Schedule and 2008 Results
Regular Season Records: Montreal 47-25-10=104pts, Boston 41-29-12=94pts
Game 1 on Thursday, 10 April: Boston loses at Montreal, 4-goals-1
Game 2 on Saturday, 12 April: Boston loses at Montreal, 3-goals-2 (OT)
Game 3 on Sunday, 13 April: Montreal loses at Boston, 2-goals-1 (OT)
Game 4 on Tuesday, 15 April: Montreal wins at Boston, 1-goal-nil
Game 5 on Thursday, 17 April: Boston wins at Montreal, 5-goals-1
Game 6 on Saturday, 19 April: Montreal loses at Boston, 5-goals-4
Game 7 on Monday, 21 April: Boston loses at Montreal, 5-goals-nil

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 7: The Montreal Canadiens hosted and shut out the Boston Bruins 5-goals-nil for a 4-games-3 MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1023 win. With the series 1023 win, the Montreal Canadiens improve their best-of-7 NHL playoff series record to 72-33 overall and 11-4 in the NHL Preliminary round. With the series 1023 loss, the Boston Bruins see their best-of-7 NHL playoff series record fall to 38-43 overall and 7-9 in the NHL Preliminary round. The win order for the victorious Montreal Canadiens in series 1023 was WWLWLLW: Series 1023 thus becomes the second NHL Preliminary-round series, the fourth NHL series (all rounds), and the eleventh MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow this win order.

After Game 6: The Boston Bruins hosted and defeated the Montreal Canadiens 5-goals-4 to tie MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1023 at 3-games-all. When tied in a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-all, the Montreal Canadiens have a 10-8 Game 7 record. When tied in a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-all, the Boston Bruins have a 9-7 Game 7 record. From 1939 through 2007, inclusive, home teams in the NHL (e.g., Montreal in series 1023) have a best-of-7 Game 7 record of 76-44 (.633) in all rounds, and a best-of-7 Game 7 record of 25-17 (.595) in the Preliminary round. From 1939 through 2007, inclusive, the NHL team winning Games 1-2, losing Game 3, winning Game 4, and losing Games 5-6 irrespective of site (e.g., Montreal in series 1023) had a Preliminary-round Game 7 record of 1-3.

After Game 5: The Boston Bruins visited and defeated the Montreal Canadiens 5-goals-1 to cut the Montreal MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1023 lead to 3-games-2. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-2, the Montreal Canadiens have a 24-3 series record and a Game 6 record of 19-8. When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-2, the Boston Bruins have a 2-15 series record with a four-series losing streak, and a Game 6 record of 6-11 with a four-Game 6 losing streak. Prior to series 1023 Game 5, Boston had trailed 3-games-1 in series 1023: While the Bruins have a 0-20 series record when down 3-games-1, it may be of some note that Boston teams lead all North American cities in coming back from a 3-games-1 deficit to win a best-of-7 in seven games. The NBA Celtics and, more recently, the MLB Red Sox have accomplished the feat a total of five times combined. Detroit and Pittsburgh teams have accomplished the comeback four times each. The last team (before Boston in series 1023 Game 5) to trail 3-games-1 and win Game 5 on the road by four or more goals to extend the series? The Montreal Canadiens ... in series 907, in which they won Game 5 on the road 5-goals-1 en route to a seven-game series win. The victims of that Canadien comeback? The Boston Bruins, who now surely seek to mirror that 2004 NHL Preliminary-round series.

After Game 4: Scoring the only goal of MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1023 Game 4, the visiting Montreal Canadiens defeated the host Boston Bruins 1-goal-nil to take a 3-games-1 series 1023 lead. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Montreal Canadiens have a perfect series record of 26-0 and a Game 5 record of 21-5. When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Boston Bruins have a perfect series record of 0-20 and a Game 5 record of 4-16.

After Game 3: With MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1023 having shifted to Boston for Games 3 and 4, the host Bruins defeated the visiting Montreal Canadiens 2-goals-1 on a goal 9:25 into the first overtime period. Boston thus narrows the Montreal series 1023 lead to 2-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Montreal Canadiens have a 36-9 series record and a 17-28 Game 4 record; when trailing 2-games-1, the Boston Bruins have a 6-20 series record and a lucky 13-13 Game 4 record.

After Game 2: The Montreal Canadiens hosted and once again defeated the Boston Bruins, this time 3-goals-2 on a goal 2:30 into the first overtime period, to take a 2-games-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1023. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Montreal Canadiens have a 47-4 series record and a 30-21 Game 3 record; when trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Boston Bruins have a 0-25 series record and a 10-15 Game 3 record. All four Montreal best-of-7 NHL playoff series losses after leading 2-games-nil have occurred in six games, and, in fact, the Canadiens are currently (as of this April 2008 writing) on a two-series losing streak upon having taken a 2-games-nil series lead; those two losses occurred in series 700 (to the New York Rangers in their 1996 NHL Preliminary-round series) and in series 958 (to the Carolina Hurricanes in their 2006 NHL Preliminary-round series).

After Game 1: The Montreal Canadiens hosted and defeated the Boston Bruins 4-goals-1 to take a 1-game-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1023. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Montreal Canadiens have a 56-9 series record and a 51-14 Game 2 record; when trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Boston Bruins have a 9-31 series record (with an active seven-series losing streak) and a 15-25 Game 2 record.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2007-08 regular season, Montreal finished ten points ahead of Boston. From 1939 through the 2007 NHL Finals, when NHL teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by ten regular-season points, they have posted an 8-7 (.533) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1023 is the 81st best-of-7 playoff series for Boston, and the 105th for Montreal. In best-of-7 playoff series, Boston has a 38-42 series record, a 7-8 Prelim-round series record, and a 40-40 Game 1 record, while Montreal has a 71-33 series record, a 10-4 Prelim-round record, and a 65-39 Game 1 record. Series 1023 is the MLB/NBA/NHL-leading 25th best-of-7 meeting between Boston and Montreal; of the previous 24 such series, Montreal has won 18, Boston six.