MOORE SCORES WINNER! RANGERS KNOCK OUT THE CANADIENS; NEXT STOP IS THE STANLEY CUP FINAL

            Earlier tonight in New York, the Rangers had a second crack at advancing to their first cup final since winning it all back in 1994. Meanwhile the Habs were trying to keep their magical cup run alive by forcing a Game 7 back home in Montreal. 2 minutes into the game, the Rangers were pressing, Zuccarello came up the left wing and fired a shot and Tokarski made a great save, falling down and kept the five hole shut. The Rangers dominated the first period, outshooting the Canadiens 11-5.  Early in the second, Haglin came into the offensive zone shorthanded and went for the rap-around and he was stopped. At the 5 minute mark of the period, Rangers powerplay and Derek Stephan wired a shot off the post. 5 minutes left in the second, Vanek came up the right wing and fired a backhand shot, it deflected off a Ranger stick and Lundquist robbed him with the blocker. Shortly after, Canadiens can't clear the puck and Boyle centred the puck to former Hab, Dominic  Moore and he scored! 1-0 Rangers.

      The shots were 8-8 in the second. In the third, Canadiens facing elmination and the Ranger played a 1-2-2 strategy to force the Habs to dump the puck in where the Rangers would easily get the puck and clear it. Tokarski made several amazing saves in the third, but the Montreal Canadiens offensive could not get by the Rangers D and because of that they lost 1-0 and their season has come to an end. The Habs only had 5 shots in the third and that was not good enough. Lundquist made 18 saves to lead the Rangers to their first final since 1994. In the loss Tokarski made 31 saves in the Canadiens longest cup run since 1993. This was the closets the Canadiens got to returning to the finals since losing in 2010 in the conference finals to the Philedelphia Flyers in 5 games.  They were 3 wins away that year and this season they got a little closer as they were just 2 wins away. But it wasn't meant to be. Best of luck to the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup final and good luck to the Montreal Canadiens for next season. The more experience these players get, the farther they will go in the future.

- Andrew Di Pardo

BOURQUE GRABS A HAT-TRICK! CANADIENS EXTEND SERIES VS NYR WITH A 7-4 VICTORY!

           Earlier tonight in Montreal, it was win or go home for the Canadiens as they were facing elimination for the third time in the Playoffs (Habs won Game 6 & 7 Vs Bruins to advance to the current round). Less than a minute in, Kreider tripped Subban and the Habs went on their first powerplay of the night.  Markov played the puck to Subban and his one-timer was deflected past Lundquist by Alex Galchenyuk to make it 1-0 MTL at the 1:48 mark of the first. A few minutes later, the Rangers came in on a 2 on 1 and Haglin received the puck at the side of the net and was robbed by the knob of Tokarski's stick. At the 10 minute mark of the period, Stephan's point shot was deflected off the stick of Beaulieu and in to tie the game. On the next shift, Galchenyuk played the puck to Gionta in the neutral zone and he tipped the puck to Plekanec and he skated into the offensive zone and fired a shot under the glove of Lundquist to make it 2-1 Montreal. The shots were 12-10 Montreal in the first.

              3 minutes into the second, Gallagher played the puck to Pacioretty on the right wing and he fired a shot into the back of the net to extend the Habs lead. 3 minutes later, Eller centred the puck to Bourque and he scored! 4-1!  Lundquist gave up 4 goals on 19 shots and that was it for him as in came Talbot.Past the halfway point of the second, Nash threw the puck to the net and it deflected off the stick of Gorges and in to cut the lead to 2. That was the Rangers first shot of the second. Stephan cut the lead to one, shortly after. Than at the 13 minute mark of the period, Plekanec took a diving penalty. On the Rangers powerplay, McDonaugh played the puck to Kreider in front and he had an empty net and scored. Tie game! 1 minute later, Bourque had the puck in the slot and he ripped a shot past Talbot to give the Canadiens the 5-4 lead! The Habs dominated the second for the most part, allowing just 3 scoring chances and unfortunately for them, the Rangers scored on all three chances. But the good news is, they had a 5-4 lead after 2. The shots were 12-6 Montreal in the second.

          6 minutes into the third, Weiss played the puck to Bourque in the slot and he fired a shot into the back of the net to make it 6-4! That was Bourques third goal of the night. Bourque becomes the first Habs player to score a hat-trick in the conference finals since Guy Lafleur back in 1975 against the Bruins. He is also the first Canadien to get a playoff hat-trick since Andrei Kostitsyn in Round 1 against the Washington Capitals back in 2010. Desharnais would add an empty net goal as the Habs stay alive and win 7-4. In the win, Tokarski made 23 saves."We had a big power-play goal early and a few others throughout the night," Bourque said. "That was the difference for us tonight." In relief, Talbot made 6 saves on 8 shots. "That was a lot of fun," Pacioretty said. "We came out strong. That's a group effort. Everyone contributed tonight and that's makes it more special."

       Towards the end of the third, John Moore hit Dale Weiss on what looked to be a blindside hit to the head. Moore was given a 5 minute major and a game misconduct and he will most likely get suspended for at minimum 2 games."The league will do what it has to do. I think he was penalized on the ice," Vigneault said. "John is definitely not the type of player to try to hurt someone, but it was a late hit and it was the right call on the ice." If the Habs play like this next game we will see a Game 7 back in Montreal on Saturday night. Game 6 for the Rangers is a 'must win,' if they lose Game 6 the Canadiens will win the series. So the pressure has shifted from the Montreal Canadiens to the New York Rangers. game 6 is Thursday at 8:08pm E.t.

Andrew Di Pardo

ST.LOUIS SCORES OT WINNER; RANGERS LEAD SERIES 3-1

         Earlier tonight in New York, the Rangers had a chance to take a 3-1 series lead and the Montreal Canadiens were looking to tie the series. 7 minutes in, the Habs were on the powerplay, Subban gave the puck away at the side of the net and Boyle sent Haglin up the middle and he scored on a breakaway and the Rangers lead 1-0. The shots were 11-9, Montreal in the first. 8 minutes into the second, Bouillon came up in the rush and was on a 2 on 1 and he fired a shot past Lundquist to tie the game. In the final minute of the period, Girardi sent a pass up the middle to Brassard and he had a breakaway and he took a slap shot and it beat Tokarski to give the Rangers the lead. 2 minutes into the third, the Habs were on their 6th powerplay of the game and Subban blasted a shot past Lundquist to tie the game. Late in the period (under 3 to play) and Bourque fired a shot from the slot and it hit the crossbar. So were off to overtime, score tied at 2-2. The shots were 8-6 Habs in the third. 6 minutes into overtime, Haglin played the puck to Martin St.Louis at the side of the net and he scored! Rangers win 3-2 and take a commanding 3-1 series lead. The Habs had many many chances in this game on the powerplay.

        In fact they had 8 powerplays and only scored 1 goal on it and its because of their PP system. They have two guys who can blast pucks on goal from the point, Subban and Markov. But Subban is the only man at the point and everyone on the Rangers know that 99% of the time the pass goes to him and they are set and ready to block his shots. This is why the Habs lost, when you have so many PP chances you simply have to score, especially when you have it in overtime. But they didn't and they lost. I'm taking away from the  27 save performance by Lundquist, he was a big reason the Rangers won, but when you have the same PP system each time out, you become predictable.  As for Tokarski, he played really well again. He made 26 saves and several of them were highlight reel ones, including breakaway stops on Haglin and St.Louis. But unfortunetly for him, the Habs couldn't clear the zone on a play in overtime and they lost.

         My prediction for Game 5 is that the Habs will come out and play their best game of the Playoffs and win a game on home ice. If the Habs lose game 5, not only are they eliminated, but they would have had their worst home ice playoff performance since 2006. In round 1 of 2006 against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Habs won two games on the road to take a 2-0 series lead, they ended up losing 4 in a row to lose the series.  3 of the 4 losses came on home ice and if they lose Game 5 against the Rangers it means that for a second time in 8 years, they have lost all 3 games on home ice and thats not good for a team thats known as "The Vatican of the National Hockey League (MTL has the most Stanley cups with 24)." But I do believe that they will 100% win Game 5.

- Andrew Di Pardo

HABS WIN 3-2! GALCHENYUK SCORES O.T. WINNER! TOKARSKI MAKES 35 SAVES!

           Earlier tonight in New York, the Rangers battled the Montreal Canadiens with a chance to take a 3-0 series lead with a win on home ice.  The big story for the Habs was the new 4th line of Vanek - Bourque - Briere.  The Rangers dominated the first, but Dustin Tokarski made several highlight reel saves. But with under 5 to play in the first, Rangers came in on a 2 on 1, Gorges went down to block the pass and he went into Tokarski and St. Louis fired a shot, Gorges made a save with his glove before Haglin batted the puck in to make it 1-0. The shots were 14-4 Rangers in the first. 3 minutes into the second, Pacioretty played the puck to Markov on the right wing and he wristed a shot past Lundquist to tie the game. That was Markovs first goal of the 2014 playoffs. Late in the second, St. Louis had a one timer at the side of the net and he was stopped by Tokarski. The shots were 13-9 Rangers. Both Lundquist and Tokarski were solid early in the third.

           But with 5 minutes to go, McDonaha gave the puck away to Weiss in the slot and he was stopped by Lundquist. 2 minutes later, Bourques shot was stopped, Vanek got the rebound and fired it wide and it went to Briere in behind the net and he threw it in front and it went off former Hab draft pick, McDonaha and in to give Montreal the lead at 2-1. With under a minute to play, St. Louis's one-timer from the side of the net was stopped. Another highlight reel save by Tokarski. 30 seconds later, Girardi's shot deflected off of Kreider and off of the skate of Emelin and in to tie the game. The shots were 9-9 in the third. 3 minutes into the overtime, Plekanec's shot was stopped and it went off the chest of Galchenyuk and in to win the game! 3-2 is the final. Tokarski is the number 1 star with a Ken Dryden like performance making 35 saves on 37 shots.

       The Habs were sloppy at times, but Tokarski was there to bail them out. The series is now 2-1 in favour of New York and there is a guarentee of at least one more game in Montreal. But before that, the Habs have one more game in the big apple on Sunday at 8:08pm.

- Andrew Di Pardo

LUNDQVIST MADE 40 SAVES. RANGERS WIN 3-1 & TAKE A 2-0 SERIES LEAD

            Earlier tonight in Montreal, Game 2 between the Habs and the New York Rangers. Dustin Tokarski got the start with Carey Price being out for the remainder of this round. Peter Budaj remained on the bench as a cheerleader for this game. 6 minutes in, Pacioretty fired a shot from the slot and it deflected off a Ranger player and in. 1-0 Montreal. 17 seconds later, McDonagh's shot from the point went off Gorges and in to make it 1-1. Later in the period, the Rangers came in on a 3 on 1 and Kreider (the man who injured Price) played the puck to Nash and he scored. 2-1. The shots were 14-9 Montreal in the first. 8 minutes into the second, the Rangers were on the powerplay on one of the worst tripping penalties I've ever seen. Stephan played the puck to St. Louis and he scored from the slot. 3-1. Throughout the second, Kreider and Puliout both went hard to the net and bumped into Tokarski several times. But nothing was called. 11-8 Rangers were the shots in period 2. No scoring in the third as Lundqvist made several amazing saves to win the game for the Rangers, 3-1 is the final. In the win, King Henrick made 40 saves. In the loss, Tokarski made 29 saves.

       " I chose to Start Tokarski because he's a winner," Therrien said. " I told Budaj this morning and he. Uh. Handled it like a pro."The Montreal Canadiens are in a tough spot now, down 0-2 in the series going back to New York. The main question for MTL is in the net... Who do they start? Peter Budaj or Dustin Tokarski? I think because Tokarski started this game, he has to start the next game. As for Budaj, this is a sign that his career in Montreal will be over come the summer time. This decision to start a rookie instead of a vet is a slap in the face for Budaj and he will no longer be a part of this great organization because of it.  The Canadiens will have to win Game 3 and 4 if they are going to have a shot at winning this series and they are well aware of that. Game 3 is Thursday at 8:08 pm E.t.

- Andrew Di Pardo

RANGERS BLOW-OUT THE CANADIENS 7-2 IN GAME 1

         Yesterday afternoon in Montreal, the Canadiens were coming off an emotional Game 7 win against the Boston Bruins and were looking to make that emotion carry over into Game 1 against the New York Rangers. Just 4 minutes in, Dominic Moore centred the puck to Martin St.Louis and he scored. 1-0. 2 minutes later, McDonah centred the puck to Zuccarello and he scored 2-0. The Habs came out flat in the first and were down 2-0 and were being outshot 12-6. Early in the second, Chris Kreider had a breakaway, he lost control of the puck and then ran into Price "accidentally on purpose." Price stayed down for several minutes, he would finish the period. There was no call on the play. Shortly after that, Gionta centred the puck to Bourque and he scored to cut the lead to 1. The Habs dominated the second, but Lundquist made several saves to keep the Rangers in front. With 1 minute to go in the second, Kreider had a breakaway and he scored.

         With under 20 seconds to go in the period, Richards scored. Price allowed 2 goals on 2 shots since being run into. The shots were 10-8 Montreal in the second, but the Ranger lead 4-1. Peter Budaj was in net to start the third after Price allowed 4 goals on 20 shots. The first shot he faced was a slap shot from the slot from McDonah and he scored. 5-1. Stephan would score to make it 6-1. Then Nash scored his first of the playoffs to make it 7-1. All 3 of the goals on Budaj, came on the powerplay. Eller would score a late goal as the Rangers would win 7-2. In relief, Budaj made 5 saves. In the win Lundquist made 20 saves."I reviewed the incident," Therrien said about Kreiger running into Price.  "Obviously, it was an accidental contact, but let's put it this way, he didn't make much effort to avoid the contact.

       "I'm sure the intention of the player was not to hit the goalie, but you have to try to do everything in your power to avoid contact and it's tough to say if he tried everything to avoid that contact." The Habs played a good 12 minutes out of 60 in this game. But once the Rangers made it 3-1, it looked like the Habs just threw in the towel as some fans were doing. "Good thing it’s a seven-game series because we have a chance to get back into it," said Bourque. "We have to be better from the puck drop. We had a little bit of an emotional letdown after the Boston series. We talked about that going into the game. Obviously it didn’t click. We have to just forget about this game." Game 2 goes Monday night at 8 in Montreal.

- Andrew Di Pardo

CANADIENS UPSET THE BRUINS IN GAME 7! NEXT STOP ROUND 3 vs NEW YORK

         Earlier tonight in Boston, the 9th game 7 between the Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens took place. Boston was the favorite in this series as they were expected to go to the Stanley cup finals. But the underdogs found a way to upset the defending conference champs. 2 minutes in,  Briere centred the puck to Weiss and he scored! 1-0 Habs. The Habs were 6-0 when scoring first in the playoffs and the team that had scored first has won every game in the series. That trend would continue. The Habs had a solid first period, but they were outshot 9-6, but had a 1-0 lead. 10 minutes into the second, Desharnais played the puck cross ice to the left wing right to Pacioretty and he one-timed a shot past Rask! 2-0 Canadiens. The Bruins would take over from there. They dominated the play and Price made save after save after save. He would only allow one goal in the second, by Iginla on a deflection. Habs lead 2-1 after 2. The shots were 13-8 Boston in the second.

            Bruins dominated the third, outplaying the Habs, but the Candiens blocked shots and Price made saves. Under 3 minutes to go in the third, Habs on a powerplay, Briere threw the puck off the skate of Chara and in to make it 3-1 and that would be the final. Habs advance to round 3 for the first time since 2010 and the second time since 1993. In the win, Price made 29 saves and is 5-0 in elimination games this season (playoffs and Olympics). In the loss, Rask made 15 saves. After the game during the handshake line, Lucic had a few words for Weiss. To recap, Krug (Boston) scored a goal and did a chest pump celebration. Game 3, Weiss scored and did the same. Game 5, Lucic flexed his muscles at Subban. Game 6, Weiss flexed his at Lucic.  The Habs called it "disrespectful."

         So in Game 7,  Lucic told Weiss after the game that he "will F*****n kill him next season." Heres what Lucic had to say:  " What happens on the ice says on the ice," he said. " If he wants to be a baby about it, than he can. We weren't disrespectful, scoring a goal and celebrating? Thats disrespectful?"  Heres what Therrien had to say: "I'm not going to talk about the other team," he said. "I never talk about the other team. One thing I could tell you we were a group that was really really motivated to win this series." Game 1 between the New York Rangers and the Montreal Canadiens begins Saturday afternoon in Montreal at 1pm.

- Andrew Di Pardo

CANADIENS WIN BY COMMITTEE & FORCE A GAME 7!

             Earlier tonight in Montreal, it was do or die for the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs came out hitting, and no this is not a typo. The Habs were hitting everything and everyone that had the puck in the first. They out hit Boston 18-10 in the first. But 3 minutes in, the Habs opened the scoring. Miller lost control of the puck in behind his own net and it went to Lars Eller in front and he backhanded a puck past Rask to make it 1-0. The shots were 11-8 Montreal in the first. At the midway point of the second, the Habs couldn't clear the puck out of the zone. Gorges and Weaver were forced to take a 3 minute shift, they blocked a few shots and eventually they would get it out. Price made the save of the game on that shift as Lucic, had an empty net but Price dove across and got a stick on it. With under 5 minutes to go, Beaulieu flipped the puck up the middle to Pacioretty and he had a breakaway and he scored! 2-0 Habs. 2 minutes later, Habs on a powerplay,  Markovs shot was stopped, the rebound went to Pacioretty and he kicked the puck to Vanek, he had an empty net and scored!

         3-0 Habs.The shots were 12-10 Montreal in the second. With 4 minutes left to play, Rask headed for the bench for the extra attacker prematurely and the Bruins lost control of the puck at center to Desharanias and he played it to Vanek who fired a shot from center to make it 4-0. That would be the final as Carey Price made 26 saves for his 4th career playoff shutout (all coming against the Boston Bruins). "I never played at a pace like that before," Beaulieu said about his NHL playoff debut. "It was incredible. It was good to get the first period under my belt and I felt I settled down after that."In the loss, Rask made 22 saves."The second goal probably hurt us the most because we were spending a lot of time in their end and we had some great chances to tie the game, but that kind of turned the tide around," said Julien. "I didn't like the way they got their goals tonight.But we had more lines going than we've had this whole series.

             "We spent a lot of time in the offensive zone, but if you hit posts and miss open nets. . . You've got to bury those chances. Tonight they came back to haunt us." In 2014, Price had played in 4 elimination games, 3 in Sochi and 1 in Montreal, he is 4-0 and has only allowed 1 goal in total in all 4 games. Heres what Paciroetty had to say about playing in elimination games. "I was just waiting for my time to pitch in offensively," said Pacioretty. "Obviously you wanted it to happen more often in the playoffs, but it's two do-or-die games where I've scored a goal so I feel confident that I'm helping the team.You want to feel you're helping the team win and I think I did that tonight."Game 7 is Wednesday night in Boston.

- Andrew Di Pardo

REFS SPOIL THE GAME FOR MONTREAL... BRUINS TAKE A 3-2 SERIES LEAD

          Earlier tonight in Boston, Game 5, series tied at 2-2, Bruins vs Habs.  The Canadiens got off to a good start, using their speed against the big bad Bruins but a "so called" hooking call against Pacioretty at the 4 minute mark gives the Bruins momentum. Pacioretty tapped the sweater of a bruin player with his stick, the player dove and Boston got a powerplay. Eriksson centered the puck to Soderberg and he scored 1-0 Boston. The Habs had 3 powerplays in the first but failed to score. In the final minute of the first, Boychuk through Plekanec into Rask, the goaltender punched him in the face. Only one penalty was called and it was on Montreal. The shots were 9-8 Montreal in the first. 1 minute into the second, Bruins on the powerplay, Hamiltons shot was deflected in by Smith to make it 2-0. Shortly after that, Boychuk went for a hit and Plekanec put his stick up to defend himself and he was given a penalty for high-sticking. On the powerplay, Krug centered the puck to Iginla and he scored, 3-0. Late in the period, Habs on the powerplay, Plekanec's shot was tipped in by Gallagher to cut the lead to 2.
          Gallagher was in the goalies crease, but the goal was allowed. I think it's because of the bad calls made on the Habs, the refs tried to make up for some of the calls. The shots were 13-11 Boston in the second. Eriksson would make it 4-1. Then late in the third, Habs on another powerplay, they pulled Price and Subban scored to cut the lead to 2 and that was as close as they would get. In the final minute, Subban skated by the Bruins bench with the puck and was sprayed in the face by Thornton. A stupid play by the Bruins tough guy... Everyone always says "don't poke the bear" when referring to Boston, but idiotic tactics like what Thornton did, may give some added motivation for the Habs."It hit me in the visor. I couldn't even see the last minute and a half out there," Subban said. "So I was pretty upset about that ... I'm sure if that was me that did it, it would be a different story. I'd probably be on the news for the next three days." 
 
          In the loss, Price made 26 saves."You back any animal into a corner, it's going to be desperate," Price said calmly. "I think we're going to be a desperate hockey club coming into next game and I think we're excited for the challenge." In the win, Rask made 28 saves."I don't think you can look at tonight and say all of a sudden we found our game." said Julien. "I think we were better tonight but there's another game to win and, I'm being honest here, it's not going to be easy."My prediction, the Habs will win the next game and force a Game 7, as long as the refs make correct calls.

- Andrew Di Pardo

FRASER SCORES IN O.T; BRUINS TIE SERIES 2-2

              Earlier tonight in Montreal, the Canadiens were looking to take a 3-1 series stranglehold against the Boston Bruins and they played well... But they couldn't beat Rask. No score in the first, both teams traded chances but both, Carey Price and Tukka Rask were there to make save after save. The shots were 13-10 Boston. Halfway through the second, the Habs best chance of the game came from Gionta, he had a breakaway but was stopped by Rask. The Bruins hit a goal post in the period as well. So instead of a 1-1 tie, it's still 0-0 after 2. The shots were 12-9 Boston. 9 minutes into the third, with the Bruins on a powerplay, Krug fired a shot off the post. Still no score. Moments later,  Eller centered the puck to Gionta and he was stopped by Rask.

        14-7 were the shots in favor of Montreal in the third, still no score. 1:19 into o.t, Soderbergs shot was stopped and it was a scramble at the net, Price couldn't cover the puck and Fraser would knock the puck in for his first NHL playoff goal as the Bruins win what most were calling a must-win and tie the series at 1-1 and make the series a best of 3. In the win, Rask made 35 saves. In the loss, Price made 32.

- Andrew Di Pardo

CANADIENS BEAT THE BRUINS 4-2! LEAD SERIES 2-1

             Earlier tonight in Montreal, the Canadiens were looking to rebound from blowing a 3-1 lead (which lead to a 5-3 loss), in the third against Boston in Game 2 by re-taking a series lead. 11 minutes into the first, Vaneks slap-pass from the point went to Plekanec and he had an empty net and scored to make it 1-0. A minute later, Subban took a run at Smith and ended up hurting Vanek on the play. Subban was given a 2 minute roughing penalty for god knows what... Since it was a clean hit. Vanek left the game, but would return in the second. After the Habs killed off the Boston Bruins powerplay, Eller sent the puck up to Subban and he had a breakaway and scored to make it 2-0 after 1. The shots were 10-9 Habs in the first. 14 minutes into the second, Briere sends a stretch pass up the middle and Dale Weiss had a breakaway and scored! Weiss celebrates by mocking the Bruins with a chest pump.  Bergeron would score late in the second to cut the lead to 3-1 after 2.

       The shots were 12-12 in the second. Late in the third, Plekanec had the puck in the slot and played it to Vanek on the left wing and he ripped a shot off the post. The Habs nearly ended it right there. Then with under 3 to play, Bruins net empty, Meszaros's shot was tipped in by Iginla to cut the lead to 1. Then with 14 seconds to go, Subban's right knee knocked the net off (accidentally on purpose). After that, Eller had a breakaway on the empty net and scored to make it 4-2 and thats the final. The Montreal Canadiens take a 2-1 series lead and are now 5-0 when scoring first in the playoffs and they're 3-0 on Home ice. "We're playing well as a team," said Subban. "I'm just the beneficiary of the guys playing well around me, supporting me.It starts in goal. Well, it actually starts with our coaching staff and making sure everybody is feeling confident. We're doing it together. It starts with Pricey. From our defence to our forwards. We're sticking together. When we had adversity, we're sticking together doing the right things.It's fun to play on teams where you know guys are going to support you."In the loss, Rask made 22 saves. In the win, Price made 26 saves.

- Andrew Di Pardo

BRUINS COME FROM BEHIND TO EVEN THE SERIES WITH THE HABS

           Yesterday in Boston, Game 2 between the Habs and Bruins took place. The Bruins dominated most of the play, but Carey Price was solid... For 2 periods. Paille opened the scoring in the first to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead after 1. The shots were 13-6 Boston in the period.  1 minute into the second, a mad scramble in front of Rask was poked free by Prust to Gallagher, behind the net and he played it to Plekanec who played it to the slot for Weaver and he ripped the puck into the net to tie the game. Late in the period with the Habs on a powerplay, Subbans shot was tipped in by Vanek to give the Canadiens the lead. The shots were 15-13 in the second for Boston as Price made several saves to keep the Habs in it. 6 minutes into the third, Vanek deflected another shot on the powerplay to make it 3-1. At this point in the third, the Canadiens were outshooting Boston 6-1.

          But at the 10 minute mark, Hamilton fired a shot from the point and Price didn't see it and they cut the lead to 1. 4 minutes later, Bergerons shot was going wide but it went off Bouillon's knee and in to tie the game. Smith would score on a one time pass from Krug to give Boston the lead. Lucic would add an empty net goal as Boston wins 5-3 and tie the series at 1-1. " I'm not going to lie... It would have been nice to be up 2-0. It would have been nice," Therrien said.Price gave up 3 goals on 8 shots in the third and he made a total of 30 saves. Interesting fact... Ever since Hamilton scored, the Canadiens only took one more shot on Rask for the last 9:30 of the third as they just lost control of this game. In the win, Rask made 25 saves. The Habs would like to rebound from this game on Tuesday night when they return home for Game 3.

- Andrew Di Pardo

SUBBAN SCORES IN 2OT! HABS TAKE 1-0 SERIES LEAD!

        Earlier tonight in Boston, Game 1 of the round 2 series between the Canadiens and the Bruins.  Throughout the first 10 minutes, Carey Price made save after save after save to keep the Habs in. Then at the 11 minute mark, Habs on a powerplay, Subban fires a wrist shot from the point past Rask to make it 1-0 after 1. The shots were 13-10 Boston in the first. 3 minutes into the second, Bourque came up the right wing and fired a shot glove side past Rask to give the Habs a 2 goal lead. The Canadiens had a 2-0 lead after 2 and the shots in the second were 9-7 Bruins. 2 and a half into the the third, Smith fires a blind shot from the right wing past Price and the lead is cut in half. A few minutes later, Lucic played the puck to Krug at the point and he scored to tie the game.

       With under 8 minutes to play, Bouillon would give the Habs a 3-2 lead with a one-timer from the slot. With 2 minutes to go, Boychuk's point shot beat Price and the Bruins tie the game.The shots in the third were 14-6 Boston. Price kept the Habs in the game in the third and the o.t as the game would need double overtime. The shots in O.t 1 were 14-6 Bruins. 5 minutes into the second ot, the Canadiens were on a powerplay, Markov to Subban and he fired a shot past Rask! Habs win 4-3 & lead the series 1-0! All 4 goals the Habs scored were glove side on Rask. " Listen, when you suck... You suck," Rask (who made 29 saves) said. "Maybe I'll be better tomorrow." In the win Price stood on his head like Patrick Roy as he made 48 saves.

- Andrew Di Pardo

TAKE OUT YOUR BROOM STICKS! THE HABS SWEEP AWAY THE BOLTS WITH A 4-3 WIN

          Earlier tonight in Montreal, the Canadiens were looking for their first sweep since 1993 with a win against the Tampa Bay Lightning.  2 minutes in, Weiss brought the puck into the attacking zone, muscled his way by one defender and the d-man in front of the net (Barbario) leaves his post and goes for a big hit and misses as Weiss centered the puck to Briere all alone in front and he scored! 1-0 Habs. Thats Brieres 51st career playoff goal. With under 5 to play in the first, Eller skated the puck up the left wing and slapped a shot past Lindback to make it 2-0 after 1. That shot just went under the glove of Lindback as it was in fact a stoppable shot. The Habs dominated period 1, outshooting Tampa 15 to 6. After much speculation, Lightning coach, Cooper decides to keep Lindback in the game. 4 minutes into the second, Habs on a powerplay, Emelin turned the puck over to Palat in front he went around the net and wrapped the puck in... Or was it? The ref waved it off and eventually called it a goal. The play was reviewed and even though there was no evidence that the puck crossed the line, the goal was allowed. 2-1. Less than a minute later, Gallagher came up the right wing and slapped a shot over the blocker of Lindback and made it 3-1.
 

          That was it for the goaltender as he gave up 3 goals on 18 shots. So in comes  Gudlevskis. No more goals were scored in the second as the Habs once again dominated the Bolts outshooting them 14 to 7, but Gudlevskis was holding them in. 3 minutes into the third, Hedman had the puck behind the Habs net and threw the puck off Price and in and the Bolts had life. 3 minutes later, Johnson scored to tie it. Therrien called a time out to settle the Montreal Canadiens down. After the time out, Gallagher had a breakaway and he was stopped by the rookie. As he continued to keep the Lightning in. Late in the third, after the refs missed a holding call on Bourinval, the man who was being held up (Paquette) tripped him and was sent to the box. The powerline of Vanek, Desharnais and Pacioretty came out. With 42 seconds to go Vaneks shot from the left wing was stopped and Pacioretty put home the rebound as the Habs took the 4-3 lead and that would be the final! 

            The Habs sweep their first series since 1993 and score 16 goals in the series, the most goals in a 7 game series since 1993. Every player on the Canadiens registered at least 1 point in all 4 games. Its no surprise that Tampa was eliminated especially since they played with 9 defensemen and 6 forwards. The Habs will play either Detroit or Boston in round 2. But until then they have more than a week off.

- Andrew Di Pardo

HABS TAKE A COMMANDING 3-0 SERIES LEAD WITH A 3-2 WIN OVER TAMPA!

         Earlier tonight in Montreal, the Habs had a chance to take a 3-0 stranglehold lead in the series with a win over the Lightning and boy did they ever. Just 11 seconds in, Subban had the puck in his own zone and flipped the puck down the ice right to Rene Bourque and he had a breakaway and scored! 1-0 Canadiens lead. The Habs had possession of the puck for over half of the period and outshot the Lightning 13-8 and lead 1-0. 8 minutes into the second, the Lightning were on a powerplay and Stamkos shot was blocked and Polat put home the rebound tie the game.With under 4 to play, Killorn came up the left wing and drove the puck to the net and was stopped as he tripped over Price and went into the net. Killorn got up and Price skated into him and as thats going on, Flippula centered the puck to Callahan and Price lost his balance and the puck went in. NO GOAL!

        That was the call on the ice and there was no review. The goal was disallowed because Price was interfered with by Killorn and despite what Jim Hughston of CBC says, according to the rule book... It's no goal if a player makes contact with a goalie even if the goalie purposely bumbs into the offensive player. So NO GOAL is the right call.  Late in the second, after losing his balance, Stamkos was kneed in the head (by accident) by Emelin, he left the game and did return for the third.A few minutes later, Subban centered the puck to Gallagher and he scored! 2-1 Montreal. The shots in the second were 12-7 Tampa.  5 minutes into the third, Plekanec would add another goal to make it 3-1. Carle would cut the lead to one with 8 minutes to play, but thats all she wrote as the Habs win 3-2 and take a 3-0 series lead. In the win, Price made 27 saves. In the loss, Lindback made 28 saves. The Montreal Canadiens will look to sweep the series and advance to round 2 for the first time since their magical playoff run in 2010 on Tuesday night as they're back on home ice at 7:08pm E.t

- Andrew Di Pardo

PRICE SHUTS DOWN THE BOLTS AS THE HABS WIN 4-1! THEY TAKE A 2-0 SERIES LEAD

          Earlier tonight in Tampa, Florida, it was game 2 of the series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Going into this game, the Habs had a 1-0 series lead thanks to the ot winner by Weiss in game 1. They were looking to go perfect on the road in the first two games. 5 minutes into the game, Gionta had a breakaway, he went to his backhand and was stopped by Lindback. That was the best chance of the period in a scoreless game. The shots were 11-10 in favour of Tampa. 3 minutes into the second, the Habs went on a powerplay, Pacioretty won the faceoff to Subban and he fired a shot and it was deflected in by David Desharnais to make it 1-0 Montreal. That was the Habs first powerplay goal in 9 games. 8 minutes later, Vanek played the puck to Bourque at center and he skated by 3 Lightning players and he scored to make it 2-0!

        The shots in the second were 8-8. 11 minutes into the third, the Bolts turned the puck over at center and Gallagher brought the puck in and fired a shot from the right wing and it found its way in to make it 3-0. That was it for Lindback as he gave up 3 goals on 23 shots, so in comes Gudlevskis . Bourque would score a rap around goal later in the period to make 4-0.  Purcell would break Prices shut out bid with under two to go as the Habs go onto win 4-1 and take a 2-0 series lead. "I think we're really focused about the work we have to do," coach Michel Therrien said. "When we approach every game, we don't want to try to see the end result. Our focus, it's been like that every game. ... I like the composure of that team, I like the leadership of that team." Gudlevskis came into the game in relief and gave up 1 goal on 3 shots. "We're not playing well," captain Steven Stamkos said. "We're not going to sugar-coat anything. We have a lot better than these first two games. It's turnovers, it's compete level, but we know what's in here. We know we have this group."

         In the win, Price made 26 saves."It's such a fine line in the difference between the games and for us it's just been consistent play and we're sticking to our systems and we're limiting the mistakes," said forward Brendan Gallagher. "We just felt comfortable today. We were able to execute our game plan as well as we wanted to and we got rewarded." The last two times the Habs stole both games on the road to open a series was in 2006 (against Carolina) and in 2011 (against Boston) and both times they blew the lead and lost the series. But with the way the Habs are playing so far, I don't see history repeating itself for a third time. Expect the Habs to go home and grab at least one or two of the games on home ice if not both. The Habs next game will be Sunday night.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

HABS WIN GAME 1 IN OT! THEY TAKE A 1-0 SERIES LEAD

            Earlier tonight in Tampa, Florida, it was game 1 of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning. The heavy favorite going into this series is the Canadiens despite the Lightning winning 3 of 4 meetings in the regular season. So the Bolts are trying to upset the 24 time Stanley Cup Champions. But they didn't bring their A game tonight. 10 minutes in, Brown centered the puck to Kutcherov and he scored, 1-0 Tampa. 19 seconds later, Plekanec skated the puck into the offensive zone and took the puck to the left wing and fired a shot past Lindback to tie the game. The Habs dominated period 1, out-shooting the Lightning 14-4 in a tie game. 13 minutes into the second, Kostka left the puck behind his own net  for guess who, Steven Stamkos and he went end to end on the right wing and fired a shot past Price to give the Bolts the lead. 19 seconds again, Plekanec split the D and fired a shot off the post. It was almost dejavu. 3 minutes later, the Habs were killing a penalty and Captain Gionta had a breakaway, he was stopped and then put home his own rebound to tie the game. 

        The game was tied after 2 and the shots in the period were 8-7 Montreal. 5 minutes into the third, Eller took the puck to the net and scored to give Montreal their first lead of the night at 3-2. 2 minutes later, Prust turned the puck over to Killorn in the slot and he scored to tie the game. Then with under 9 to play, the Habs had a two on 1 and Desharnais played the puck to Vanek and he scored. Montreal leads 4-3. Back comes Tampa the other way and Killorn centered the puck to Stamkos and he scored. It's 4-4. The sea saw action continued. This game would need Overtime. The shots were 13-5 Montreal in the third. Late in the overtime period, the Habs had their best chance to win on a two on 1, Vanek centered the puck to Pacioretty and he hit the post. A few minutes later, Briere centered the puck to Weiss and he scored to win the game! 5-4! That was Weisse's first NHL playoff goal as the Habs lead the series 1-0. "I was surprised I was that wide open," said Weise.

        "We kept our composure," Canadiens coach Michel Therrien said. "Our players stuck to our game plan and we got rewarded." The habs should have won this game in overtime, but average play by Price forced this game into o.t. But Price was good when he had to be in overtime. The play that stands out was a chance where the Lightning had 3 consecutive shots, but Price was up to the task as he made 21 saves. In the loss, Lindback made 39 saves and was the only reason that the Bolts had a chance in this game. Game 2 will be on Friday night at 7:08pm E.t on CBC.


Written by Andrew Di Pardo