Julien brings Canadiens to Boston to face former team
BOSTON -- Claude Julien won a Stanley Cup behind the Boston Bruins' bench in 2011.
On Saturday night, the Montreal coach returns again with the Canadiens. His latest visit -- for the latest installment of hockey's top rivalry -- comes after a Thursday night disappointment in Buffalo.
"They out-competed us," Julien said after a 4-3 loss left the Canadiens 1-1-1 in their last three games. "I'm not going to say our guys didn't work, but they out-competed us. They won a lot of battles along the walls, way more than usual.
"In our own end, we had to do a better job of killing plays and getting the puck out. We didn't do a good job of that. They were on pucks quicker than we were on a lot of occasions. But even so, for a road game we were still in the game with a chance to win or at least come out with a point and we blew it. It's our own fault."
While the Habs (5-2-2, 1-1-2 on the road) were losing in Buffalo, the Bruins improved to 6-2-2 (4-0-0 at home) as Jaroslav Halak pitched a 3-0 shutout over the Philadelphia Flyers in Boston.
Halak is 3-0-2 with a 1.43 goals-against average, two shutouts and a .945 save percentage and could be forcing a goaltender controversy as Tuukka Rask has had a subpar start.
"It could, absolutely," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said when asked if Halak could force his way into the No. 1 spot. "We (script goalie starts) at the start of the year for -- we've done it here for years and just to work Tuukka's starts in because he's been the number one.
"But if Jaro's able to push him and eventually take the job, if and when that happens, then we'll look at that. We're going to try to keep it as balanced as possible early on, and then like we said if one separates himself from the other like every other position here then we'll allow that to evolve."
The Bruins are 2-0 after going 0-1-2 in the first three games of a four-game road trip. They swept last year's four-game season series with the Canadiens -- after years of frustration.
Carey Price has a shot at a milestone Saturday. If he wins, he breaks a tie with Patrick Roy for second-most wins by a Canadiens goalie, with 290 -- second only to Jacques Plante's 314.
"Pretty cool experience," Price said of tying Roy. "It was a great night. Overall, everybody played well. Great effort from everybody."
While the Bruins' top line of Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand has been on fire -- with 19 goals and 44 points in 10 games -- new Montreal acquisition has a five-game point streak and 10 points in his first nine games in his new uniform. That makes him the third Hab in the last 20 years with 10 points in his first nine games with the team.
Price, 3-1-2 with a 2.48 goals-against average and .906 save percentage this season, is a bawdy 24-11-5 with 2.42/.921 numbers against the Bruins in the regular season.
Neither Bruins goalie has great numbers against the Canadiens.
Rask, 3-2 with a 3.38 goals-against average and .901 save percentage this season, is just 10-15-3 with 2.41/.917 numbers, but he did beat them three times (five goals against) in eight days last year. Halak is 4-4-0 with 2.92/.889 numbers against Montreal.
Through Thursday, the Bruins were 11th in the NHL is goals per game, fifth in goals against and on the power play and 16th in penalty killing. The Canadiens were 14th in goals for, 10th in goals against, 19th on the power play and 22nd on the PK.
