THE CANADIAN PRESS
MONTREAL — When the Montreal Canadiens needed him most, Alex Kovalev delivered.
The team’s regular-season scoring leader scored on a blast from the left side during a power play 2:30 into overtime to help Montreal to a 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins in the NHL playoffs on Saturday night.
The Canadiens lead the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarter-final 2-0 heading into Game 3 on Sunday night in Boston.
Montreal has now won all 10 meetings with Boston this season and 13 in a row overall, but this was the toughest of all as the Bruins erased a 2-0 Montreal lead in the third period on goals from Peter Schaefer and David Krejci to force overtime.
"It was a tight game where whoever got the bounce would win," said Kovalev, who is serving as captain in place of the injured Saku Koivu. "We expected them to come out better and they did.
"We have to be more patient and not open up too much. And most of all, stay out of the penalty box."
Roman Hamrlik scored in the first period and rookie Sergei Kostitsyn, with his second of the playoffs, got one in the second for Montreal, which needed solid goaltending from Carey Price as they were outshot 39-31.
Boston spent nearly the entire overtime short-handed. After killing a double high-sticking minor to Shawn Thornton that carried over into extra time, Jeremy Reich was then sent off for tripping Andrei Markov.
Kovalev, stymied for two straight games from his usual set-up spot on the right side, moved over the left to accept a pass from Markov and drill a high shot off Zdeno Chara’s stick and over goalie Tim Thomas’ shoulder on the man advantage.
That atoned for a slashing call Kovalev took after flubbing a short-handed breakaway, which allowed Krejci to tie the game during a two-man advantage at 9:34 of the third period.
"It gets frustrating taking slashes and cross-checks," said Kovalev, before admitting "it was a selfish penalty, but I was able to get it back."
Kovalev’s was the first power play goal in 14 opportunities in the two games for Montreal, which was tops in the NHL with the man advantage during the regular season.
"It’s two games now where Boston’s played well on penalty killing,’ said Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau. "You have to give them credit.
"In the playoffs, everything is tighter. People block more shots and that makes it harder. I don’t think Alex has played really good in the playoffs but he was our best player all year. He was really frustrated. I was trying to get him off the ice on that power play and he wouldn’t come off. But he scored that goal and it’s huge."
The Bruins came out of the game buoyed by the feeling that they can beat Montreal if they keeping working.
"We feel we deserve better," said coach Claude Julien. "Aside from the penalties, we battled hard and our penalty killing was outstanding.
"We gave ourselves a chance and that’s something we can build on."
While Montreal dominated the Bruins physically in a 4-1 win in the series opener on Thursday, the Bruins turned the tables in Game Two, playing the body from the outset and getting good shots on Price.
But it was Montreal that struck first as Steve Begin forced a turnover and Hamrlik came down the left side and beat Thomas with a long blast 18:30 into the game.
Kostitsyn scored the first goal of the series only 34 seconds into the first game, but waited until 1:50 of the second frame this time to jump on a loose puck and slide it under a sprawled Thomas to give the Canadiens a 2-0 lead.
Ear-splitting boos rained down from the crowd of 21,273 as Kovalev was hauled down at the Boston line and Petteri Nokelainen tested Price and then saw Schaefer chip in the rebound 3:38 into the third period.
Kovalev had the puck go off his stick during a short-handed breakaway and then slashed Aaron Ward to give Boston a two-man advantage. Krejci slammed Marco Strum’s pass into an open side to tie the game.
The refereeing left both teams perplexed because while Montreal had the lead, they were slapped repeatedly with penalties from Paul Devorski and Mike Leggo, but once Boston tied it, the Bruins were hit with four in a row.
"Our team hasn’t hidden behind anything all year and we won’t start now — we’ll take responsibility for our penalties," said Julien, who admitted he was upset that no call was made on high stick to Reich just before he was sent off for tripping Markov.
"I guess you need to embellish to get a call."
Notes — Boston defenceman Dennis Wideman sat out with what the Bruins called a "lower torso" injury, while forward Phil Kessel was a healthy scratch. Julien said Kessel sat because he wanted more "grit" in the lineup. That put defenceman Andrew Alberts and forward Vladimir Sobotka into the lineup…Ryan O’Byrne, Mikhail Grabovski and Greg Stewart were scratched as Montreal made no changes.
