Game 4 on Thursday night was described as a must-win game for both teams as it was pivotal in determining the momentum of the series. The Canadiens started well by outshooting
the Bruins and getting a lead three times but the Bruins came back every time
and managed to get the game into overtime. The overtime period was over quickly
when the Bruins capitalized on a defensive mistake to tie the series at 2 games apiece going back to Boston.
The Canadiens started the game much better than in game 3 by forechecking hard and getting as many shots on net as possible. The shots started out 12-4 in favour of the Habs but, unlike previous games, we had to wait until 8:13 of the first period for the first goal of the game. Brent Sopel followed up the play and scored his first of the playoffs after a nice play by David Desharnais behind the net.
The second period started much the same way but it was the Bruins who
got on the board after Michael Ryder was sprung on a partial breakaway and
scored to tie the game against the run of play. This seemed to wake the
Canadiens as they then put pressure on the Bruins and it resulted in two quick
goals only 55 seconds apart. The first goal was by Mike Cammalleri and the second by Andrei Kostitsyn on a 2-on-1 with Tomas Plekanec
to give the Habs a 3-1 lead. The Bruins called a timeout, which seemed to settle
their team as they outshot the Canadiens 10-1 in the remainder of the period and managed to tie the game with goals from Andrew Ferrence and Patrice Bergeron.
The Canadiens got their first powerplay early in the third period and capitalized with P.K. Subban scoring with
a shot that threaded the needle into the top corner to once again give the Habs the lead. The Canadiens then sat back to protect the lead but to no avail as the Bruins tied the game once again with a goal by Chris Kelly after he was left alone in front of the net. That would be the only scoring in regulation as the game went to overtime.
The overtime did not last long as only 1:59 into the frame the Bruins got a
3-on-1 and got the puck to a wide open Michael Ryder in front of the night who scored his second of the game to win the game and tie the series at 2 games apiece.
HW 3 Stars of the Night:
1st Star: Mike Cammalleri (1 goal, 2 assists, +1 rating, 4 shots)
Cammalleri had his best game of the playoffs, especially offensively. He was involved in all but one of the goals and also had a partial breakaway that was saved in the third period. If he can have this kind of effort from here on the Canadiens will be in good shape.
2nd Star: Carey Price (30 saves, .857 save%)
He may have let in 5 goals in the game but he also made some key save late on, which gave his team a chance to get to overtime. He was not at fault for any of the goals as they all came from Bruin players who were not covered and had a free shot from either the slot or on a breakaway.
3rd Star: P.K. Subban (1 goal, +1 rating, 4 shots, 26:02TOI)
He once again had a team high in ice time and made some very smart plays at both ends of the ice. With each game he seems to become more comfortable in his own end and Jacques Martin is relying on him to fill the void left by Andrei Markov, and he’s been living up to it.
Stat of the Night:
This can be called a game of two halves as the Canadiens outshot the Bruins 29-10 in the opening 29:10 of the game. The Bruins then called a timeout and subsequently outshot the Canadiens 25-9 in the remainder of the game.