I'm not gonna lie...I've been praying I could use that cliched headline all week.
Oh how sweet it is.
Have you any recollection of your whereabouts on the third of March in 2007? If you were planted in front of a television set watching the Boston Bruins, you witnessed the B's defeat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 at the Boston Garden. One year, eight months, ten days and 12 regular season matchups later... that same joy of watching your beloved black and gold reign victorious over their hated nemesis has returned.
The Bruins, fresh off of a 2-1 shootout victory over the Blackhawks, returned home to defeat the Canadiens 6-1 in stunning blowout fashion. I was lucky enough to give into my impulses and scored a few seats in Row 1 of Sec. 319 for tonight's wildly entertaining affair.
The Habs, making their first visit to the Garden since their loss in game 6 of last year's postseason series, looked utterly lifeless for majority of the contest. Where was the team that walked all over the Bruins in the regular season for the past year and a half? Where was the usual early multi-goal deficit the B's were so accustomed to? Or how about the typical subsequent mental breakdown/crazed penalty-fest that would allow the Habs to pad their PP% and build an insurmountable lead?
Nowhere to be found. Not even close. The oft-mentioned table was dramatically turned last night.
Shawn Thornton opened the scoring as the 4th liner schooled Carey Price from in close, staking the B's to a 1-0 lead. Thornton seemingly paused in front of the Montreal net, as if to stare in Price's eyes and tell him "I will break you" Dolph Lundgren style. Terrified, Price quietly muttered "Okay...just make it look nice" in hopes his defensemen wouldn't overhear him cowering in Thornton's presence. Thornton complied, and after some shifty stick-work, popped in his first goal of the year.
And just like that the B's were already in unfamiliar territory, holding an early lead against a team renown for quickly jumping out on top against them.
Something just felt different throughout the the majority of the first period. The Bruins, expected to be handicapped by their late arrival from Chicago, were all over the Habs. The Kostitsyns and Kovalevs of the world were uncharacteristically quiet while the Kobasews and Yelles were making some serious noise.
Kobasew was like an angry gorilla unleashed from captivity. On one shift alone, the RW demolished not one, not two, but three Habs players against the boards behind Montreal's goal line. Thornton set the tone with his tally, Kobasew continued it with his physical play, and Yelle grabbed a hold of the torch from his fellow "grinders", beating Price at the 17:00 minute mark and gave the B's a 2-0 lead.
Nearly a minute later, Guillame Latendresse was hauled off for interfering with Patrice Bergeron and the B's went on the PP with 1:48 to go in the opening frame. It was a glowing opportunity to make a nice little introduction: dagger this is Habs, Habs this is dagger.
Marco Sturm tickled the twine off of a brilliant feed from Marc Savard. Savard gained possession after a Montreal turnover, and held the puck patiently from within what seemed like prime shooting range. "Why isn't he shooting?!?" I thought to myself...and in strolled Sturm who whistled one by Price. Ah, that's why.
The horn sounded and I was overcome with disbelief. Surely there was some wretched comeback looming to knot my insides back up and return them to their accustomed position against this team. It couldn't be this easy...
But it was. All night long.
Sturm potted his 2nd goal of the night just three minutes into the second period, Boston's 2nd successful PP of the evening, elevating the lead to an inconceivable four goals. Finally, after a slight misplay by Manny Fernandez, the Canadiens showed signs of life with less than seven minutes to go in the frame.
Saku Koivu swooped in and collected the puck after Fernandez had dumped it behind the net. The Habs captain quickly emerged on the vacated side of the net and tapped in the wrap around to cut the deficit to three.
Montreal went on to pressure the B's with their only consistent stretch of territorial dominance of the game. Fernandez thwarted a flurry of shots, including (in every sense of the word) a toe save in the closing minutes. Marc Savard went off on a questionable slashing call (according to the drunkards around me who strenuously objected), and the Habs went on the man-advantage with 2:03 left in the period.
It was an absolute must-kill. The Bruins could not afford to let their opponent, who they had resoundingly outplayed for the first 38 minutes, make a game of it heading to the third. Tension was in the air, the crowd emitting "oohs" and "whews" with every shot as they nervously looked on. They anxiously kept switching their focus from the ice to the scoreboard until the final seconds ticked away, and the B's escaped with their 4-1 lead intact.
If I've already utilized the "escaped gorilla" analogy for Chuck Kobasews play tonight, can words even begin to describe Milan Lucic's level of emotion throughout his long-awaited donnybrook with Mike Komisarek? I won't even try.
With the Bruins up 5-1 after, what do you know, a goal by Lucic from just inside the faceoff circle on Price's blocker side, the sophomore forward and fan favorite finally got to take a crack at the Habs' defenseman. Coach Carbonneau must've left his ziploc bag labeled "Komi's Crazy Glue" back at the hotel, as I for one was stunned he was willing/physically able to drop the gloves.
Even the most biased of Canadiens fans must admit that Komisarek has dodged Lucic for more than a calendar year now. He has poked, he has prodded, he has shoved from behind, and he has thrown glove punches at Lucic (among others) while safely nestled behind teammates.
But when it's challenge time, and Komisarek is prompted to answer the bell... that's when the 6' 4" 240-lb defenseman skates so quickly to the bench that you ponder if someone just informed him that a naked Elisha Cuthbert was waiting in the locker room for him. That's when Komi, the defenseman whose presence is so necessary on the ice that the Habs simply cannot afford to have him man up and fight, decides to hide behind referees like a child clinging to Mom's leg in the face of a ferocious barking dog.
Milan Lucic was the barking beast tonight, and he nearly took #8's head off. Lucic pummeled Komisarek after they began the bout trading blows. Right, after right, after right. And as he drove his fellow combatant to the ice, Lucic began to exuberantly scream and pump his fists. He turned toward his teammates and ferociously roared, waving to the crowd on his trip to the box, slamming the boards with his palms as the garden went bonkers. They knew just how badly Lucic craved this moment and reveled in his victory.
The B's put the final nail in the coffin when Yelle beat an unscreened Price from about 45 feet out with a slapper that sailed by the netminder's blocker side. I've been hard on Stephane Yelle throughout the season, but I've really started to warm up to him in the last few weeks.
Speaking of players who take a lot of heat...
Carey Price. Take a look at the previous paragraph and focus on the following:
1) All Star Goaltender
2) Unscreened shot from far out
3) Stephane Yelle (not to be confused with Brett Hull or Joe Sakic in their primes)
Is it just me... or does Price have a tendency to mail it in when the game is out of reach? Anyone remember that ridiculously weak goal he let in against Sobotka in game 5 during the playoffs?
I'm fully cognizant of Price's stellar performances at each and every stop along his journey to the NHL. Had he spent the entire season with the big club last year and performed as well as he did following Crystal Balls', ah, Huet's departure...he probably would've run away with the Rookie of the Year Award. But the first fifth of the season has been plagued by a bit of inconsistency from the wonder-child extraordinaire.
Price had 28 saves and allowed only one goal in a victory against Minnesota, only to follow it up by letting in 10 in the next two games against the lowly Islanders and the resilient Maple Leafs. Two days later on the 11th of November: 28 saves in a shutout against Ottawa. The follow-up? Last night's far from impressive performance against the B's.
As Bruins fans we all take a lot of flak for crowning Milan Lucic the next Cam Neely. Sometimes we're overly optimistic and guilty of looking at the world through black and gold glasses while chugging a nice tall glass of the kool-aid. But in comparison to the ongoing love affair in Quebec with the 21-year-old Price... well there's simply far too many realists following this team (the Bruins) to look like a unified band of illogical daydreamers. 52 career starts for Price, and with unbridled conviction, fans have dubbed him the savior.
Price may sound a lot like Christ...but Carey's no Jesus. (not yet at least)
(This quote coming soon to a generic overpriced t-shirt for sale outside of a hockey arena near you)
Final Thoughts (god there's more to read?) On Game 16 of 2008-2009
* With the victory, the Bruins leapfrogged the Canadiens to take over sole possession of first in the Northeast.
* The PP went 2-4 while the PK shutdown both of Montreal's opportunities. The successful night for the special teams propelled the B's to 3rd in the league on the PP (27.6%) and 23rd on the PK (78.8%).
* Manny Fernandez did the job again. Getting his 2nd start in the last three games, the B's netminder continued his return to form with an impressive 27 saves on 28 shots. Save % up to .919, GAA down to 2.31.
* Marco Sturm is on fire with 5-2-7 totals in his last 5 games with a +3 rating. Sturm is now second on the team with 12 points, only trailing Savard's 17 point output. Sturm is also the king of interview etiquette. Has anyone else noticed that while chatting it up with Naoko (or Rob Simpson in previous seasons) he always mutters a hurried "You're welcome" then dashes out of the picture after being thanked for his time? Maybe it's the accent or his quiet yet goofy demeanor but I get a good laugh every time.
* You're bound to hear a few noteworthy comments from fans at a game against your biggest rival. Sure there's the typical "USA, USA" chants, or the serenading of the opposing netminder, but that's all fairly mundane. The real highlights, tonight at least, came while awaiting a golden opportunity (pun intended) to use the facilities at the Garden. There's supposedly a limit in place as to how many alcoholic beverages each fan is allowed to purchase. Really? Could have fooled me!
One particular fan, waiting in one of the deep lines to take his spot at an open urinal, had a few too many sips of the sauce and took it upon himself to break the awkward silence that comes with being in a bathroom with 70+ strangers. I heard the following gems in succession:
"Can...Canada?!? Where the **** is Canada anyway? Well, you know, you know what I think... (pause)... free health care sucks!"
He moves up a few spots and begins to share his eloquent, on-the-spot poetry.
"I can't wait....to urinate. I can't wait to urinate."
He finally makes it to the front of the line. The rhyming continues.
"The Bruins are beeeeating Mon-tree-allll....(laughing)...and I've had too much al-co-hol!"
You don't say!
A monumental victory, six goals, a raucous crowd, a fight for the ages....and something tells me that guy will wake up hung over around noon today, on the living room floor, four hours late for work, still dawning his salsa-splattered Samsonov jersey, wreaking of alcohol without a single recollection of what truly was an incredible game to be at.
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