About last night: Charlie Foxtrot! McAvoy and Coyle overtake Habs

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The historic rivalry between the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins was renewed Sunday at TD Garden, with the home team coming back from behind in the third period to win 5-2. It was the first game between the two teams in 21 months. Defender Charlie McAvoy scored a pair, as did center Charlie Coyle.

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Before the game, coach Dominique Ducharme said goalie Jake Allen was on the go as they awaited a proper diagnosis after Red Wing Dylan Larkin collided with him on Saturday. Samuel Montembeault got the call at the goal, with recently retired Cayden Primeau serving as a backup. Forward Mike Hoffman also suffered a scratch with an upper body injury. Ryan Poehling took his place on the wing, while Adam Brooks was added as the fourth center line.

The Habs got off to a strong start. Joel Armia snapped his season-long scoreless drought at 8:09 in the first. He chose to shoot a weird run and beat goalie Jeremy Swayman with a wrist. Swayman entered the game undefeated in seven career home games. With an assist on goal, Artturi Lehkonen had four assists in his last four games.

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The Canadiens withstood three trips to the area (one shortened) to enter the first intermission with a 1-0 lead. Montembeault made 11 stops in the period. The Bruins responded with 20 shots in the second, including David Pastrnak feeding Brad Marchand with a 2-on-0 that was parried by the Habs’ sliding goalkeeper.

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The Bruins finally tied it at 8:27 of the second. With multiple bodies in front of goal, Charlie McAvoy jumped on the loose puck amid the confusion to make it 1-1.

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Before the period ended, the Habs regained the 2-1 lead. There were doubts as to who the real scorer was, but in the end, Michael Pezzetta received his first goal in his NHL career. Josh Anderson made the opening entry into the zone before dropping the pass. Brooks, the trailer, navigated a shot into the net, with Pezzetta there to make sure it got to the bottom of the net. The popular rookie was congratulated by his teammates when he officially received credit for the goal. It was also Brooks’s first appearance as a Hab.

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The Habs were outshot in the second, but held on to a one-goal lead. That lead quickly evaporated in the third, with the Bruins scoring four unanswered goals.

McAvoy started the offensive parade with a tie score on the power play. After a trade, the blueliner entered the high slot and unloaded a wrist that beat Montembeault.

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At 5:58 on the third, disaster struck when Jeff Petry removed the puck from Charlie Coyle’s visor and shoved it into the net. A suitable target for a VHS tape of Super Dooper Hockey Bloopers, if anyone still makes them. It was a difficult weekend for Petry.

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Coyle scored his second of the period, this time with his baton. He charged hard against a loose puck that entered the Habs zone, taking it all the way and beating Montembeault on the short side from the inside. In less than seven minutes, the Bruins went from down 2-1 to leading 4-2.

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Taylor Hall scored an empty netter to make it 5-2. The Canadiens racked up four points this week, but ended up in a familiar spot: conceding five goals to an opponent. Montambeault has yet to record a win as Hab, and he made 36 saves in Sunday’s losing effort. He, Primeau or Allen could be on the net when the team meets the New York Rangers on Tuesday. No Sugar Covering This One – Liveblog commenters are tired of all five points. Looking for positives? Pezzetta and Poehling have brought energy from the farm, and Alexander Romanov has been more stable from his scratch.

3. “Watching the Habs is like watching your child get beaten up and then go to the playground to see how it happens again.” -Jon Robb

2. “I don’t care what people say, Montembault is by no means an NHL goalkeeper. Give Young Goalies a Chance, aka Campbell for the Leafs. Now is the time to give them a try. It’s true that Monty didn’t get much help. The Bruins had a ton of shots, but how many were quality chances? The Monty Python show has to end, Savard and Paquette are not getting any better. Come back quickly, Mr. Price! It’s time for the rotating rookie doormen. Keep playing, if they lose, break ”. -Chris James

1. “They’re not a joke, they just aren’t as good as most other teams. What would you like them to say? Do we suck and hate ourselves? We all want a rebuild … which generally means your computer isn’t that great, otherwise why rebuild? We are a lousy team, that’s all. But there’s nowhere else to go but upstairs … and I hope our kids play, and we get new management in the offseason, accumulate some high-level elite talent through the draft and understand that it will be 5 years (in all probability) before we are a potential contender. “-Justin Miller