MONTREAL (AP) -The Kostitsyn brothers proved to be quite the opening act for the Montreal Canadiens, who carried their regular season dominance of the Boston Bruins into the playoffs.
Sergei and Andrei Kostitsyn scored 1:28 apart in the opening minutes of their playoff debuts, and Montreal defeated the Boston Bruins4-1 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Thursday night.
Smolinski,
who debuted with Boston in the 1992-93 season, scored 5:26 into the
second to restore Montreal's two-goal lead at 3-1.
It was Smolinski's 23rd playoff goal in 112 playoff games, and his first with the Canadiens.
Kostopoulos scored his first playoff goal 7:24 into the third.
Montreal captain Saku Koivu did not play because of a broken bone in his left foot that sidelined him for the final four games of the season.
The East champions' blue line got a boost from the return of Mike Komisarek. The team's leader in hits and blocked shots, Komisarek missed the last seven games of the season because of a hip injury.
"It felt good," Komisarek said. "I felt better as the game went on."
The Canadiens got off to a fast start, taking a 2-0 lead to the delight of the sold-out Bell Centre crowd of 21,273.
Sergei Kostitsyn beat Thomas off an unfortunate rebound for the Bruins' goalie. Montreal defenseman Patrice Brisebois' shot from the right point struck Boston defenseman Aaron Ward's leg and Thomas made a pad save on the redirection but was unable to stop the younger Kostitsyn's shot off the rebound.
Kostitsyn's older brother, Andre, also got his first playoff goal quickly in his postseason debut. Linemate Tomas Plekanec set up the goal with a fine centering pass from the right side to Andre Kostitsyn, who beat Thomas with a shot from the slot.
The
Canadiens came close to making it a three-goal lead on their first
power play opportunity moments later, though it was Boston that struck
next despite being outshot 8-1 in the early going.
Associated Press
Perfection does not exist. The question therefore, is: what level of imperfection are we willing to settle for?
MONTREAL (AP) -The Kostitsyn brothers proved to be quite the opening act for the Montreal Canadiens, who carried their regular season dominance of the Boston Bruins into the playoffs.
Sergei and Andrei Kostitsyn scored 1:28 apart in the opening minutes of their playoff debuts, and Montreal defeated the Boston Bruins 4-1 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Thursday night.
Smolinski,
who debuted with Boston in the 1992-93 season, scored 5:26 into the
second to restore Montreal's two-goal lead at 3-1.
It was Smolinski's 23rd playoff goal in 112 playoff games, and his first with the Canadiens.
Kostopoulos scored his first playoff goal 7:24 into the third.
Montreal captain Saku Koivu did not play because of a broken bone in his left foot that sidelined him for the final four games of the season.
The East champions' blue line got a boost from the return of Mike Komisarek. The team's leader in hits and blocked shots, Komisarek missed the last seven games of the season because of a hip injury.
"It felt good," Komisarek said. "I felt better as the game went on."
The Canadiens got off to a fast start, taking a 2-0 lead to the delight of the sold-out Bell Centre crowd of 21,273.
Sergei Kostitsyn beat Thomas off an unfortunate rebound for the Bruins' goalie. Montreal defenseman Patrice Brisebois' shot from the right point struck Boston defenseman Aaron Ward's leg and Thomas made a pad save on the redirection but was unable to stop the younger Kostitsyn's shot off the rebound.
Kostitsyn's older brother, Andre, also got his first playoff goal quickly in his postseason debut. Linemate Tomas Plekanec set up the goal with a fine centering pass from the right side to Andre Kostitsyn, who beat Thomas with a shot from the slot.
The
Canadiens came close to making it a three-goal lead on their first
power play opportunity moments later, though it was Boston that struck
next despite being outshot 8-1 in the early going.
Associated Press
Perfection does not exist. The question therefore, is: what level of imperfection are we willing to settle for?