Game 32: Bruins 3, Canadiens 2

The Good

• Fantastic goaltending This shouldn't come as much of a surprise, but last night's game was a terrific goaltending duel. Carey Price and Tim Thomas are two of the NHL's premier netminders, and both were on top of their games last night. One could argue that all five goals were either a bit fluky or that there was nothing either goalie could do. Both Thomas and Price made their fair share of highlight-reel stops as well. It's because of a goalie like Price that one can never count the Habs out: a talented goalie can get hot and steal a playoff series.
• My boy Benny Benoit Pouliot continues to endear himself to B's fans, scoring against his former team for the first time last night. Pouliot now has six goals, four of which are game-winners. I'm of the opinion that Pouliot has been getting better and better as his time with the B's has gone on. He's starting to show flashes of that top-five draft pick talent. Let's hope he keeps it up.
• Tough Soup Gregory Campbell returned to action last night, despite still having a broken bone in his foot. He played well, logging one shot in eleven minutes in TOI, including 1:24 in shorthanded TOI. Campbell also made a stellar play on the PK (as usual), diving to clear a loose puck to prevent a Montreal scoring chance.
• Zach attack I still think Zach Hamill has played extremely well since coming up from Providence. He's likely going back as soon as today (with Daniel Paille, Campbell, Rich Peverley, and Milan Lucic all returning, there's not really a spot for him), but I think this latest stint has revivified Hamill's prospect status. If he does go, he'll be back soon.
  

The Bad

• Zzzzzz... For a game that featured a desperate Habs team, this one was a bit of a snoozer. Sure, it was still fun to watch, but there were no fireworks. I think I counted the post-whistle scrums and shoving matches on one hand, strange for a B's-Habs game.
  
• Why no Emelin? A bit of a curious decision by the Habs coaching staff in scratching Alexei Emelin, Montreal's Russian defender. As far as I know, Emelin was a healthy scratch, with Chris Campoli playing in his place. Strange, because Emelin is pretty much the Habs' best physical weapon. He was a force against the B's earlier this year at the Bell Centre, and the B's play even more physically when at home. All of that combines to make that decision a bit of a head-scratcher, unless he was hurt.
• Powerless play Yes, the Bruins' power play woes have returned (for one night, at least). The B's failed to score on the man advantage last night, including coming up empty on a four-minute penalty to Louis Leblanc. Hey, I hear that Kaberle guy on the other team can help a power play...
  

What went right:

• Oftentimes, goals come off of pressure. Pressure, pressure, pressure. Last night's game-winner was no exception. Brad Marchand was in on the forecheck on Tomas Kaberle, who actually managed to get off a decent pass. However, Patrice Bergeron applied another layer of pressure, stealing the puck from Travis Moen. Because of his forechecking tenacity, Marchand was all alone in front to accept Tyler Seguin's feed. All of this resulted from putting pressure on the Canadiens, making them make decisions just a little bit quicker. It usually pays off, and last night the B's hit the jackpot.
  

Attaboy: I'll give it to my boy Benny, because I think he's starting to find his groove.

Providence shuttle: No fireworks. Zzzz...