HabsWorld.net --
Almost every postseason series has a play or a situation that becomes the
focal point to remember for years to come. The Habs/Bruins Round 2 matchup
had plenty of memorable ups and downs that could best define it. We posed
the question to our writers and our message board posters, what was the series
defining moment against Boston?
Brian La Rose: For me, Game 6 was the defining moment.
The early goal from Lars Eller not only energized a raucous Bell Centre but also
the team which helped them carry the play for most of the game. It was
also in that contest that Carey Price got rid of the ‘yeah, but’ factor.
While his supporters pointed out Price’s success in the Olympics as a reason to
be confident about his postseason chances, his detractors were quick to point
out that international play isn’t the NHL and that Price has been spotty at best
in playoff play. Shutting out the Bruins in that game, with the pressure
at its highest, eliminated that argument while shifting both the momentum and
the goaltending narrative in Montreal’s favour for good.
Alex Létourneau: Carey Price’s paddle save on Milan Lucic. I
was telling a friend before Game 7 that Price had finally made ‘that save’ that
slumps the shoulders and discourages a team. Jose Theodore did it against Bill
Guerin and the Bruins, Jaroslav Halak against Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals and
now Price on Milan Lucic in game 6. The net was empty, admittedly it wasn’t the
greatest shot, but Price got to it, leaving a brief puzzled look on Lucic’s face
and later a somewhat bewildered explanation to teammates on the bench. Not to
take away from the amount of heroics Price had throughout the series but after
that save I thought I saw the Bruins deflate.
Kevin Meldrum: Game 6 was the deciding factor in the
Montreal/Boston series; everything about it starting with Carey Price, his
poise/calmness/confidence had him in the Bruins head for sure. The speed
of the Habs also impressed as Boston had no answer for it and they looked
worried about that leading into Game 7. Montreal just looked ready but
Boston looked unsure and couldn’t respond. Price was always there if
Montreal made a mistake and Boston knew it. The stupid antics by the
Bruins only gave the Habs extra motivation and they played smart not getting
caught up in Boston’s bush league tactics.
Mitchell Tierney: The series defining moment for the Canadiens
against the Bruins was Game 3 at the Bell Centre. During the series one of the
big themes was the Bruins ability to come back in games, dating back to their
Game 7 victory over the Maple Leafs. Montreal had given up two leads in Games 1
and 2 of the series respectively. But on this occasion they were able to hold
off the Bruins as they tried to get themselves back into the game. This game
them the confidence to be able to go out and get the victory in Game 7, despite
only leading by one goal for the majority of the third period.
We posed the question on our message board as well. Here is a sampling
of some of our posters’ responses:
BCHabnut: My series defining moment was when Thornton splashed
Subban with water. The team got mad and said this "Bruins team doesn’t respect
us." They banded together on this and used it. I hate cliches and overhyped
points made by media, but the I think the Bruins "don’t poke the bear" stuff
backfired. They disrespected the Habs. The Bruins poked the Hab. Thornton poked
the Hab. Doesn’t sound as good, I know. The Bruins poked the Habs and Thornton’s
last sign of disrespect was enough to gel the team to dominate game 6.
hab29RETIRED: The series defining moment had to be Subban’s
comment at the end of Game 6 – wanting to take it all away! Even the über
confident Roy didn’t show that much confidence or boldness!
Trizzak: Outside of Price vs Rask… Dale Weise, career 4th
liner, outmatched Milan Lucic at his own game. He shoved all of Lucic’s taunts
back at him, then backed it up with solid playoff production. And the team
rallied behind him. It was a great subplot to an amazing series.
huzer: Which Subban moment do you want? OT goal in game 1? The
breakaway goal Subban? (What a move!) Subban jumping up and down, calling for
the puck in game 5 before scoring? I’m calling end-of-game-5 Subban. That’s when
I saw that despite being down, despite being about to lose game 5, there was no
quit in Subban, and thus, no quit in the team. So even though game 5 was a loss,
I still believed the Habs could win the last 2. Their earlier win in Boston
cemented that Montreal could indeed win in Boston, and I KNEW they would win
game 6 in Montreal.