Bruins at Canadiens
The Boston Bruins were entertaining loftier aspirations after winning the Presidents' Trophy last season, but the Montreal Canadiens squashed those dreams by eliminating them in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Canadiens will meet their Original Six rival for the first time since that spirited seven-game series when they play their home opener on Thursday. "It's all in the past. We're starting a new season, and we're trying to get back to playing the style that brought us success last season," Montreal's Dale Weise said.
Weise also did his best to downplay the fireworks that stemmed from a handshake incident involving Milan Lucic in the spring. As for this season, Tomas Plekanec scored four goals and set up another to win the NHL's First Star of the Week honors while also lifting Montreal to victory in three of four contests. Boston snapped a three-game skid Wednesday as David Krejci and Reilly Smith each scored in both regulation and the shootout in a 3-2 triumph over Detroit.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NHLN, NESN (Boston), RSN360, RDS (Montreal)
ABOUT THE BRUINS (2-3-0): Simon Gagne nearly made his first contest with Boston and 800th NHL game a memorable one as his bid to clean up a rebound late in regulation was denied by Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard. The Quebec native, who signed a one-year contract worth $600,000 on Tuesday, registered two shots and logged 12:13 of ice time. Tuukka Rask, who made 18 saves on Wednesday, has struggled mightily in his career versus Montreal - posting a 3-10-3 career record.
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (3-1-0): Montreal received quite the message from a team that it ousted in last year's playoffs, as Tampa Bay rebounded from its first-round sweep to record a 7-1 victory on Monday. Brendan Gallagher scored the Canadiens' lone goal and Carey Price was pulled after yielding four tallies on 23 shots. The Canadian Olympian has enjoyed far better success versus Boston, posting a 17-8-3 career mark.
OVERTIME
1. Montreal LW Michael Bournival was sent to Hamilton of the American Hockey League on Wednesday in an attempt to maximize his playing time. The 22-year-old is expected to return to the Canadiens on Monday, coach Michel Therrien said.
2. Bruins C Patrice Bergeron notched an assist on Wednesday and sits two points shy of 500 for his career.
3. Montreal is 0-for-14 on the power play and has permitted four goals while short-handed this season.