Game 13: Canadiens 3, Bruins 1

The Good

• Tuukka Rask's attitude It's got to be hard for the youngster to not have a meltdown at this point (someone hide the milk crates). After a stellar season last year, Rask is off to an 0-4-1 start. The stunning fact is this: the B's have yet to win a game that Rask starts, and also lost the only game in which Tim Thomas was relieved. But for all of his struggles, and despite the team seeming to only have "off" nights when he's in the net, Rask appears to be in a good state of mind and still seems to have a positive attitude:

“It’s hockey, what can you do?’’ said Rask, shrugging his shoulders. “You just try to do your best and save every puck. If you don’t get the bounces, you don’t, and if you do, that’s great. I don’t care if I lose every game as long as [Tim Thomas, who is 8-0-0] wins the games.’’

-from Nancy Marrapese-Burrell of the Boston Globe

• Carey's OK One of the more shocking trades in recent memory involved Montreal goaltenders, as the Habs front office showed faith in Carey Price by shipping playoff hero Jaroslav Halak to St. Louis. Price has been under constant scrutiny in Montreal, and has been booed on home ice numerous times. Despite his struggles, Price is immensely talented, and showed that talent in this game against the B's. Price made 34 saves and appeared calm and collected in net at all times. While Halak has continued to tear it up in St. Louis, Price is playing excellent hockey as well, posting a 9-5-1 record to go along with a 2.19 GAA and a .923 save percentage.
• P.K. Subban The young Habs defenseman had a coming-out party of sorts during Montreal's playoff run last year, so it was surprising to learn that his goal last night was the first regular season goal of his NHL career. Subban is an incredibly skilled defenseman who has shown that he won't hesitate to join the rush or shoot the puck. He showed his strength during a tour of the B's zone in tonight's game, twice, holding off Bruin players while shielding the puck. He's going to be a great player sooner rather than later.

The Bad

• No legs I guess a bit of a letdown in terms of energy was to be expected in this game, as the Habs were waiting in town for the B's while the B's played in Pittsburgh the night before. Combine that game with travel and it's not hard to see why the B's looked tired late. Claude Julien thought the effort was there, but the team ran out of gas. It's hard to complain about the lack of juice, as the B's showed a ton of heart and determination on Wednesday night; it's hard to come with that effort two nights in a row.
• Where's the fire? The game last night looked more like a game between a Western Conference foe, not a divisional match-up against the B's biggest traditional rival. The fireworks seem to have gone from this rivalry, despite being just two or three years removed from it being as hot as ever. Blame player turnover, as many Hab villains have now moved on (Mike Komisarek, Alex Kovalev, Mike Ribeiro, Francis Bouillon). However, with a player like Maxim Lapierre on the other side, the rivalry's sure to wake up sometime soon.
• Home not-so-sweet home The Boston Herald's Rich Thompson put it best: the Bruins are an excellent road team; winning at home is the problem. The B's are just 2-2-1 at the TD Garden, (a third loss came in a "home" game in Prague), while they are 6-1-0 on the road. This trend seems to be a continuation from last year, when the B's were 21-13-7 away from home but just 18-17-6 on Causeway Street (and at Fenway Park, to be precise). Maybe B's fans should start going to home games in opposing colors to try to trick the players.
  

The Rest

• Good to see the B's do something for Veterans Day with their "Send a Soldier to the Game" program. Last night's game against the Habs was part of the program, as is Monday's game against the Devils, which happens to be Military Appreciation Night. If you have tickets and can stomach giving them away, it's certainly a worthy cause and a great way to thank a veteran for his or her service.
• The train wreck that is the New Jersey Devils limps into town on Monday night. How bad are things for the Devs right now? They're 4-10-2 (tied for least points in the league with Edmonton), they're missing some of the most talented players, and this happens to their $100 Million Man with the game on the line. Ouch. Heads are going to start to roll in Jersey soon if things don't pick up.

Attaboy: Caaaaaaaaaaaaaa-rey. Continues to play well under intense pressure in Montreal. If Halak continues to be lights-out in St. Louis, the pressure will only rise, but a more mature price appears to be up to the challenge this year.

Providence shuttle: The hometown blues. What, do the B's not like their fans or something? They won in Jersey earlier this year, and there were as many B's fans there as Devils fans...