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Sturm lifts Bruins, forces Game Seven

Apr 20, 2008 - 3:52 AM By Tony Lee PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

BOSTON (Ticker) - By once again owning the third period, the Boston Bruins have lived to see another day.

Marco Sturm snapped a tie with 2:37 remaining in the third as the eighth-seeded Bruins scored four times in the period to even their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with the top-seeded Montreal Canadiens at three games apiece with a 5-4 triumph in Game Six on Saturday.

Phil Kessel scored twice and rookies Milan Lucic and Vladimir Sobotka also tallied for Boston, which will attempt to complete the rally from a three-games-to-one deficit when it plays Game Seven in Montreal on Monday.

The Bruins erased three one-goal deficits and scored three times in just over five minutes down the stretch, sending TD Banknorth Garden into an absolute frenzy when Sturm capped the scoring.

"It was a big battle, back and forth," Sturm said. "I'm just glad we won."

Christopher Higgins netted a pair of goals and Tomas Plekanec and defenseman Francis Bouillon each recorded their first of the series for the Canadiens, who are now looking to avoid a monumental collapse to their longtime rivals.

At the very least, they can look to what is sure to be a raucous Bell Centre crowd for rejuvenation.

"We have to regroup now," Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau said. " Everyone wants to win in four (games) but that's why you play 82 regular-season games, so you can have the seventh game at home."

If Saturday stands as Boston's last game at home this season, it had a phenomenal finish.

With the game knotted at 4-4 late in the third period, Sturm outmuscled defenseman Roman Hamrlik for the puck in the right corner and skated into the right faceoff circle before unleashing a shot that was stopped by Carey Price. However, the rebound came right back to Sturm, who glided across the slot and waited for the rookie goaltender to sprawl across the crease before lifting the puck into the net to give Boston the lead.

The tally gave the Bruins, who dropped the first two games of the series, eight goals in the last two third periods of the series. They scored four unanswered goals in the final 20 minutes of Thursday's 5-1 victory in Game Five.

"I've been plenty surprised with this hockey team all year," Boston coach Claude Julien said when asked how his team keeps coming back. "They just keep going."

All-Star Tim Thomas made 31 saves for Boston, which has scored 10 goals in two games after notching just five in the first four of the series.

Price finished with 31 saves for Montreal, which was 0-for-4 on the power play. The Canadiens, who owned the NHL's top power play in the league this season, is 2-for-29 with the man advantage in the quarterfinals.

"Nothing, we lost," Carbonneau said when asked if there were any positives to take from the game. "We scored four goals, but we lost."

Higgins opened the scoring by beating Thomas while falling down in front of the net. Kessel - who was scratched in Games Two, Three and Four before returning Thursday to notch the Bruins' first goal - got the team's opening tally again in fine fashion.

The 20-year-old benefited from a pick at mid-ice, sped past two Canadiens and burned Bouillon before finding the net to make it 1-1 early in the second. While the goal was impressive, Kessel's teammates marveled at his ability to be prepared when his name was called.

"The fact that he's 20 years old and he maintained his focus, he didn't sulk," defenseman Aaron Ward said of Kessel. "It's easy to sulk and pack up and mentally just check out, and he didn't."

"He proved me wrong," Julien said. "I can take it."

Plekanec's score came about six minutes later after he sped out of the penalty box, racing ahead of All-Star defenseman Zdeno Chara and beating Thomas with a backhand.

Sobotka tied it 3:13 into the third but Bouillon's blast from the right circle at 10:04 glanced off Boston defenseman Shane Hnidy's stick and past Thomas to give Montreal a 3-2 advantage.

That opened the floodgates.

Lucic redirected Ward's shot past Price with 7:47 left to tie it at 3-3, and Kessel's third goal in two games came 3:32 later. Sturm won a race for the puck before centering a perfect pass directly to Kessel's blade, from where the puck was lifted past fellow 20-year-old Price's left shoulder.

Bruins fans were still cheering when Higgins struck again 11 seconds later to create the game's fourth tie with 4:04 to go.

Sturm ensured the Boston fans had one more reason to stand up.

"They were just hungrier," Price said of the Bruins. "They bore down on every chance they had. You have to give them credit."

Regardless of what Boston brings, Carbonneau said he needs more from his netminder.

"Our best player has to be our best player," he said of Price.