighetto all play less than 11 minutes in Wednesday’s game.
If there were ever a time to look for favourable matchups, this was it.
Paul Byron a lone bright spot for Montreal
The man who was claimed off waivers by the Canadiens on the eve of the regular season scored Montreal’s only goal Wednesday.
He waited 10 games to get into Montreal’s lineup and was scratched in between as they maintained the league’s best record.
But in his 17 games in the lineup, Byron has scored four goals and added two assists and a plus-5 rating. He’s been an instrumental part of the third-best penalty kill, which shutdown the league’s top power play on both occasions Wednesday.
"He seems comfortable with the way we play," said Therrien in French. "Aside from his speed, he works extremely hard. When you work hard, eventually good things happen."
Good things did not happen on Montreal’s power play
The Canadiens had three chances to make the Bruins pay with their power play—which came into the game clicking at over 24 per cent at the Bell Centre.
They failed on those chances.
"I think we have to simplify things and just get pucks to the net," said Canadiens assistant captain P.K. Subban. "We gotta be willing to go to those dirty areas."
That statement magnifies how much the Canadiens miss Gallagher.
Meanwhile, Chara’s exceptional play to send Eriksson on a shorthanded breakaway to tie the game was the highlight of the night.
Three-game losing streak for Canadiens
After consecutive 3-2 losses to the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes, the Canadiens dropped another one against Boston.
It was Montreal’s fourth straight game failing to score at least three goals.
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