HABS TOP BRUINS IN SHOOTOUT

After a successful regular season last year, the Boston Bruins have struggled this season particularly on offense.  They were able to avoid tying a dubious historical mark for scoring futility on Thursday night, forcing overtime with a late goal against the Montreal Canadiens.  It wasn’t enough to get the win, however, as Montreal went on to prevail in the shootout for a 2-1 decision.  Glen Metropolit lit the lamp for the Habs in the first period, and that was the only score of the game until Patrice Bergeron tied it for the Bruins in the final minute of regulation.
 
NHL hockey betting enthusiasts who backed the Canadiens as +148 road underdogs took home the bacon with the outright win.  Montreal has struggled in the early part of the season as well, but they’re money in the bank in overtimes and shootouts—Thursday’s shootout victory improved the Canadiens record in games that end after regulation to a perfect 7-0 on the season.  The 3 goals scored went UNDER the posted total of 5’.  Montreal has gone UNDER in 7 of 15 games, while Boston has gone UNDER in 7 of 13 including four straight.

The Bruins entered this contest off of back to back shutout losses, and came perilously close to being shut out for the third straight game.  That hasn’t happened since 1928-29, when Boston was shut out in three straight games during a streak where they scored only once in five games.  You know the offense is struggling when you hear a postgame comment like Blake Wheeler’s:

"We scored. Obviously, that's a positive we can take out of the game."

Bruins’ goal scorer Bergeron expanded on this comment:

"At least it's out of our heads now. It's one step forward to get that goal and get that point. But one point is not good enough."

Bergeron had a goal disallowed after video review in the second period.  Boston goaltender Tim Thomas’ comments illustrate the impact that the scoring drought is taking on the team:

"In my head there was a moment where you go, 'That figures. But then the other voice in my head rebounded right away and said, 'No. We're not going to say, "Here we go again." We've got to do something.' I was trying to send some positive mental energy to the team to do something."

Bruins’ coach Claude Julien said that despite the offensive struggles he hasn’t seen the team feeling sorry for itself:

"I won't let that happen. It's our job to get ourselves out of it. That's where we're at."

Montreal will return home for games against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday and the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.  Boston will host the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.