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The Sports Network
(Sports Network) - After watching his team get shut out for the second time in
three games, Claude Julien would like the Boston Bruins to get back to basics
tonight when they visit the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre.
Boston has lost two of three and four of its last six games and was handed a
3-0 setback by Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers on Tuesday.
The Bruins fired 42 shots at Lundqvist, including 18 in the third period, but
they couldn't solve the Swedish netminder. Boston had also been shut out last
Wednesday in a 6-0 rout in Buffalo before rebounding with Saturday's 4-3
shootout win over visiting Nashville.
Tuesday's loss dropped the Bruins nine points behind the Rangers for the top
seed in the East. The defending Stanley Cup champions are still four points up
on Ottawa for first place in the Northeast Division.
Boston is just 6-7-1 in its last 14 trips to the ice and Julien believes his
team's recent struggles are a result of the Bruins getting away from what they
do best.
"We're a checking team that scores. That's our identity," Julien said after
Tuesday's loss. "We're a checking team that scores, but right now, we're not
checking and we're not scoring."
Julien hopes Boston can find its physical game on the road, as the B's are
kicking off a six-game road trip tonight. The Bruins have a solid 16-8-0
record as the guest this year.
While the Bruins fired a ton of shots at Lundqvist on Tuesday, Tim Thomas
stopped just 17-of-20 shots for Boston.
"We certainly could have done more," Julien added. "They won more battles than
we did tonight."
Tuukka Rask will likely get the start in net tonight, although he is 1-6-1
with a 2.76 goals-against average in nine career games against Montreal.
Tyler Seguin led Boston with seven shots on net on Tuesday, but he went
without a point for the sixth time in seven games. Seguin, who has one goal
over that stretch, is tied for the team lead with 20 goals this season.
Tonight's test marks the sixth and final scheduled meeting between the Habs
and Bruins this year. Montreal took the first two encounters back in October,
but Boston has won three straight since. The Bruins have still been handed
losses in six of their last eight trips to Quebec.
The Canadiens will try to get back on track tonight after having a four-game
winning streak halted by the visiting Carolina Hurricanes. Montreal had tied
its longest hot streak of the season with the four consecutive victories, but
the Habs squandered a 3-2 lead in the third period of Monday's test against
the Hurricanes.
Eric Staal netted two goals and added an assist -- all in the third period --
to lift Carolina to the 5-3 decision at Bell Centre.
Tomas Plekanec, Erik Cole and David Desharnais scored and Carey Price made 30
saves in defeat for the Canadiens, who were trying to post five straight
victories for the first time since March of last season.
Montreal is currently 12th in the Eastern Conference and is seven points out
of a playoff spot.
The Canadiens are completing a brief two-game homestand tonight and are just
11-12-7 in Montreal this year.
The Sports Network