Bs Can't Do Shit In Montreal And Drop Game Six, 4-0---Game Seven Tomorrow Night
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) May 13, 2014
Bruins look totally bush league. — Peter King (@SI_PeterKing) May 13, 2014
(This isn’t a high road thing…just pointing out that they’re on the same level.)
Did anybody really think it was going to end any other way than with a Game Seven between these two?
Thanks to a disastrous start and the Bruins’ Stormtrooper-like aim, the Canadiens waltzed to a 4-0 Game Six win to force the ninth Game Seven between the NHL’s Hatfields and McCoys. It’s a game everybody except Boston wanted. And because Montreal played like their season was on the line and the Bruins didn’t, they’re going to get it.
After going down 1-0 just 2:11 in because of a bad Kevan Miller misplay of a D-to-D pass and a crappy poke-check by Tuukka Rask, the Bruins could never get the equalizer in 33+ excruciating minutes, including a stretch when they had the Habs penned in for what seemed an eternity. With 11:40 left in the second, Milan Lucic sent a wobbly rebound through the length of the crease and Montreal essentially put a hat on it seven minutes later when Max Pacioretty beat Rask on a breakaway.
On the second goal, Loui Eriksson tried to glove down a pass but the puck instead deflected right to Pacioretty. Zdeno Chara just kind of watched him before attempting a last-second-but-too-late stick check when risking a penalty or diving sweep check were better options. Rask looked unsure about whether to go for the poke check or man his crease and opened up his five-hole while deciding. Instead of a tie game heading into the final frame, the Bs trailed 2-0 with 24+ minutes left and longtime observers of this feud already started making plans for Wednesday night.
Thomas Vanek added a power play goal goal shortly after Pacioretty scored and an unmanned net goal (because Rask wasn’t on the bench, it wasn’t scored as an empty-netter) that served only to give under bettors a mild scare. When down 3-0, the Bruins did have a puck tap-dance on the goal-line but reviews confirmed it never fully crossed it. (However, it would have been interesting to see how things played out had the ref called it a goal on the ice because when the puck was wobbling on the line, it appeared as though one side of the puck touched the white over the line while the other was hovering over the red of the line. Not sure there would have been conclusive video is wasn’t a goal). Either way, it likely would’ve only affected the final score but not the final outcome.
Once again, the Bs got a dominating performance from the third line in the Montreal zone (plus/minus aside), a solid one from their second, and basically two no-shows from lines one and four. David Krejci continues to confound. He continues to look for perfect passes instead of trying to create juicy rebounds. Aside from a tip-in goal that felt like weeks ago, Jarome Iginla needs to do more. The so-called “Merlot” line looks more like a bottle of Mad Dog 20/20 and instead of reliability they’re becoming more known for being a liability lately. Still, I’d be surprised if Claude sits any of them for Game Seven given his preference for experience.
As for Rask, he needs to be better than three goals on 27 shots (not including last goal when he was going for bench). Though he did make a spectacular stick save on Brendan Gallagher to keep it 1-0, he did whiff on a couple other chances to make a big save in a big spot. Meanwhile, his counterpart Carey Price recorded his second shutout of the series while doing exactly what he needs to do without his team having to depend on him. He’s been great but the Bruins haven’t made him have to steal a game.
Tomorrow night at the Garden, the Bruins season is on the line for the first time of these playoffs. They either march on to meet the winner of Rangers/Penguins or have a summer filled with regrets and what-ifs. They’ll need more, much more, from their top line. They’ll need more from the fourth line. Their captain needs to be much better. And they’ll need the best Rask can give them. Time to leave it all out there, boys. Or you’ll join the long list of Bruins teams that had their seasons ended too soon by the Montreal Canadiens.
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