False Start

The Bruins carried the play Thursday night in Game One of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. However, thanks to a spectacular effort by Habs goaltender Carey Price (31 saves), Boston now trails the best-of-seven series 1-0. 

With fan excitement idling at a fever pitch, the Boston Bruins learned quickly Thursday night that their long-awaited pursuit of Lord Stanley's Cup will not be an easy task this Spring.

Despite being favored to win the series and advance deep into the playoffs, the Black and Gold received a serious reality check in Game One of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Before a raucous, sell-out crowd of 17,565 at the TD Garden, the Bruins fell to the visiting Canadiens 2-0 and now trail in the best-of-seven series 1-0.

Game Two, set for 7pm Saturday night in Boston, is now a virtual must-win for the Bruins.

"They found a way to capitalize on their chances," admitted Milan Lucic. "I think that's what it came down to. They played the type of game they wanted to play. For ourselves, we played a pretty good game. But it just goes to show that this is a playoff series. Going into Saturday, we have to give just a little bit more to get that win."

However, while a review of the box-score may be interpreted as a dominating victory by the hated Habs, a further look (especially by anyone who watched the game in its entirely) would prove otherwise. For nearly the entire game, the Bruins dictated the play. They kept the puck in the Montreal end for much of the night and had a plethora of high-percentage scoring chances in close (including a pair of near tallies by Brad Marchand).

The story of the game was Montreal goaltender Carey Price. Standing on his head for much of the game,  Price turned away all 31 shots he faced, including 18 in the second period. Oftentimes in the playoffs a goaltender can steal a game and that's exactly what Price did Thursday night. However, as good as Price was, the Bruins found ways to make his job easier by not pressuring him in deep.

"I don't think we did a very good job of taking away his vision," said Bruins coach Claude Julien. "He saw a lot of shots tonight. He saw a lot of pucks. We definitely have to get better in that area."

Lucic agreed.

"We had a lot of chances. A lot of shots. But if anything with shots, we've just got to find a way to create more traffic, pounce on rebounds, and not make it easy of them."

While Montreal only forced 20 shots on Tim Thomas, they made two of them count, unlike the Bruins. The first came less than three minutes in to give the Habs a 1-0 lead. Taking advantage of a Bruins defensive lapse (Tomas Kaberle lost control of the puck in his own end), Montreal Captain Brian Gionta buried a wrister past a helpless Thomas. And, while the former Devil would add another goal late in the third period, his first period strike would prove to be the game-winner.

"I reversed it a little too much, obviously, " Kaberle admitted after his first-period blunder. "They put it, right away, right back at the net. It was a great play."

For many Bruins fans, their first inclination after such a troubling loss is to panic, temper their aspirations and pray to the hockey gods for better fortune in Game Two. However, despite the loss and now immediate need to play catch-up, the Bruins are far from out of the series. They played great Thursday night, finishing their checks, producing numerous scoring chances and dominating for long stretches of time.

However, the Bruins just could not find the back of the net. And as good as Price was for Montreal, there's no way he stands on his head for three more games like he did Thursday.

For that reason, Bruins fans know the series is far from over.

"We just played a game that we dominated," lamented Julien. "We spent a lot of time in the offensive end. Basically, we didn't score goals."