bruins sweep canadiens, win tonight's game 4 - 1

Despite again giving up the first goal in tonight's game (and regular readers of this blog will know my feelings about that) the Bruins were able to keep continuous pressure on the Canadiens to come back for the win, and complete the 4-game sweep of their arch-rivals.

Michael Ryder had a monster of a game with two goals and an assist, and looked very committed to personally ending the Habs' season, and Phil Kessel officially put the game away by scoring on a breakaway as his minor penalty ended.

Tim Thomas had another strong outing, which is so commonplace that it is often overlooked on a nightly basis, but he absolutely deserves recognition. The B's would simply not be in the position they are had it not been for Thomas' Vezina-candidate season.

The Canadiens' fans opted to not boo the US National anthem tonight, after a request was broadcast over the PA, but they still chose to boo Carey Price throughout the game. Price eventually threw his arms up and shook his head at the crowd's lack of support, but was left out to dry so many times in tonight's game that only those who know little about hockey would hang the loss on his shoulders. Should he have got the start? I don't know, but it wasn't his decision and he played well, so booing him is ridiculous.

In the end, the Canadiens simply did not have enough in the tank to take on the Bruins in the playoffs (or all regular season, frankly), and at points in this series seemed really out of sync with the game the Bruins were bringing to them. The B's clogged up passing lanes, continuously hit defenders trying to head-man the puck, dug for pucks in the corners, and attacked with speed at every opportunity. It is a relentless system and the Habs certainly saw the business-end of it all year.

For my part, I am OVERJOYED that the Bruins put the Canadiens out. I would have preferred that the teams not meet until much later playoff rounds, so that another Canadian club could battle deep into the playoffs and they could each be more battle-hardened, but obviously, any Bruins fan relishes a win over the Habs at any time.

With a couple of periods as exceptions, The Bruins really played well in this series, and they deserve to move on. My goal for the club this year was to improve on last year's playoff record, which they've now done by reaching Round Two. The team will have a few days off before finding out who their next opponent is, and I'll be here in Montreal, watching neighbours slowly remove the CH flags from their cars.

Quietly chuckling to myself, and waiting to see who the team plays next.