Taylor, Bruins Rout Canadiens

The Boston Bruins are now in the driver's seat for home-ice in the first round of the playoffs.

Tim Taylor scored two goals, including a penalty shot in the first period, and Byron Dafoe made 28 saves to vault the Bruins into fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a 6-2 win Wednesday night over the Montreal Canadiens.

The Bruins moved one point ahead of both Buffalo and Washington, with two games remaining. Buffalo lost 5-4 in overtime at New Jersey. Washington was idle.

The Canadiens, seventh in the East, remained three points ahead of the Ottawa Senators, whom they visit Thursday night. Montreal closes its season at home against Buffalo on Saturday. Ottawa is at Buffalo on Sunday to finish its season.

"(I'M) disappointed, embarrassed. I wish I had a better word to describe how bad I feel," Canadiens coach Alain Vigneault said of his team's performance. "It was an important game and the players didn't execute and they didn't play."

Taylor was awarded the penalty shot seven minutes into the game when he was hauled down from behind by Shayne Corson on a Montreal power play. The Bruins' forward beat goaltender Jocelyn Thibault with a backhander for his 19th goal.

"You're excited because it's a penalty shot," Taylor said. "Then you go, `Oh oh, it's me.' You can't think. You just have to go in and take your best shot."

Taylor added a power-play goal late in the second period when he deflected Grant Ledyard's shot past Thibault.

Ray Bourque, Dmitri Khristich, Steve Heinze and Anson Carter also scored for Boston. Boston went 4-for-10 on the power play.

Corson and Vladimir Malakohov scored for the Canadiens.

"It was one of the worst games I've ever played in," Corson said. "We have to look at ourselves in the mirror."

Thibault made 22 saves.

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