IndianaRedWing

Best night of round 2, right here. Both goalies have upped their game when their team has needed it. Momentum -- is pretty much nonexistent. Home ice advantage hasn't been worth much. I've got no idea what's going to happen, and I don't think anyone else does either, other than 3 periods of good, intense hockey.

It is, but not by all that much. http://deadspin.com/the-habs-gave-away-the-series-in-the-name-of-toughness-1573953557

He's Boston's version of Murray. Gotta have that physical presence. Doesn't matter how many battles he loses . . .

Well, the Habs fans were clamoring for more penalties...

Milbury (of all people) was talking up the Habs during the first intermission, but they looked kind of flat most of the night. Definitely a step back in terms of getting bodies in front of Rask, and the score showed it. If this thing goes 7, they should just save everyone some time and start in OT.

one of these years I'm going to see a game in Montreal.

signed

Credit Montreal for doubling Detroit's win total v Boston, but I'm not exactly giving them the cup just yet. They beat a Tampa team that was missing their Vezina finalist, and through three games w/ Boston they've managed to get a jump on the Bruins. They're also giving a clinic for the ages in how not to close out playoff games. I don't know if it's coaching or if they're legitimately getting worn down 30-40 minutes into each game this series, but it's ugly. I guess as long as you win, it's fine, but they're only halfway there. Game 4 is huge. I think the winner takes the series. Can they keep on getting to Rask early? I have to think that one of these games, the Bs will manage not to dig themselves an early hole, and they may be built a bit better for protecting leads. Either way, I doubt this series gets boring.

Win or lose, I hope some Red Wings (the "kids" in particular) are watching Montreal's commitment to backchecking and fearlessness in getting traffic in front of Rask. You don't have to be bigger than the Bruins to beat them, but you do have to outplay them. I'd rather be watching Nyquist regain his scoring touch and Datsyuk turning his name into an adjective on the ice and Howard silencing the critics -- but that wasn't in the cards and this series is better than nothing. I can't bring myself to get excited about CHI-MIN or the battle in SoCal. Rangers-Pens? meh. As the second round goes, this series is where it's at.

If there's one saying I hate, it's the one about the 2-goal lead being the most dangerous in sports. I mean - would you rather be up just one? But this series is doing it's best to make that old saw true.

Wow. This series is delivering.

I kind of knew it was Montreal's night when Price was in the crease and was beaten 5-hole, and the puck went wide. For the puck to go on edge and curl that sharply -- it might take 200 tries to recreate it successfully. sometimes it's your night. Habs will have to step it up if they want it to be their night 3 more times.

He's a restricted free agent. I don't have any inside info, but I think the Bs like him. http://stats.nhlnumbers.com/teams/BOS?year=2014

Wouldn't have gone with Patrice Bergeron in the "who will give a sweet hip check" sweepstakes, but there it is. Great composure from MTL. This is going to be a good series.

The Bruins lost this game in the first period, when Rask let the Habs get on the board early. Wait, what?!? (ducks)

Carrying speed into the offensive zone on a power play...the Wings should try it when they get the "even it up" call.

Do you really want your goalie to play injured? If we're talking about a 4th line grinder then yeah, rub some dirt on it and get out there. I've been sticking up for the guy around here, but if he's really hurting (whether ill or injured), I want him on the bench. Put it differently, he wouldn't be doing anyone any favors if he insisted on playing if he were physically unable to perform at or near his best. If he did insist on starting, I'd probably be the first in line to criticize him for being selfish. Monster's in net for Saturday, so be it. He'll give the guys a chance. It's up to the other 18 guys to try and take it..

Speed takes effort, and the Bs are very good at grinding you down. There's a reason you don't see many teams go at them full throttle for a full 60 minutes. I'm not sure I'd say it's impossible -- but it's definitely not easy. And when you start to catch your breath, that's when they start tightening the vice.

As much as Nyquist built on his strengths this season, his shortcomings haven't changed.

And they were controlling play tonight, too. The idea that Boston only came back because someone else gave them life -- I'm sorry, but it doesn't look very bright after a game like this. Monster stood tall, but if Marchand can aim, this is 4-2 in regulation. Maybe 5-2 with an ENG.

Boston doesn't need anyone to given momentum to them. And that's the basic difference.

My immediate thought was that Jimmy found out he had the flu from Babcock. ...or maybe not (see brandon27)

How good is Boston at team defense? Just look at their goaltending stats this season. Rask: 2.04GAA, .930SvPct, 36-15-6-7 Chad Johnson & Niklas Svedberg: 2.10GAA, .931 SvPct, 18-4-3-2 There's essentially zero dropoff from the possible Vezina winner to the no-name backups (who actually had a better won-loss record). Granted, it's harder when you're the top guy and you have a heavier workload, but I think it shows that while Rask is excellent, the Bruins also put him in a position to excel.

I can see both sides. Yes, Rask is very, very good. It's also true that he plays for a team that plays excellent defense in front of him. If you put Howard in a Boston uniform, is he as good as Rask? I really doubt it. But I don't think there's much question that whatever flaws Rask has, they'd be more exposed playing for Detroit, and Boston would probably do a bit better at masking Howard's.

I'm torn. I really don't want to let either of those guys go. On the other hand, you don't get something for nothing. I guess the best case for letting one of them go might be Anaheim. That team was stupidly fun to watch in the 90s, with Kariya on one wing and Selanne on the other. They never won the cup, though. When they finally did, they still had Selanne, but they were rolling out guys like Getzlaf, Penner, Perry. Unlike the 90s Ducks, I couldn't stand the 00s Ducks. But they won. Big guys are a dime a dozen. Big guys who skate, pass, and shoot well enough to pull off the pretty give-and-go that Iginla and Lucic had a couple games ago -- those guys *aren't* a dime a dozen. I dunno who's hitting FA this offseason. Maybe that's an option. But it's also possible that some sort of trade would be necessary. edit: I'm not running any of the kids out of town. Just spitballing, here... A good game 4 and maybe my mind won't be wandering.