[ Game summary ]

By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell, Globe Staff, 12/15/2002

ONTREAL - The atmosphere at the Bell Centre last night had the same intensity it had for last spring's playoff matchup between the Canadiens and Bruins. Unfortunately for Boston, it had the same result.

This time it was a 4-2 loss that was in no small part because of the Bruins' absence of discipline in the second period, which caused a parade to the penalty box (seven minors) and helped seal their fate.

If the Bruins were calling their last two losses a slide, now they've dropped three in a row for the first time this season and it can now be termed a slump.

''We dug our own grave tonight,'' said forward P.J. Stock, who started the game on the top line with center Joe Thornton and right wing Martin Lapointe. ''That's not our style of hockey and it backfired for us.''

There was plenty of intensity from the opening faceoff and it was Boston who got on the board first. At 2:19, Ivan Huml potted his fifth goal when he beat goalie Jose Theodore off a pass from Jozef Stumpel.

A miscommunication allowed the Canadiens to pull even at 5:47, just after a Montreal penalty had expired. Huml had the puck along the boards and tried to pass it to defenseman Jonathan Girard. However, Andrei Markov was coming out of the box and Girard was heading back on defense. Huml's pass was intercepted and the Canadiens were off to the races on a three-on-one break. Richard Zednik finished it off when he snapped a shot past goalie John Grahame from the inside edge of the right circle.

Coach Robbie Ftorek, mindful of the anger toward Thornton by the Canadiens as a result of a perceived spear of Markov in their meeting Tuesday in Boston, mixed up his lines significantly for this game. He had pugilist Stock riding shotgun with Thornton on the left side along with the toughness of Lapointe.

But the Canadiens adjusted to the mixing and matching better than the Bruins did and took a 2-1 lead at 14:48. Canadiens captain Saku Koivu, positioned on the right side, passed the puck across to Chad Kilger on the left side. Kilger drove to the net and lifted a backhander past Grahame.

The one-goal deficit was by no means insurmountable but something happened to the Bruins in the middle period. The trouble began at 2:37 when Lapointe was called for holding Markov. Boston killed it off but before the Bruins could get going the other way, Montreal scored when Craig Rivet snapped a shot from the right circle over Grahame's glove.

At 6:31, Marty McInnis was called for high-sticking. He was joined in the box by defenseman Sean O'Donnell, who was called for roughing Donald Audette at 7:11, giving the Canadiens a five-on-three advantage for 1:20. With 28 seconds remaining on the two-man edge, center Yannic Perreault scored to give the Canadiens a 4-1 lead at 8:04.

Audette fired a pass through the crease to Perreault. The puck deflected off Bruins defenseman Hal Gill and popped in the air. It glanced off Perreault's body and landed at his feet. He tapped it into the net for his 13th goal. Grahame, clearly frustrated, slammed his stick against the crossbar.

The penalties kept coming for Boston, though. With O'Donnell still in there, Grahame slugged Randy McKay in the back of the head and was called for roughing, giving Montreal another two-man advantage - this time for nine seconds. They killed that off but with Grahame's penalty still on the board, Lapointe was whistled for slashing Markov. That gave the Canadiens their third five-on-three, this time for 51 seconds.

The Bruins killed it off but ended the period the way they started it, in more penalty trouble. Thornton, who was booed nearly every time he touched the puck, had a delayed call coming his way. With Koivu carrying the puck, Thornton chased him and felt that Koivu high-sticked him when they were battling in the corner. Thornton lost his stick and then mugged Koivu to the ice. Rivet came after the Bruins captain and when it was all sorted out, Thornton had a double minor for tripping and holding and Rivet got two minutes for roughing at 17:25.

The Bruins came out much better in the third period and pulled to within two goals at 2:49. McInnis fired a shot from the left circle under the crossbar and over Theodore's glove.

But the second period proved too much to overcome and the Bruins went home empty.

''We got a little bit undisciplined there,'' said Brian Rolston. ''You just can't give them the chances like that. When you have to kill penalty after penalty, it's hard. I felt a couple of calls were deserved and a couple weren't but that's the way it goes. It seemed like a playoff game right off the bat. We had good opportunities and Theodore was there to make the saves. We've got to forget about it - not completely - but put it behind us and start in practice [today] to get better.''

This story ran on page D1 of the Boston Globe on 12/15/2002.
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