Habs v Bruins - Post Series Report

Boston - Teams that win the Presidents' Trophy are supposed to win more than one round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That's why no matter what way you shake it, the Boston Bruins' loss to the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Second Round is a major disappointment. The Bruins were 54-19-9 in the regular season and dispatched the Detroit Red Wings in five games in the first round. Boston led the best-of-7 series with Montreal 3-2 but lost in seven games. For a team that had such a great first seven months of the season to unravel the way it did in the space of a few days, a lot of things must go wrong. Here are five reasons the Bruins failed to reach the Eastern Conference Final:

1. Offense in hibernation - The Bruins were third in the NHL during the regular season with 3.15 goals per game. But in the last two games against the Canadiens they scored one goal and didn’t score at even strength. Montreal goaltender Carey Price made 55 saves in those two games, but Boston helped him by missing the net on 27 other shots. In addition to hitting posts and crossbars, the Bruins fanned on several prime opportunities and inexplicably looked tight and nervous offensively with a chance to close out the Canadiens.

2. Stars burned out - Any discussion of who didn't answer the bell for the Bruins starts with center David Krejci. Boston's No. 1 center led the Stanley Cup Playoffs in scoring two of the past three years when Boston won the Stanley Cup in 2011 and made the Final in 2013. This year, he failed to score a goal and had four assists in 12 games. From there, many of Boston's other best players failed to produce. Forward Brad Marchand didn't score a goal in 12 games to extend his postseason drought to 20. Defenseman Zdeno Chara didn't score a goal against the Canadiens, and forward Milan Lucic's only goal of the series was scored into an empty net.
3. Deficient on defense - The Bruins got by in the regular season without veteran defensemen Dennis Seidenberg and Adam McQuaid because of the maturation of their young defensemen. It was a different story in the playoffs. Torey Krug and Dougie Hamilton continued to blossom, especially offensively. They held their own on defense too, and Krug earned more 5-on-5 ice time with his play. However, Matt Bartkowski and Kevan Miller were exposed for their decision-making when the game picked up speed. Bartkowski found himself in the penalty box too often, and Miller made the miscue that turned Game 6, and eventually the series, in Montreal's favor.
4. Shaky Rask - Price clearly was the best goaltender in the series. Playing behind little goal support had its effects, but Tuukka Rask had a pedestrian .903 save percentage against the Canadiens. Rask typically is as confident as they come. However, his indecision contributed to several goals; he got caught in between coming out or staying in the crease on Montreal forward Max Pacioretty's breakaway goal in Game 6 and had a few other indecisive moments on loose pucks around the slot.
5. Immaturity - There's no way to measure how much the Bruins' taunts really inspired the Canadiens to play as well as they did. But it was obvious the Canadiens took some of the Bruins' gestures and words to heart and used them as a rallying cry in the dressing room. The only thing more dangerous than a talented team is a talented team inspired by perceived disrespect. The Bruins are a veteran team that typically avoids providing an opponent with bulletin-board material. This time, the Bruins gave the Canadiens an outside source of inspiration that helped tilt the series in Montreal's favor.
Montreal - Few people gave the Montreal Canadiens much of a chance to defeat the Boston Bruins in their Eastern Conference Second Round series, with good reason. The Bruins were the best team in the NHL during the regular season. The Canadiens were not. But the Canadiens have had the Bruins' number during the past two seasons, and though regular-season results don't necessarily translate to success in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they did in this case. Here are five reasons the Canadiens are headed to the Eastern Conference Final, where they will play the New York Rangers:

1. Price lowered the boom - Canadiens goaltender Carey Price simply was better than Bruins counterpart Tuukka Rask, and never more so than when it counted most. Price's save percentage in Games 6 and 7 of the series, elimination games for Montreal, was .982. Rask's save percentage in those two games was .848. If you include what Price did for Canada at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, he is 5-0 this season when facing elimination and has allowed two goals in those five games.

2. Subban rose to another level - As opposed to Price, defenseman P.K. Subban was held off the score sheet in the final two games of the series. But to say he didn't show up in those games would be horribly wrong. Subban was the most dominant skater in the series from start to finish, and it wasn't really close. He scored four goals, assisted on three, and was given the most difficult matchups defensively from coach Michel Therrien. But most importantly, Subban was able to dictate the pace. The Bruins were unable to establish much of a forecheck with Subban on the ice because of his elite ability to get the puck moving out of his zone while maintaining possession. Offensively, he was often able to enter the Bruins zone with the puck and effectively picked his spots.
3. Power play came to life - Another area where Subban impacted the series was the power play, which was dormant for weeks prior to the series but came alive against the Bruins. The Canadiens scored on the power play in five of the seven games and finished 8-for-25 after going 2-for-13 in a first-round sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Subban scored three of those goals and assisted on two, forcing the Bruins to pay extra attention to him at the point and thereby freeing space for teammates to work. The effectiveness of Montreal's power play made it that much more important to the Bruins to stay out of the penalty box, which might have limited their level of aggression in the series.
4. Winning the depth battle - The Bruins have long been known as a team that can roll four lines with ease, but it was the Canadiens who had a decided edge in that department. Montreal's fourth line of Brandon Prust, Daniel Briere and Dale Weise presented major problems to Boston's Merlot Line of Daniel Paille, Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton. Briere had a goal and three assists in the series despite sitting out Game 5 as a healthy scratch, and Weise scored twice. The fourth line's influence was never bigger than in Game 7. The opening goal came as a result of Prust beating Johnny Boychuk in a race to the puck, then getting it to Briere, who put a perfect pass on the tape of Weise cutting backdoor at 2:18 of the first period. The goal allowed the Canadiens to play with the lead, something they have shown throughout the playoffs they can do very effectively. Briere capped the win by scoring on the power play when his centering pass went off Zdeno Chara's skate into the net with 2:53 remaining. The Merlot Line combined for one goal and was minus-7 in the series.
5. Composure - The Canadiens spoke freely after Game 7 of how they felt disrespected by the Bruins, a feeling that was galvanized in Game 5 when Milan Lucic flexed his muscles at Subban on the bench and Thornton sprayed him with water from the bench during play and laughed about it afterward. The Canadiens took that anger and focused it in their play instead of seeking retribution. It paid off for them in the end. From the moment Thornton squirted water in Subban's face until the end of the series, the Canadiens outscored the Bruins 7-1.