MR CLUTCH

Daniel Briere shows what a clutch player he still is.

He was a healthy scratch for Montreal in Game 5 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and I did voice my opinion as I thought that was a more stupid than bold move from coach Michel Therrien. In Game 7, Daniel Briere showed why he is considered one of the best players in the NHL come the playoffs. With a goal and a helper he made sure the Montreal Canadiens could clinch the second round series against their arch rivals, the Boston Bruins.

The big bad Bruins had problems solving a fast, skilled and organized Montreal from Game 1, and over a series of seven games, their undisciplined game became their undoing. Coach Claude Julien talked about "all the crap" they had to deal with, but as I see it most of this crap came from the Bruins themselves. The Habs played a focused game and never gave in to Boston's efforts to put them off balance. In the end, the Bruins' own game got away from them and so did the series.

NO DANNY BOY

When the Montreal Canadiens take on the Boston Bruins tonight, they will do so without Daniel Briere. He is a healthy scratch for the Habs as coach Michel Therrien favors Brandon Prust in Game 5. Briere has one goal and three assists in eight games so far in the playoffs while playing on the forth line. The fact is that Daniel Briere is as good a clutch player as they come and I think Therrien has wasted his clutch abilities putting him on the forth line against Boston. 113 points in 116 playoff games speaks volumes. If Game 5 goes to Boston, I'm pretty sure he will be back in the lineup for Game 6 in Montreal.