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Canadiens extend domination over Bruins

Nov 9, 2007 - 4:58 AM By Mike Petraglia PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

BOSTON (Ticker) -- The Boston Bruins can't find a way to beat teams in their own division, while the Montreal Canadiens can't seem to lose on the road.

Alexei Kovalev and Tomas Plekanec each had a goal and an assist to lead the Canadiens past the Bruins, 2-1, on Thursday night at TD Banknorth Garden.

Three weeks after suffering a humiliating 6-1 loss in Montreal, the Bruins fared no better on home ice in falling to the Canadiens for the fifth straight time.

"We've been working really hard at it the last couple of weeks and it's starting to pay off right now," Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau said.

The Bruins lost their fourth straight game - all to Northeast Division rivals - and have scored just five goals in that span. They went 0-for-4 on the power play and have failed to convert on their last 13 chances with the man advantage.

"Right now, our power play is not working, and our guys who are capable of making plays, aren't," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "The power play can be a pressure situation, and maybe it's a case of trying too hard, but we need to do better."

Montreal opened a four-game road trip through the division by winning its third straight road game dating to October 18.

The Canadiens took a 1-0 lead just before the first intermission when Kovalev finished off an odd-man rush for his team-leading eighth goal, tapping in a shot by Plekanec with just under three minutes remaining in the first.

Plekanec took a pass from Andrei Kostitsyn, who streaked across the Bruins' blue line and down the left wing.

Moments after failing to convert on its first power-play chance of the night, Montreal doubled the lead with some crisp passing from Plekanec's line.

Kovalev came down the right wing again and fed Kostitsyn. The left wing then dropped a pass for Plekanec, who deked goaltender Tim Thomas for his fifth tally of the season.

"It's not a pretty style they play, with the trapping and the deliberate style, so you have to make the most of your opportunities when they come and not turn the puck over," Kovalev said. "I thought we did a good job of that tonight. We still could have done a better job in many areas, but it was a good win."

For the first 30 minutes, the Bruins could muster little against rookie netminder Carey Price, who was making just his fifth NHL start and finished with 28 saves.

"The guys played well in front of me," Price said. "I had a chance to see all the shots all night. They play a trapping system, so I knew it would be a low-scoring game. I thought we skated all right and moved the puck to get our chances. Our line was able to get to the puck when we needed to and score."

Marc Savard came close to breaking through midway through the second, when his wrister from the right faceoff circle beat Price to the far side but rang off the left goalpost.

The Bruins got on the scoreboard thanks to some persistence in the second. Chuck Kobasew was denied on the doorstep by Price, but the netminder could not control the rebound.

Marco Sturm collected the puck and snapped a backhander past Price for his sixth goal, tying Kobasew and Phil Kessel for the team lead.

The Bruins had their best chance when the Canadiens took penalties three seconds apart in the third. With Mike Komisarek in the box for high-sticking and fellow defenseman Francis Bouillon banished for delay of game, Boston was unable to muster the tying goal.

"We have to find a way to score on that 5-on-3," said blue-liner Dennis Wideman, Boston's point man on the power play. "We have the players, but maybe we're pressing too much."

Late in the third, the Bruins and their fans witnessed yet another scary moment when defenseman Aaron Ward had to be helped off the ice by Wideman and Andrew Alberts.

Ward lay prone for several minutes - face-down on the ice - after taking an elbow from Bouillon with just over five minutes remaining.

"It was an elbow to the head. That's all we know," Julien said.

The incident came just hours after Boston's Patrice Bergeron spoke for the first time since suffering a broken nose and Grade 3 concussion following a hit in by Philadelphia's Randy Jones on October 27.

Despite giving up just two goals and making 30 saves, Thomas fell to 4-10-0 lifetime against Montreal.