Winter Classic: Canadiens top Bruins 5-1

The New England Patriots quarterback reacted to photos of the goalie mask Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask plans to wear at the NHL Winter Classic on Friday.

There was a common theme for the Montreal Canadiens’ first three goals in Friday’s Winter Classic against the Boston Bruins – they all came from within a foot of goaltender Tuukka Rask. The Bruins tried to play physical against the Habs but it didn’t work. It hasn’t worked almost as often as they would’ve hoped.

Max Pacioretty and Tomas Plekanec got the assists on the play. “[Matt] Beleskey-I was skating off the ice once-chopped me. We’re not going to intimidate anyone, but they don’t intimidate us”. And that was made all the more noticeable with what Gallagher was able to do for the Canadiens. The Bruins then failed on two power plays but thought they had cut the lead in half on the first.

But Beleskey and his teammates managed only three shots in the opening frame. Each of the first seven Classics had been decided by two goals or fewer. The Bruins didn’t take advantage of that position today, but the Canadiens sure did. The bright side is they weren’t shut out, but the downside is that no matter the stage the game was still worth two points and they hadn’t gained any. For most of the game, even the second period, it was nearly like we were waiting for someone to take control.

They are the lines Therrien got to revert back to due to Gallagher’s participation in the Classic.

“It’s unbelievable”, said Condon’s brother, Zach. The Gallagher goal came with both players hitting the puck in mid-air. He became only the fourth player to score multiple goals in a Winter Classic.

The Canadiens’ eighth straight win in and around Boston deprived the Bruins, losers four of their last five, of joining Montreal as the only two National Hockey League franchises with 3,000 wins.

The commentator said it looked like a baseball move.

The win wasn’t his only parting gift from Foxborough. The back of Condon’s mask included an image of Brady, the Patriots’ four Lombardi trophies and Bill Belichick’s “Do your job” mantra. Hopefully, got some mojo on my helmet there. But (the Bruins) went though injuries as well. When it comes down to the playoff season, these are the types of games you have to play. The Canadiens began to crumble and endured one of the worst months in franchise history in December with a 3-11-0 record.

Desharnais got the Habs’ first goal, just 74 seconds into the game, when he converted a rebound.

But the pressure Montreal put on him was overwhelming. It was bad. You would think that, especially when we’re missing guys like we are, you’d have to play hard and stick with the system. “And they had us on our heels early”.

The Canadiens entered the locker room with a commanding 3-0 lead, but Boston attempted to mount a comeback in the third.