Canadiens’ Gallagher returns to spoil Bruins’ game at Gillette

Montreal goalie Mike Condon, a big local story, made some stellar saves, finishing with 27, but he rarely found himself in trouble while Boston searched for a spark.

With the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens set to drop the puck at Gillette Stadium on New Year’s Day in the 2016 NHL Winter Classic, episode three of EPIX’s Road To The 2016 NHL Winter Classic aired on Wednesday night.

Condon had a new addition to his helmet – an autograph from Patriots quarterback Tom Brady – and a cheering section led by his father.

Montreal right winger Dale Wiese, who assisted on the first goal of the game, left the game with an upper-body injury. The Canadiens scored early, the goal coming after a faceoff and then an ensuing scramble, Desharnais scoring his first goal and third point in 18 games.

Rask had every reason to be mad about the game, but the defensive performance was just one of the areas the Bruins’ effort did not look up to snuff against the previously slumping Canadiens. Four of the five goals allowed by Rask were the result of some impressive hand-eye coordination on the part of the Canadiens, and he was often left to fend for himself. They trailed by a goal less than two minutes into the first period and trailed by two after 22 minutes.

But the Bruins fell to 0-1 in a building where the Patriots have lost only one meaningful game in three years.

“I felt fine. It felt like a normal game, a little breeze sometimes but it felt like a normal game”, Rask said.

AROUND THE BOARDS: Boston coach Claude Julien, who took a skate with Pats’ coach Bill Belichick Thursday, was sporting a Bruins hoodie behind the bench.

On Friday, Tom Brady and Julian Edelman reciprocated the support, even suggesting they add a couple more men to the Bruins lineup. Not even half way through the first period Boston’s Torey Krug and Montreal’s David Desharnais were assessed roughing minors as numerous players came together after the puck was frozen. One point separated the Bruins and Canadiens when they took the ice in front of 67,246 frigid fans. The Bruins were utterly humiliated in this game, barely avoiding a complete disaster by recording a single goal in the third period (from Matt Beleskey).

Paul Byron netted twice for Montreal, who got January off to a good start following a 3-11-0 month of December.

Gallagher was expected to miss six weeks after he was placed on injured reserve on November 23.

Boston felt the absence of its starsThe Bruins have been a surprise to just about everyone this season, staying competitive in a wide-open Atlantic Division after a slow start. Outside, a free spectator plaza with live music, family-friendly games and a public skating rink completed the festival atmosphere that has come to surround the Winter Classic and make it the league’s signature regular-season event.