BOSTON -- Injury-plagued, undermanned, inexperienced, overmatched and frustrated, the Boston Bruins had no answer for the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night at TD Garden.
Without five of their veteran players -- Zdeno Chara, David Krejci, Brad Marchand, Adam McQuaid and Chris Kelly -- in the lineup due to injuries, the Bruins had their three-game win streak snapped as they lost to the Canadiens 2-0. Boston had to rely on rookies Alex Khokhlachev and Matt Lindblad as reinforcements from Providence of the AHL, and Bruins coach Claude Julien went with three totally different line combinations in an attempt to find a way to beat the Eastern Conference leaders. To their credit, the Bruins hung in against the Canadiens but couldn't generate any offense against Montreal goalie Carey Price, who recorded the shutout and finished with 33 saves.
The Canadiens own a 3-0-0 record against the Bruins this season.
Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask's career record against the Canadiens dropped to 3-12-3 in 18 games. He has yet to beat the Canadiens at TD Garden in the regular season. On Saturday, he finished with 21 saves.
The Canadiens gained a 1-0 lead at 11:37 of the first period, when Andrei Markov scored a power-play goal. With the faceoff to the left of Rask, Bruins center Patrice Bergeron lost the faceoff, and the puck trickled back to Markov, who took a shot from the top of the right faceoff circle. Rask never saw it through traffic.
Boston had an opportunity to create a quality scoring chance late in the second period, but the Canadiens capitalized on a turnover and gained a 2-0 lead. The Bruins were breaking in on Price with Carl Soderberg controlling the puck in the slot. Instead of shooting, he elected to pass, but the puck never made it to Milan Lucic, as the Canadiens gained control and, in transition, went the length of the ice to beat Rask at 8:59. Things only got worse for the Bruins in the waning minutes of the second period. Montreal created sustained pressure in the offensive zone for nearly two and half minutes, and the Bruins were too tired (plus, Bergeron was without a stick) to clear the puck. Finally, Bergeron got his hand on the puck and tossed it out of the zone. However, he was called for delay of game because he closed his hand on the puck before shoveling it out of the zone.
Montreal stifled Boston's attack again in the third period en route to victory. A tough stretch of games continues for the Bruins when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday at TD Garden.
DROP 'EM: The Bruins' Gregory Campbell dropped the gloves with the Canadiens' Dale Weise at 13:17 of the first period. It was a spirited bout at center ice, with both connecting on a few shots. Fans and players from both teams applauded the bout. With Boston clearly frustrated and trailing by two goals midway through the third period, the Bruins' Torey Krug dropped the gloves with the Habs' Alex Galchenyuk at 8:46.
MILESTONE: Claude Julien coached his 800th NHL game Saturday. He has a combined 442-260-10-88 record with Montreal (159 games), New Jersey (79) and Boston (562).