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After three games, the Montreal Canadiens are ahead 2-1 in their best-of seven series with the Boston Bruins.
The Bruins lost the first two games of the series at the TD Garden in Boston, but rallied to victory in what most considered a must-win situation in Game 3 at Montreal.
It is a well-known fact that teams down three games to none haven’t tradtionally fared well with the statistical gods in any sport, but teams down 3-1 don’t have that great of a time usully, either.
There is no difference in the importance of Game 4 in Montreal, tonight at 7 p.m., as a Habs victory would put them at a 3-1 advantage in the series, which is the preferable place to be statistically.
The three games that have been played to this point have been up-and-down games, with both teams looking capable of dominating the other for stretches of time.
Boston has to be able to control the spacing and time of the Montreal forwards. In order to do this, they have to play the physical brand of hockey they played in Game 3 against Montreal. The Bruins’ defenders must to control rebounds and close lanes effectively against Montreal because they are just too fast for Boston.
That type of speed attack is exactly what Montreal needs to do to win.
They need to play the way they did in the third period of Game 3. The Habs played at a furious tempo and used effective passing to bring a great deal of heat on the Bruins in their defensive zone.
Montreal will have to play precisely and opportunistically like they usually do in order to win tonight.
The Candiens prefer to have the lead early and they will need to score early to get the crowd into the game. The Bell Centre is one of the loudest rinks in the NHL and the fans could make an impact — or they could be silenced by an early Boston outburst.
The only glaring fact that sticks out heading into tonight’s Game 4 matchup is that the games to this point have been a tale of two goalies.
Will Carey Price rebound, or will Tim Thomas steal the show and the series momentum?
No one can accurately answer that until after the game, but many feel it could be Thomas’ night because Price is 0-6 in his last six games at home. While it is a weird statistic that seems to point in Boston’s favor, I would not cling to it tightly.
It may mean something — and maybe Price really does just suck in home games — but I don’t think comparing previous postseasons to the current one makes sense.
You could always argue the opposite end of that theory as well and say Price is due for a big game at home — and what better time to make that statement? If Price is in the zone, much like he was in a 31-save effort in Game 1, I expect him to steal the show.
Price has three career shutouts in the postseason and they’ve all been against the Bruins. He is a Bruins killer and he probably isn’t happy with his performance in Game 3, in which he virtually handed the Bruins a free goal.
Don’t worry Bruins fans, I haven’t forgot about your boy either. If Thomas plays like he did in Game 3 where he made 34 saves — 14 of which came in a third period barrage by the Candiens — the Bruins will be sitting pretty knotted up at two games apiece with Montreal and will head back to the Garden for Game 5 looking to move ahead in the series.
Thomas is capable of taking over the game tonight, but he will need help from his defense. His style of play leaves him prone to giving up fat second chances at times and the Bruins’ defenders will have to make sure they clean up the trash, Coach Bombay’s orders.
If the Bruins don’t clean out the front of the net, Montreal will win the game, as they have proven that they can capitalize on Thomas’ rebound problem in the first two games.
If Thomas makes the initial save and the defense is shutting down Montreal’s chance to rebound, he will be ready for the next Montreal attack, which would bode well for Boston.
It seems like an obvious statement to say that tonight’s game will come down to goaltending. Most games usually do, but there will be a spotlight on the goaltenders because the biggest question throughout the series has been which Carey Price am I getting tonight — or which Timmy Thomas will rear his ugly mustache?
