Bruins-Canadiens Renew Rivalry In Montreal
BOSTON (CBS) - The last time the Bruins and Canadiens matched up, it looked more like a boxing match at the TD Garden.
Do not expect the same Tuesday night at the Bell Centre.
"I doubt it," forward Shawn Thornton said about the possibility of another 182-penalty minute, fight-riddled game. "If there is, obviously we have a team that can deal with that stuff. I don't think anyone's losing sleep over it."
Photo Gallery: Bruins-Canadiens Fight Night
Instead, the game will be all about getting some separation in the standings. The Bruins can inch closer to the Philadelphia Flyers, who they trail by just two points for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The Canadiens trail the B's by five-points in the Northeast Division, and are trying to climb in the East.
Bruins Talks Rivalry With Canadiens
"I think from here on in they're all big games," Milan Lucic said at practice on Monday. "It's a divisional game, they're the ones behind us trying to catch us for the divisional lead. They're on a bit of a winning streak here, they're playing well. It seems every time we go in there they play a good, hard game against us. We have to play hard, but play smart."
Playing smart and disciplined will mean turning the page on last month's fight-night at the Garden.
"There was a lot of frustration last game," coach Claude Julien said. "Part of it was us sticking up for ourselves. They have a tendency to want to stir the pot and look innocent in those situations. We know what it's all about and we've got to do what we've got to do. Bottom line is you have to come up with a win, and you've got to be smart enough to do that."
"You look back at games like that, the Dallas game, just games were you're being team tough, it's a great feeling knowing your teammate has your back," Lucic added. "I think that we've shown that a lot this year. It creates that chemistry and brings that family feel to the dressing room."
Aside from the penalty minutes and fights, last month's matchup ended with 14 goals on the scoreboard, including eight in the second period. A very surprising total with Tim Thomas and Carey Price each enjoying quiet a bit of success this season. Thomas leads the NHL with a 1.97 goal-against-average while Price is eighth at 2.34, and they each have seven shutouts.
The Bruins, winners of six-straight on the road, will be without defenseman Steve Kampfer (concussion) and Andrew Ference (lower-body injury).
Wednesday Night's Bruins-Canadiens game can be heard on 98.5 The Sports Hub starting at 6:30 with the Dunkin' Donuts Bruins Pregame show
