Living on a Prayer

The Bruins, down 2-0 to the hated Habs entering Game Three Monday night, are now in need of a miracle, with or without Zdeno Chara. 

The Boston Bruins are officially in trouble.

After allowing a pair of Montreal goals in the opening three minutes of Game Two Saturday night, the Bruins were unable to overcome their horrific start and eventually fell to the Canadiens 3-1 before a devastated sell-out crowd of 17,656 at the TD Garden.

As a result, the Bruins now find themselves on the brink of elimination, trailing the Canadiens 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals as the series shifts to Montreal.

"We're in trouble right now," admitted Milan Lucic. "We need to find a way to rally and get our heads around it. Everyone needs to step up and play the way we know we can."

You can say that again.

Despite being one of the league's most dominant defensive teams during the regular season, the Bruins have looked like sieves on skates through two games thus far. Uncharacteristic defensive breakdowns and neutral zone turnovers in particular have led to a plethora of momentum-changing Montreal goals.

Not to be outdone, the Bruins' offense has disappeared almost entirely. The Black and Gold have been held to just one goal in two games. Their top line of David Krejci centering Nathan Horton and Lucic has been shutout altogether.

To make matters worse, that status of captain Zdeno Chara remains uncertain for Monday night's Game Three in Montreal. After being hospitalized Friday night for a virus and dehydration, Chara was unable to suit up in Game Two. He was a game-time decision but was unable to go after experiencing dizzyness and light-headedness during the pre-game skate. You could tell his absence stunned the Bruins, who were desperately counting on their captain and best player to suit up in the most important game of the season thus far.

"You always miss a guy like Zdeno," admitted Tim Thomas, who saved 23 shots in Game Two. "Having said that, the plan was to have everybody step up their game, and make up for that by committee. It didn't work out that way."

So now the Bruins must to do something they were unable to accomplish in last season's playoffs: dig deep and find a way to come back before its too late.

"We need to make sure we can stay positive," said Johnny Boychuk, who has been one of the biggest culprits of defensive zone breakdowns. "We know we can come back and do this for our team and our city."

One question weighing heavily on head coach Claude Julien is whether to stick with Thomas, who has given up several huge rebounds and been less-than stellar as a whole, or start Tuukka Rask in Game Three in an attempt to ignite his team. Another question would be whether or not Julien should pencil rookie phenom Tyler Seguin into the lineup to provide some offensive spark.

Either way, the Bruins must find a way to claw their way back and show some heart. They must reinvigorate a beleaguered fan-base overcome with doubt and anxiety. If it helps, the Black and Gold will be staying in Lake Placid as the series shifts to Montreal, the site of the 1980 Miracle on Ice.

You can bet Julien will use that bit of information to his team's advantage. If nothing else, the Bruins need a miracle of their own.

"Our backs are to the wall," said Thomas. "And now we'll see how we respond."