Loui Eriksson celebrates his goal in Game 5 Saturday at TD Garden. Credit: Getty Images
The Bruins churned out the best performance of their Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Canadiens yet Saturday night at TD Garden, as they took a 3-0 lead early in the second period and never looked back. Boston beat Montreal, 4-2, and took a 3-2 series lead, with Game 6 coming up Monday night in Boston.
Reilly Smith and Jarome Iginla both capitalized on power plays in the second to give the B’s the commanding lead. The Canadiens looked as though they would mount a comeback when Brendan Gallagher beat Tuukka Rask (29 saves) 14:39 into the second. But Loui Eriksson’s strike 14:12 into the third confirmed the B’s dominance in Game 5.
The Bruins finally solved Carey Price, who had 26 saves in the loss.
What they’ll be saying: Bruins fans had been waiting for this type of performance, in which they scored multiple points, but more importantly Boston imposed its will on the likes of P.K. Subban – who was chatting with the Bruins bench for most of the game.
The Bruins finally look as though they’re in control of the series with Game 6 on Monday.
