Bruins Lose to Canadiens in Shoot-Out - 2-1

The Bruins and Habs met for the 700th time in the Regular Season tonight. The Bruins, of course, have been shut-out in their last two games, and have been decidedly snake-bitten lately. Losing David Krejci to the Swine Flu early this afternoon did not help the Bruins offense one bit, either.

I thought the B's played a pretty solid game tonight, overall. They were hitting in the 1st and 3rd periods (less so in the 2nd) and kept their game up-tempo, with a good transition from their zone. For as few goals as the Bruins have potted lately, they've certainly had their chances to score. Tonight was no exception, as the B's put 42 shots on Carey Price. Thomas, for his part at the other end, was incredible - making fast kick-outs and at one point reaching behind himself to stop a shot with the flat of his stick.

In the 1st period, Dennis Wideman got caught up with a Bruins team-mate in the neutral zone and the blown coverage allowed the Habs to circle the net and get their first goal. While people may point to Wideman's error, a sharp spotlight should be shone on the Bruins centre (remaining nameless), who, after covering former Bruin Glen Metropolit through the slot, left him alone in front of the net and allowed an easy tap in to put the Bruins down a goal.

The Bruins kept pressing, and a series of power-plays (two in a row at one point) gave them many chances on net, but still no goals emerged for the Bruins (and, obviously, the powerplay woes continue).

Deep into the 3rd period (less than 50 seconds remaining), with Tim Thomas on the bench, Patrice Bergeron was able to win an offensive zone face-off, then carve to the side of the net where a rebound found its way onto his stick. One little curl and side-step and he made no mistake, tying the game at 1-1.

4-0n-4 Overtime solved nothing, so the teams went to the shoot-out, where Brian Gionta was able to score for the Habs. Canadiens 2, Bruins 1, much to the dismay of water-bottle-throwing Team President Cam Neely.

For my part, I'm pleased that the Bruins played as well as they did and that they were able to tie the game up in the final seconds. They deserved a better fate than a loss, given how they played tonight, but that matters little in the NHL. Hopefully, the desperation they felt in the final seconds will carry over to their next games and the offense will start clicking.

Of Note: Both the Habs and Bruins had goals waived off tonight; Mark Recchi looked awful for most of the evening, but I must admit, gave a good interview after the 1st period, so that's something; Tonight's win will make all my friends who are Canadiens fans completely insufferable - the solution: stop allowing Canadiens fans to be my friends.