Finals Game 2: Boston 3 at Montreal 4 (OT)

Maurice Richard scored two goals, including the tying marker with a minute remaining in the third period, and Jackie LeClair scored the game-winner in overtime as Montreal Canadiens barely survived Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals with a 4-3 victory over Boston Bruins at the Forum.

Canadiens take a 2-0 series lead to Boston, where Game 3 will be played on Friday.

Canadiens pulled goalie Jacques Plante for an extra attacker with about 90 seconds left in regulation and Habs pressured Bruins goalie Terry Sawchuk relentlessly before Richard snapped a wrist shot through Sawchuk's legs at 18:59.

Bruins trailed 2-1 after two periods but scored twice by the 3:29 mark of the third period to take the lead.

The lead almost held up, but not quite, and now the series takes on a much different form than if Bruins had left Montreal 1-1.

Richard's first goal at 17:06 of the second period broke a 1-1 deadlock.

Montreal's Don Marshall scored just 1:11 after Boston's Real Chevrefils tallied in the first period, creating the 1-1 tie.

In overtime, LeClair settled into the high slot between the face off circles and Doug Harvey feathered a perfect pass that LeClair wristed under Sawchuk's right arm.

The game was evenly played, and that was reflected in the shots on goal (Boston 40, Montreal 39). Between them, the teams went 0-7 on the power play and have combined to fail on all 12 power play chances in the series, which has surprised many.

1st Period
BOS- Chevrefils (Stanley, Labine) 15:58
MON- Marshall (Harvey) 17:09

2nd Period
MON- M. Richard (Moore, Beliveau) 17:06

3rd Period
BOS- Caffery (Stanley, Toppazzini) 1:12
BOS- Labine (Chevrefils) 3:29
MON- M. Richard (Moore, Beliveau) 18:59

Overtime
MON- LeClair (Harvey, Johnson) 9:25

SOG
BOS 8-13-11-8 = 40
MON 11-8-12-8 = 39

PP
BOS 0-3; MON 0-4

Fights
Gardner (BOS), Olmstead (MON) 3:46 1st period

Goalies
BOS- Sawchuk
MON- Plante


Montreal's Doug Harvey moves the puck out of his own zone in Game 2 while goalie Jacques Plante shouts instructions

Finals Game 1: Boston 1 at Montreal 2

Montreal Canadiens took a 2-0 lead into the third period and held on for a 2-1 victory over Boston Bruins in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals at the Forum.

Henri Richard scored early in the first period and Murray Balfour scored late in the second period for Canadiens. Balfour's goal was his first goal of the season, regular season and playoffs included.

Don McKenney drew Bruins to within a goal with a slap shot from point blank range at 15:08 of the third period, but Canadiens held on to take a 1-0 series lead.

Game 2 will be in Montreal on Tuesday.

Richard deflected a Bert Olmstead shot past Bruins goalie Terry Sawchuk, while Balfour fluttered a wrist shot from the point that eluded a screened Sawchuk.

Bruins got off to a slow start, managing just two shots on goal in the first period. Bruins picked up the pace to start the second period but the only goal of the frame was Balfour's.

Montreal goalie Jacques Plante made a brilliant save with under two minutes left in the game with Bruins pressing with an extra attacker. Boston's Real Chevrefils fired a wrist shot from the face off circle to Plante's right, and it was headed into the net until Plante jammed his right leg out and deflected the puck out of harm's way with the toe of his skate.

1st Period
MON- H. Richard (Olmstead, Turner) 2:15

2nd Period
MON- Balfour (Pronovost) 18:37

3rd Period
BOS- McKenney (Regan) 15:08

SOG
BOS 2-11-7 = 20
MON 13-9-9 = 31

PP
BOS 0-2; MON 0-3

Goalies
BOS- Sawchuk
MON- Plante


Montreal's Maurice Richard tries to elude Bruins defenders in Game 1

Semi-finals Game 6: Boston 5 at Toronto 0

Boston Bruins exploded for four goals in the second period, as they closed out Toronto Maple Leafs with a 5-0 victory in Game 6 of their semi-finals series.

Bruins will meet Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup Finals after Habs eliminated Detroit Red Wings in five games.

Cal Gardner scored two goals and added an assist and Bob Armstrong chipped in with three assists for Bruins, who missed a chance to eliminate Toronto in Boston in Game 5 with an ugly loss, which also ended 5-0.

But Bruins jumped on Leafs early in Game 6 as Gardner scored just 1:45 into the first period, snapping a wrist shot from the faceoff circle to the left of goalie Ed Chadwick.

The second period was all Bruins.

Doug Mohns, Jack Bionda, Gardner again and Johnny Peirson all beat Chadwick. The last three goals were all scored within three minutes.

Bruins goalie Terry Sawchuk made 35 saves as he posted the second straight shutout in the series, rebounding nicely from a rough Game 5.

Game 1 of the Cup Finals will be in Montreal on Saturday night.

1st Period
BOS- Gardner (Mohns) 1:45

2nd Period
BOS- Mohns (Armstrong) 1:55
BOS- Bionda (Regan, McKenney) 13:06
BOS- Gardner (Peirson, Armstrong) 15:19
BOS- Peirson (Armstrong, Gardner) 16:08

3rd Period
No scoring

SOG
BOS 8-15-5 = 28
TOR 13-10-12 = 35

PP
BOS 0-1; TOR 0-2

Fights
Mohns (BOS), Morrison (TOR) 7:27 3rd

Goalies
BOS- Sawchuk
TOR- Chadwick


Bruins goalie Sawchuk makes one of his 35 saves in a Game 6 shutout

Semi-finals Game 5: Toronto 5 at Boston 0

Ted Kennedy scored two goals and Toronto Maple Leafs staved off playoff elimination in a big way with a 5-0, Game 5 victory over Boston Bruins at Boston Garden.

Maple Leafs trimmed the semi-finals series to a 3-2 Bruins advantage with Game 6 in Toronto on Tuesday.

After a 1-0 first period, Maple Leafs dominated the second period, at one point holding an 18-0 shots on goal advantage, buoyed by a five minute power play.

Toronto scored two goals in the middle period to take a 3-0 lead after 40 minutes.

Toronto goalie Ed Chadwick only needed to make 19 saves to earn the shutout. Bruins managed just two shots on goal in the third period, despite sending as many as three forwards in to forecheck.

Bruins scored 13 goals in the first two games of the series in Boston but found themselves chasing the puck most of the night against Maple Leafs.

The game was a brisk affair, with only three penalties called all night. One of those was a major boarding call against Boston's Cal Gardner in the second period.

1st Period
TOR- Migay (Horton, Armstrong) 17:57

2nd Period
TOR- Kennedy (Pulford) 1:48
TOR- Smith (Sloan, Stewart) PPG 8:19

3rd Period
TOR- Kennedy (Morrison) 3:35
TOR- Aldcorn (Brian Cullen, James) 15:09

SOG
TOR 11-19-11 = 41
BOS 10-7-2 = 19

PP
TOR 1-3; BOS 0-1

Goalies
TOR- Chadwick
BOS- Sawchuk


Ted Kennedy (right) celebrates his two goals after Maple Leafs' resounding 5-0 win over Bruins in Game 5

Semi-finals Game 4: Boston 4 at Toronto 2

Four different Boston Bruins players scored in a 4-2 victory over Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 4 of their semi-finals series at Maple Leaf Gardens.

Bruins goalie Terry Sawchuk made 25 saves as Boston took a commanding 3-1 series lead. Game 5 will be in the Boston Garden on Saturday.

Bruins took control in the second period after a 1-1 tie in the first 20 minutes.

Johnny Peirson and Larry Regan scored in the second period to give Bruins a 3-1 lead heading into the third stanza. Regan's goal came on the power play.

Vic Stasiuk gave Bruins a 4-1 lead with a slap shot past Toronto goalie Ed Chadwick at 6:16 of the third period.

Bruins came out strong to start the game, taking the Toronto crowd out of it by dominating the first several minutes, with a lot of puck possession time deep in Maple Leafs' zone.

The hard work paid off as defenseman Jack Bionda pounced on a loose puck near the Toronto goal crease and slammed it past Chadwick at 4:09 to give Bruins a 1-0 lead.

Toronto's George Armstrong tied the game about four minutes later with a weak, fluttering shot from the point that somehow eluded Boston goalie Terry Sawchuk.

Both Toronto goals came on the power play.

Bionda had a goal and an assist---as did Vic Stasiuk---and Leo Boivin chipped in with two assists for Boston, which had just 20 shots on goal for the entire game.

1st Period
BOS- Bionda (Mohns, Toppazzini) 4:09
TOR- Armstrong (Horton, Migay) PPG 8:35

2nd Period
BOS- Peirson (Boivin, Stasiuk) 5:37
BOS- Regan (Chevrefils, Bionda) PPG 16:50

3rd Period
BOS- Stasiuk (Gardner, Boivin) 6:16
TOR- Migay (MacNeil) PPG 11:19

SOG
BOS 10-7-3 = 20
TOR 5-10-12 = 27

PP
BOS 1-3; TOR 2-4

Goalies
BOS- Sawchuk
TOR- Chadwick

Semi-finals Game 3: Boston 3 at Toronto 6

Bob Pulford scored a hat trick, including two power play goals, as Toronto Maple Leafs climbed back into their semi-finals series with Boston Bruins with a 6-3 victory at Maple Leaf Gardens.

Two of Pulford's goals were deflections of shots by Ted Kennedy.

Bruins lead the series, 2-1 with Game 4 in Toronto on Monday.

Maple Leafs badly needed a victory, and they played like it, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Rudy Migay and Gary Aldcorn.

Pulford netted two goals in the second period to give Toronto a commanding 4-1 lead, but Bruins fought back. Larry Regan scored at 19:28 to make the score 4-2 and 2:25 into the third period, Don McKenney scored off a nifty pass from Leo Boivin to bring Bruins to within 4-3.

But Pulford finally gave Maple Leafs some insurance at 13:18 on the power play with his second deflection and Tod Sloan tacked on a goal with 25 seconds remaining.

Bruins, as they did in Game 1, had no power plays, while Maple Leafs connected on two of their four chances.

1st Period
TOR- Migay (Baun) 9:45
TOR- Aldcorn (Armstrong, Brian Cullen) 17:08

2nd Period
BOS- Stasiuk (Gardner, Peirson) 4:40
TOR- Pulford (Horton, Kennedy) PPG 10:15
TOR- Pulford (Kennedy) 17:56
BOS- Regan (McKenney, Chevrefils) 19:28

3rd Period
BOS- McKenney (Boivin) 2:25
TOR- Pulford (Kennedy, Morrison) PPG 13:18
TOR- Sloan (Baun, Morrison) 19:35

SOG
BOS 9-8-9 = 26
TOR 11-11-9 = 31

PP
BOS: 0-0; TOR: 2-4

Fights
Horton (TOR), Labine (BOS) 11:36 2nd; Boivin (BOS), Duff (TOR) 9:26 3rd

Goalies
BOS- Sawchuk
TOR- Chadwick


Pulford's hat trick led Maple Leafs to victory in Game 3

Semi-finals Game 2: Toronto 2 at Boston 6

Boston Bruins scored three goals in the third period, two on the power play, breaking open a tight contest in defeating Toronto Maple Leafs, 6-2 in Game 2 of their semi-finals series, which Bruins now lead, 2-0.

Maple Leafs, who lost Game 1, 7-4 thanks to a five-goal Bruins outburst in the second period, played Bruins tough in Game 2 for 40 minutes.

In fact, Maple Leafs were the better team in the first period, outshooting Boston 12-8 and having several good scoring chances. But the game was tied 1-1 after the first 20 minutes.

Maple Leafs seemed to have momentum going their way midway thru the second period.

Trailing 2-1, Toronto killed off a five minute major penalty with no damage. Then Maple Leafs scored about a minute later, tying the game.

But Bruins responded 43 seconds later with a goal by Cal Gardner to regain the lead, 3-2.

The third period was all Boston.

Bruins held a 17-4 shots on goal advantage and tacked on three goals to ice the game.

Doug Mohns had a goal and two assists for Bruins.

Game 3 is Wednesday in Toronto.

1st Period
TOR- Stewart (Baun, S. Smith) 3:49
BOS- Caffery (Beckett, Toppazzini) 10:45

2nd Period
BOS- Mohns (Armstrong, Gardner) 5:57
TOR- Morrison (James, Baun) 12:26
BOS- Gardner (Mohns, Peirson) 13:09

3rd Period
BOS- Chevrefils (MacKell, Boivin) PPG 3:23
BOS- Boivin (Mohns, Gardner) 7:46
BOS- MacKell (Chevrefils, Flaman) PPG 10:18

SOG
TOR 12-4-4 = 20
BOS 8-11-17 = 36

PP
TOR 0-3; BOS 2-6

Goalies
TOR- Chadwick
BOS- Sawchuk


Mohns' three points paced Bruins in Game 2 win

Semi-finals Game 1: Toronto 4 at Boston 7

Boston Bruins scored five goals in the second period on their way to a 7-4 victory over Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 1 of their semi-finals series at Boston Garden.

Bruins scored three goals within three minutes late in the second period to lead 6-1 after 40 minutes.

Six different Bruins scored. Boston leads the series, 1-0, with Game 2 Friday in Boston.

Dick Duff scored for Maple Leafs at 7:58 of the second period to make the score 3-1 Boston, but Bruins poured it on about six minutes later. Johnny Peirson (14:26), Cal Gardner (15:35) and Jerry Toppazzini (17:28) scored to essentially put the game away.

Maple Leafs did score the first two goals of the third period to draw within 6-3, but Boston's Don McKenney scored his second goal at 11:07 to end all doubt.

Neither goalie was particularly good. There were only 57 shots on goal combined, yet 11 found their way into the net.

Bruins scored seven goals yet didn't enjoy one power play opportunity all night. Maple Leafs were 0-3 with the man advantage.

1st Period
BOS- Mohns (Peirson, Stanley) 12:19

2nd Period
BOS- Stasiuk (Stanley, McKenney) 6:05
BOS- McKenney (Stasiuk, Regan) 7:06
TOR- Duff (Armstrong, Morrison) 7:58
BOS- Peirson (Gardner, Boivin) 14:26
BOS- Gardner (Peirson, Mohns) 15:35
BOS- Toppazzini (Armstrong, Beckett) 17:28

3rd Period
TOR- Barry Cullen (Kennedy, Thomson) 1:47
TOR- Baun (James, Brian Cullen) 2:26
BOS- McKenney (Regan, Stasiuk) 11:07
TOR- Armstrong (Migay, Reaume) 13:15

SOG
TOR 7-9-12 = 28
BOS 9-13-7 = 29

PP
TOR 0-3; BOS 0-0

Goalies
TOR- Chadwick
BOS- Sawchuk


McKenney scored twice and six other Bruins scored one goal each in Game 1 win

Semi-finals: Boston-Toronto schedule

Here's the tentative schedule for the Boston-Toronto semi-finals series:

Game 1: Toronto at Boston (August 3)
Game 2: Toronto at Boston (August 5)
Game 3: Boston at Toronto (August 7)
Game 4: Boston at Toronto (August 9)
Game 5: Toronto at Boston* (August 11)
Game 6: Boston at Toronto* (August 15)
Game 7: Toronto at Boston* (August 17)

*if necessary

Semi-finals post-mortem: Montreal-Detroit

Red Wings accomplished a lot of what they wanted to do in this series.

They wanted to contain Montreal's vaunted power play, and they did---to the tune of killing off 12 of Canadiens' 14 power plays in the series.

Red Wings also wanted to spend more time in Canadiens' zone, and they did that better than was expected.

Red Wings wanted to stay out of the penalty box and they indeed had more power play chances (16 to 14) than Canadiens did.

Red Wings wanted players other than Lindsay-Delvecchio-Howe to score goals, and several players did step up and score.

Finally, Red Wings wanted to keep Canadiens from scoring four-plus goals every night, as Montreal had been doing in the regular season. Montreal scored 17 goals in five games.

So why did Red Wings lose the series in five games?

Basically, Montreal outscored Red Wings badly in the third period throughout the series.

The first three games were tied after 40 minutes and Montreal won all three.

Red Wings led, 2-1, going into the third period of Game 5 but Montreal managed to get the game into overtime, where they won.

Only in Game 4 did Red Wings manage to answer Canadiens all night and eventually take control in the third period.

Bottom line: Canadiens had a knack for scoring big goals when they needed big goals.

Red Wings were pretty much offensively challenged in the series, as they were during the second half of the season. They didn't put enough shots on the Montreal net, plain and simple.

Had Red Wings won Game 5, it would have set up a very interesting Game 6 in Detroit. But alas, Canadiens---as usual---got the big goal in overtime.

Red Wings played better in this series, overall, than they played for most of the season. But Canadiens are too deep and have too much fire power.