Game 9: Canadiens 2, Bruins 1

The Good

• Price was right Carey Price was very solid when the Habs needed him to be. A lot of pucks seemed to "hit" Price last night, meaning he may have been looking elsewhere or screened, but he still stopped the puck. That's not luck, folks; it's good positioning. Price wasn't tested as much as the B's would've liked, but he was there when he needed to be.
• Subban finally dropped 'em From what I've gathered, B's fans' major beef with PK Subban is that he plays on the edge but never answers the bell. He answered it last night, and while it was a bit of a diminutive bell in the form of Brad Marchand, he still fought. Despite the disparity in size, I'd say Marchand and Subban is a fair match-up: they both play on (and sometimes over) the edge, both have a reputation for being problem starters, and neither is exactly master pugilist. Marchand hung in there pretty good, considering Subban probably had the strength to simply toss him around. Stick taps for both players.

The Bad

• Uhhhh... Notice how there's really no "good" up there for the B's, aside from Marchand dropping the mitts? Yeah, it was that kind of game. The B's, nine games into the season, still haven't put together a full 60 minute effort. They played inspired for a few shifts, then look lost. Case in point: they allowed 18 Montreal shots in the second period. 18! Passes weren't on target, dump-ins were off, checks were missed, assignments blown, etc. This was just an ugly, ugly game from a Bruin perspective. Let's hope they correct things before Saturday night.
• The race card Boston, rightly or wrongly, has a bit of a reputation when it comes to race. That reputation probably comes from the busing riots, but that's a story for another day. However, there are certain segments of people (read: fringe Habs fans) who can't help but bring up race when talking about Bruins fans' distaste for Subban. Are there B's fans who don't like Subban because he's black? Probably, just as there are probably Habs fans who don't like David Krejci because he's European. But is Subban disliked in Boston because he's black? Absolutely not. Boston sports fans, especially Bruins fans, can tolerate a lack of success due to a disparity in talent, bad luck, etc. But what fans here hate is bullshit, and Subban's game comes with a lot of it. The dives, the embellishment, the stapled-on gloves, etc. PK could be as white as snow, and if he played the same way, he'd still be hated here. Maxim Lapierre is a perfect example of that, but then Habs fans would claim B's fans are racist because he's French. Please. Subban's an immensely talented kid; I don't like him because he's good and he plays for the Habs. I could do without the diving, and I think he'll grow out of it. But do I dislike him because he's black? Absolutely not, and I'm pretty sure that's the way most other B's fans feel as well.

What went wrong

• Turnovers are costly. Turnovers in the third period are even more costly. Turnovers in the third period at the defensive blue line are killer, and that's what happened last night. Adam McQuaid's ill-advised breakout pass right up the middle of the ice got knocked down, and five seconds later, the Habs were ahead. The B's as a team have to do a better job of taking care of the puck. If they don't, things are going to go (even further) south in a hurry.

Attaboy: Tomas Plekanec. It's not often that a guy scores once for each team.

Providence Shuttle: The whole Bruins team. Inexcusably weak effort. Bring up the Baby B's! #Hamill4FirstLineCenter!