The Montreal Canadians are notoriously known by Boston Bruins fans as the team to mar Boston’s success.
This season makes no exception. It had been hammered on the players themselves – how the Bruins were 0-3 against their heated rivals of the Atlantic Division prior to Sunday’s game at the TD Garden. Sunday’s matchup was the final meeting between the rivals for the regular season, unless the two meet in a potential playoff series – not until spring, of course. Stranger things have happened.
Entering Sunday’s game, much was said, rightfully so, over Tuukka Rask’s struggles against Montreal. Over his career against the Canadians, Rask has a 3-12-3 record with a .902 save percentage. On the contrary, his career numbers are far more Rask-like, with a .927 career save percentage and a career goals against average of 2.15.
Rask was ready to turn Montreal’s page this season, after now falling 3 out of 4 meetings. By no means was Rask ever shying away from Montreal. He explained to the media this past week that he welcomes the challenges Montreal presents to his team, yet is also cognizant of the struggles his team encounters against their rival.
The implications of Sunday’s matchup reach farther than simply two points for Boston. Each loss puts the Boston Bruins in a deeper hole, a hole they seemed to climb out of after their lucrative month of January. Boston is still vying for a playoff spot, and currently, they hold the second wild card spot with six points ahead of Florida.
If the playoffs were to begin today, the Bruins would play No. 1 seed Tampa Bay in the first round. Luckily for Boston, they’ve had Tampa’s number this season. But if the Bruins managed to play Montreal in the playoffs, what would lead pundits to pick the Bruins over Montreal?
Montreal appears to be Boston’s kryptonite. The 2014-15 regular season seems to confirm that. For Boston to beat Montreal in this potential playoff tilt, they’d have to play with the identity that has carried them through the ladder part of December and the entirety of January.
For now, it’s a disheartening loss for the Boston Bruins. They had yet to play Montreal since mid-November, and since then, they’ve changed drastically.
The Boston Bruins found a rhythm they desperately needed after Charlie Jacobs called out his team for their lackluster performance. They grinded their way into a playoff spot. They formed a winning streak. They made changes to their lineup with the addition of David Pastrnak taking on a starting role.
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Sunday’s loss seemed to deflate all what was going well for the Bruins. It’s not the simple fact that they lost. It’s the fact they were swept by their greatest rival and a team who is ahead of them in the standings.
Sunday’s final meeting between the Canadians and Bruins will ultimately be a tough pill to swallow for the Bruins, with a fourth and final win by Montreal to seal the season sweep. Along with the trend of beating Boston, the Canadians have been doing it in a similar way for several years.
It’s their speed and ability to play with pace and heaviness that has turned this team into a serious threat to win the Eastern Conference. Montreal has one of the more cerebral offenses which can loosen the tightest defenses in the league, including Boston.
Go Joe Bruin
The Boston Bruins will pick things back up again on Tuesday night against the Dallas Stars at the TD Garden. Boston will not be dwelling on the season sweep at the hands of Montreal for long with more important matters at head, like maintaining a playoff spot.