Somewhere in Montreal the French Canadian version of Bob Lobel is screaming "Why can't we get players like that?". Montreal Canadien cast-off Michael Ryder had a 3 point night (2 goals & an assist) to help the B's eliminate his former team from the playoffs. The 4-1 win gave the Bruins the series sweep and their first playoff series win in 10 years.
The Canadiens jumped out to an early lead, getting the game's first goal just 39 seconds in when Andrei Kostitsyn found the back of the net after Saku Koivu left a drop pass for Kostitsyn at the top of the left circle.
Michael Ryder tied it up at 1-1 with 2:33 left in the first period. Ryder flipped the puck into the zone looking for David Krejci but Krejci couldn't control the puck and left the puck sitting in the slot. Ryder followed the play and ripped a quick snap shot past Carey Price.
The Bruins went ahead 2-1 with 34 seconds left in the first period when David Krejci finished off a nifty give and go with Michael Ryder.
The Bruins extended their lead to 3-1 with 8:02 left in the second period when Phil Kessel exited the penalty box after serving a slashing minor. Patrice Bergeron sent a long pass that found Kessel at the blue line and sprung him in all alone on Carey Price. After looking at the replay, it looked like Kessel entered the offensive zone before the puck did but the goal stood.
David Krejci fed a pass from the left wing boards to Michael Ryder who was driving towards the net in the slot. Ryder quickly deposited the puck into the net for his second goal of the game and fourth of the series at 12:43 of the middle frame.
All series long, Bruins fans have been waiting for Mike Komisarek to answer the bell and be accountable for his actions on the ice. B's fans finally got what they were looking for late in the seond period when Komisarek dropped the gloves with Milan Lucic. Unfortunately, the Komisarek-Lucic bout was more Tyson-McNeely than Ali-Foreman. Lucic got in a punch or two before Komisarek lost balance and went down in a heap.
Mike Komisarek tried to even the score with Milan Lucic with just over 7 minutes left in the game when he cross checked Lucic in the head and was sent to the dressing room after receiving a 5 minute major for cross checking and a game misconduct. The cheap shot by Komisarek could likely be his last play in the bleu, blanc, et rouge.
With the win, The Bruins advanced to round 2 and will await the completion of the other Eastern Conference playoff series. The Bruins will play either the Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes or New York Rangers depending on who is the lowest remaining seed.
Notes:
- The Bruins swept a playoff series for the first time since 1992.
- I thought this series was going to go 7 games. For once, I was glad to be wrong.
- Tim Thomas stopped 26 shots.
- There was an odd moment in this game. The Habs fans mockingly cheered Carey Price after making an easy stop and Price responded by taunting his own fans. To say that Price lost his composure in this series is an understatement.
- Here is the cross check by Komisarek on Lucic:
-Tickets for Games 1 & 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at the TD Banknorth Garden go on sale at 11:00 AM tomorrow morning.
- Thanks to Chowdah Head Andie for bringing this craigslist ad to my attention.
- The Lucic-Komisarek fight:
- The handshake line at the end of a playoff series is one of the greatest traditions in hockey. This was an emotionally charged series with plenty of bad blood between these two teams, but once the final whistle blew they looked like a group of old friends meeting up for a beer at a local pub. Of course, things could have been a little different if Mike Komisarek wasn't already in the dressing room...but I doubt it. Hockey players are able to seperate what happens between the lines from what happens away from the rink better than probably any other athletes.