The following Bruins had good games:
PJ Axelsson
Zdeno Chara
Mark Recchi
Marc Savard
Aaron Ward
Shawn Thornton
Chuck Kobasew
Milan Lucic
Steve Montador
Shane Hnidy
Michael Ryder
Stephane Yelle
Patrice Bergeron
Dennis Wideman
Mark Stuart
Blake Wheeler
David Krejci
Phil Kessel
Tim Thomas
The following Canadiens had good games:
Alexei Kovalev
That's it.
After Game 1, I said Marc Savard needed to improve on his performance. "He's better than that," I said. I don't know if he listened to me, or simply realized how sick of a hockey player he truly is. In Game 2 he was simply off the fucking chain.
2 goals, 2 assists, beautiful passes, and probably could've had a hat-trick if he wasn't such a committed playmaker.
The Bruins kept their cool in Game 2, and essentially showed the hockey world what Game 1 would have looked like had they stayed calm in that contest. They drew 5 power plays. Meanwhile, Montreal had 1 power play, and it was the 5 minute major at the end of the 3rd.
Any Vezina doubters watching Tim Thomas these days? 30 saves on 31 shots. Oh yeah, and an assist on that back-breaking Ryder goal at 19:57 of the 2nd. Thomas kickstarted that play like he was Martin Brodeur or something.
The biggest goal of the game was Shane Hnidy's, which made it 3-1. Savard sacrificed himself to move the play up-ice, then Axelsson made his best offensive play in 2 years, dropping the puck off for Hnidy, who replaced the hospitalized Matt Hunwick on the roster. It was a Mighty Ducks style goal, and it effectively ended the game.
One dark spot was Milan Lucic's behavior in the 3rd. The Bruins did a good job of properly retaliating when the Habs provoked them. The smackdown Patrice "Undefeated" Bergeron laid out on Gorges was a perfect example of an appropriate response.
But Lucic cross-checking Maxim Lapierre in the face was not only dumb, it was wrong. I love Lucic, but he crossed the line there. One of the things that makes hockey great is that it allows men to settle their differences with their fists. NOT THEIR STICKS!
And at the very least, Lucic's actions were stupid. He could get suspended for that crap. It's also his second misconduct penalty of the series (he was issued one after the post-game Canadien temper tantrum). He also let all the Habs know they can get under his skin.
BUT, the series is 2-0 going up North. Carey Price has been a sieve. When the Bruins keep their cool, the Canadiens simply lack the talent to do anything to stop them.
One thing that really cheesed me off was Saku Koivu getting away with a post-buzzer punch at the end of the 1st period. He shouldv'e gotten 2 minutes for hitting after the whistle and/or roughing. Instead, Montreal's cheap, cowardly, yellow antics go unpunished, and Kovalev scores a goal in the 5-on-5 at the start of the 2nd period.
The referees never lost control of this series, they apparently don't even want it.
Game 3: Monday night in Montreal, 7 PM, on NESN and Versus.
Source:
ESPN.com
Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Charles Krupa
AP Photo/Winslow Townson
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