Canadiens win 8th in a row over Bruins

Last Updated: Friday, January 11, 2008 | 2:25 AM ET

CBC Sports

Make it eight consecutive wins and counting for the Montreal Canadiens over the Boston Bruins.

Mathieu Dandenault scored two goals late in the third period to clinch a 5-2 Canadiens victory over the Bruins before a crowd of 17,565 at the TD Banknorth Garden on Thursday night.

Maxim Lapierre whoops it up in Thursday's 5-2 Canadiens triumph.
(Charles Krupa/Associated Press)

Montreal has prevailed in its last eight meetings with Boston, including five wins this season.

"It was a team effort tonight," Canadiens defenceman Roman Hamrlik said.

Clinging to a 3-2 lead, Dandenault provided Montreal with a little breathing room with a nifty goal, working the puck off the side boards and finding the five-hole on Tim Thomas at 11:56 of the third period.

Dandenault later completed the scoring with his second marker on the night and sixth of the season, finishing off a three-way passing play involving Mark Streit and Bryan Smolinski with 1:11 remaining.

"Dandenault's first goal was huge and we regained the momentum," said Canadiens goaltender Cristobal Huet, who made 23 saves.

Tomas Plekanec and Alex Kovalev had one goal and one assist apiece as the Canadiens (22-13-8) chalked up at least a point for the seventh straight outing, going 5-0-2 over that span.  

Maxim Lapierre scored the other goal and Streit contributed two assists.

"In the short term, it is okay if two lines are scoring," Hamrlik said. "But in the long term we need more and tonight we had them all go."

Aaron Ward and Milan Lucic scored for the Bruins (21-18-4), losers in eight of their last 11 games (3-7-1). 

Thomas finished with 28 saves.

"I think our emotion was good," Lucic said. "But we didn't have a lot of control of that emotion."

Plekanec strikes on power play

Plekanec was credited with a power-play goal to open the scoring 10:36 into the contest when his centring pass caromed in off the stick of Bruins captain Zdeno Chara.

It was Plekanec's 14th goal this season.

Fifty-three seconds later, Higgins led a 3-on-2 break and fired a wrist shot that squirted under Thomas's left arm and lay in the crease, where Lapierre swept it into the net for his second.

"They're a highly skilled hockey team and when they get a chance to showcase those skills, they do," Bruins head coach Claude Julien said. "That is why they are the top power-play unit in the NHL."

Kovalev made it 3-0 with the man advantage, collecting a cross-ice pass from Streit and beating Thomas high to the glove side for his 19th at 13:18 of the second period.  

But Ward replied in 1:23 with a short-handed tally on a slapshot that banked off the end boards and Huet's right pad into the net.

Lucic cut Boston's deficit to 3-2 with his fourth at 2:01 of the third period.