Games have to end -- but the way the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins were playing Saturday, 80 minutes of hockey wasn't enough. For the second consecutive game in this Stanley Cup playoff series, overtime was needed to render a decision.
Nathan Horton scored at 9:03 of double overtime, giving the Bruins a 2-1 victory. With the win, Boston takes a 3-2 lead in the first-round Stanley Cup playoff series. Game 6 in the postseason renewal of this Original Six rivalry will be Tuesday in Montreal.
Boston became the first home team to win in the series.
On the final play, Andrew Ference took a wrist shot that handcuffed goalie Carey Price. Horton pounced on rebound in the Montreal crease and pounded the puck behind Price. It was Horton's second goal of the playoffs.
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Both goals in regulation came in the third period. Brad Marchand staked Boston to a lead 4:33 into the period. Montreal got the equalizer with 6:04 to play, when Jeff Halpern scored his first playoff goal in four years.
Overtime was, in a word, entertaining.
Canadiens defenseman Brent Sopel coughed up the puck in front of his own net, and then pulled down the Bruins' Zdeno Chara as the big defenseman was closing in on goalie Carey Price. The Bruins pleaded for a penalty shot; the referees awarded them a power play for Sopel's tripping minor at 16:12 of overtime.
That would be the only power play of overtime. It also ignited a flurry of questions about the referees' decision.
The Bruins stayed in the game with two big save. In the first overtime, a shot by the Canadiens' Michael Cammalleri deflected off Chara's shin pad in front of a wide-open net.
In the second, Tim Thomas made a stellar save on a two-on-one break. Thomas went from one side of the net to the other to swat away the puck.
In a game with stellar goaltending, maybe the save of the game was by the Bruins' Michael Ryder. With Thomas out of position, Ryder plugged the left side of the crease as Tomas Plekanec prepared to fire from 10 feet in front.
Glove save, and a beauty. Check this out.
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