Thornton became a more effective player as the series evolved and his ice time increased -- dishing out some heavy hits beginning with Game 3. But he never was able to regain his most valuable asset, his scoring touch. As Thornton got better, physically, the rest of the team slumped. Go figure. His ice time diminished in Game 1, the Bruins mounted their most impressive game in recent postseason history. He got his skating legs back in Game 3, his hitting back in Game 4. And from there, the Bruins went 0-3, Thornton finishing a glaring minus-5 the last two games.
The rest of the lineup, when it counted most, also couldn't put a puck past Habs goalie Jose Theodore, who came to Causeway Street last night and snuffed out all 32 shots fired his way. After taking the two-game lead in the series, and poised to shoo their postseason blues, they once again faded into postseason obscurity.
One and done. Again. The story line changes from year to year. The ending does not.
"When we were up, 3-1, we wanted maybe too much to put them away," said right winger Marty Lapointe. "Sometimes too much is not enough."
The Canadiens won the series on the backs of their No. 1 line, downsized Saku Koivu the pivot between Alexei Kovalev and Zednik. Kovalev swung around the back of the net on the game-breaker, midway through the final period, Zednik potting the 1-0 lead after Kovalev's short shovel hit off the side of the net, about a foot behind the left post. Zednik, with a half stride on Brian Rolston, walked into a cupcake of a rebound that had no business ricocheting out the way it did.
"Somehow it goes directly in front of the net," said a bewildered and frustrated Andrew Raycroft, whose work in net was strong enough for the Bruins to have won the series. "Unfortunately, you have to deal with it -- and it's going to go through my head a lot this summer."
