After last night, the Bruins answered that question in a big way.
Down 1-0, 3-1, and 4-3, the Bruins rose to the occasion three times last night and were ultimately rewarded with a thrilling 5-4 overtime victory to even the series with Montreal 2-2. As unlikely as it seemed six nights ago, the Bruins now have regained home ice advantage in what is now a best of 3 series.
Even more unlikely was the line that won them the game. Michael Ryder, Chris Kelly, and Rich Peverley combined for 3 goals, including the OT winner by Ryder, and 5 assists. Kelly and Ryder have been the whipping boys for the Tyler Seguin supporters, but for at least one night they justified Claude Julien's faith in them.
There are still questions to be answered. To say Tim Thomas has been up and down in this series would be an understatement. Milan Lucic (0-0, 5 SOG in 4 games) has been completely non-existent, following up on his late season swoon after he scored his 30th goal. The Bruins have also had no answer for Michael Cammalleri who has 7 points in 4 games so far.
Despite the questions the Bruins have finally showed the fight and resiliency they lacked in the first two games of the series. They have seized both home ice and momentum away from Montreal. A home team has yet to win in this series but the Bruins return home tomorrow night with confidence, momentum, and should be backed by a raucous crowd in the Garden. A first round exit is still inexcusable for this team but they are finally showing the fight and determination to make sure that doesn't happen.
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