The Canadians and Bruins put on a great hockey game Monday night in Montreal. After a slow start, the game eventually saw a lot of speed and big hits. Neither team wanted to hold anything back in this rivalry game. As expected, Tuukka Rask and Carey Price were stellar in their respective nets. The two netminders made goals hard to come by, so it took overtime to settle this battle.
First Period
The first frame started out rather slow as both teams looked to be feeling each other out. The pace did not pick up until a little before the halfway mark after a Montreal power play. At the conclusion of the power play, the game speed and physical play were ramped up. During the intermission, Riley Nash stated that he was starting to get a real feel for what this rivalry is all about.
Neither club was able to get on the board in the first, but Montreal appeared to have the better chances. One of those chances included a wide open net for Nathan Beaulieu, but he missed the mark. Tuukka Rask was not tested much but did make eight saves for the B’s. After a vicious hit from Torey Krug, Andrew Shaw had to go to the locker room for repairs.
Second Period
The second period picked up right where the first left off with high speed and intense play. Both teams swapped a number of scoring chances throughout the period. Included in those chances were David Pastrnak hitting a post and Rask making an old-school two-pad stack save.
With about one minute left in the period, the Bruins finally broke the scoreless tie. After a strong defensive play by the Bruins, Austin Czarnik was able to take the puck up the left wing and sling a shot past Carey Price’s blocker. The goal is Czarnik’s third of the year. Rask came up huge for the Bruins many times in the second, making 12 saves in the frame.
Third Period
Entering the third period down a goal, Montreal came out of the locker room firing. The majority of the momentum swayed towards the home team, but Rask continued to make big saves to hold the Bruins’ lead at one.
It took a strange broken play to finally beat Rask with 3:12 remaining in the period. Paul Byron picked up a puck laying in the slot and jammed it in the open net. The late goal tied the game at one and forced an overtime period.
Overtime
The overtime period saw a little bit of everything. There was a David Krejci goal called back, a big hit on Rask, and saves at both ends on strong scoring chances. It was Ryan Spooner who ended up pocketing the game winner after he found himself alone on Carey Price. Spooner’s goal ended a three-game losing streak for Boston.
Scoring Summary
FIRST PERIOD
None
SECOND PERIOD
BOS-Austin Czarnik (3) assisted by Adam McQuaid (1) and Ryan Spooner (7)
THIRD PERIOD
MTL-Paul Byron (10) assisted by Torey Mitchell (4) and Andrei Markov (19)
OVERTIME
BOS-Ryan Spooner (4) assisted by Torey Krug (12) and Austin Czarnik (5)
THW THREE STARS
First: Ryan Spooner (GWG)
Second: Austin Czarnik (1 goal-1 assist)
Third: Tuukka Rask (29 saves on 30 shots)
NEXT UP
Boston Bruins at Pittsburgh Penguins
PPG Paints Arena-7:30 p.m. E.S.T
Broadcast Channels-NBCSN, 98.5 The Sports Hub
2016-17 Season Series: First Meeting of the Season