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Bruins try to end drought vs. Canadiens

Apr 10, 2008 - 1:30 PM Boston at Montreal 7:00 pm EDT Eastern Conference quarterfinals

MONTREAL (Ticker) - If the Boston Bruins were waiting for the right moment to pick up a victory against the Montreal Canadiens, now would be that time.

The Bruins look to end a season of misery against the Canadiens when the teams meet for Game One of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal on Thursday.

Boston lost all eight (0-7-1) regular-season meetings with their rivals and were outscored, 39-16, in the process.

Other than a 2-1 setback in early November, the Bruins lost by two goals or more each time until the final meeting on March 22, when they fell, 3-2, in a shootout.

"It makes for a great series," Bruins defenseman Aaron Ward said. "It's not enough that it's Boston vs. Montreal, it's the fact that they have had our number all year. It adds a little salt in the wound that we haven't cracked that egg."

The Bruins have dropped 11 games in a row dating back to last season against the Canadiens, who finished first in the Eastern Conference for the first time since the 1991-92 season.

Montreal enters the postseason red hot, posting an 8-1-1 record over its final 10 games and boasts the best offense in the NHL, finishing the season with a league-high 262 goals.

However, the Canadiens may have to account for one player that hasn't been present during the majority of Boston's slump this season.

Patrice Bergeron, who missed 72 games with a concussion suffered on October 27 against the Philadelphia Flyers, was cleared to participate in full-contact drills following the conclusion of the regular season.

The 22-year-old center had three goals and four assists in his first 10 games before sustaining the injury. Bergeron has one tally and three helpers in seven career playoff games, all coming against the Canadiens in 2004, when the Bruins held a 3-1 lead in the quarterfinals only to lose the series in seven games.

This will be the first test for Montreal's rookie netminder Carey Price, who has been solid since taking over as the club's No. 1 goaltender in late February, when the club shipped Cristobal Huet to Washington.