Canadiens Stifle Penguins; Catch Final Lightning In A Bottle To Win Game 4, 3-2, Tie Series

NHL playoff games are often won in brief moments of a game, either by sheer acts of brilliance or fortuitous luck. Sometimes both.

When a team is able to strike quickly and capture lightning in a bottle, it can make all the difference, especially in a close game.

And so it was last night in game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal between the Montreal Canadiens and the Pittsburgh Penguins at The Bell Centre in Montreal.

After an awful early squeaker against netminder Marc-Andre Fleury by Canadiens 4th liner Tom Pyatt, Pittsburgh rapidly rebounded by catching some of that lightning and scoring 2 goals -- one on a breakaway by Max Talbot and another on a fluke bounce off LW Chris Kunitz to lead 2-1 after the first.

When that advantage held entering the 3rd period, the Penguins were in a great position to put a stranglehold on this series.

Until Pittsburgh got burned by the same lightning.

The Canadiens controlled the play in the final frame, and were rewarded for it, first when Montreal 4th liner Maxim Lapierre scored on a wraparound, and then, less than 2 minutes later, when Habs' RW Brian Gionta got credit for a goal on a cross-slot centering pass that went off of the skate of Pens' defenseman Kris Letang and past Fleury for a 3-2 lead.

That break basically wiped out the fortunate bounce the Penguins got in the first period on Kunitz's goal.

And then, for the next 15 minutes or so, the Canadiens parlayed their successful efforts at holding the fort into a game 4 win and a 2-2 series tie.

So much for that stranglehold.

Game 5 is Saturday night in Pittsburgh.

The Penguins have continued to struggle to generate offense at even-strength in this series, and a lot of that resonates in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin -- who both failed to register an even strength point last night.

Malkin was kept of the scoreboard altogether.

If those two don't find a way to break through the fortress that the Canadiens habitually put up in front of their goaltender, Jaroslav Halak, this series could go the distance.

And we all know what can happen in 7th games.

On the bright side, the Penguins dominated for the first two periods last night, and outshot Montreal 35-25. Jordan Staal incredibly returned following foot surgery after missing 2 games and did not look out of place.

Still, Montreal is not going down easy in this series, and after losing their first road contest of the playoffs last night, the Penguins will have to up both the ante and their intensity at home in the next game if they want to take over this series.

More over the weekend.