NEWS » wasnt even close. Should have been a first round k

Heading into the second round series between the Boston and Montreal, the favoured Bruins were doing plenty of talking through the media to spur up the hatred. Now with the series tied at one after two exciting games in Boston and headed to what promises to be a raucous Bell Centre, the Canadiens jumped into the fray with some verbal barbs of their own on Monday. After being stonewalled by Canadiens goalie Carey Price in Game 1 - when he made 48 saves to help his team steal one with a 4-3 double overtime win - and then finding themselves down 3-1 halfway through the third period of Game 2, the Bruins scored three goals in 5:32 to take a 4-3 lead en route to a 5-3 win. Following the game, Bruins defenceman Dougie Hamilton and Torey Krug told the media they believed theyve solved the Canadiens gold-medal winning netminder. "I think weve definitely noticed that when hes screened, hes looking low," said Hamilton who scored first in the three-goal outburst late in Game 2. "He gets really low, so it seems like we score a lot of goals up high when we have net front presence. I dont know if were really trying [to do that], but weve definitely noticed that. When we can get our shots through their defenceman – especially the ones trying to block it -- we have a really good chance of getting it in." "It seems like almost all of the goals so far have gone to the upper half of the net," added Krug. Following practice on Monday, the Canadiens were quick to brush the Bruins analysis of Price aside, with head coach Michel Therrien claiming it was just another example of his counterpart Claude Julien and the Bruins trying to get under the skin of an opposing goalie. Early in the 2013 Stanley Cup Final, the Bruins scored frequently on the glove side of Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford and werent shy about telling the media that they were exposing Crawfords weakness. Ironically, Crawfords goalie coach then was current Montreal goalie coach Stephane Waite and Therrien believes the Bruins are playing the same mind games as the series switches to the Bell Centre. "Well we all remember last year and Stephane Waite remember it more than anyone else that they make the same comments when they went into the playoffs and the Stanley Cup final with the Chicago Blackhawks and talking about about Corey Crawford," Therrien pointed out Monday. "Thats part of their game and their thinking. They try to put pressure on the other team with the media." Price seemed to find Hamiltons and Krugs comments almost comical. He pointed out that shooting high through traffic in front of the net is a common objective of most teams and players. "Ive seen a lot of scouting reports on lots of goalies throughout the league and thats pretty much the scouting report on everybody," Price said. "Its the same for Tuukka [Rask], its the same for Ben Bishop and its the same for Corey Crawford. So its a pretty irrelevant comment I thought." Price was then asked if this was just another example of the Bruins trying to wage a verbal war through the media. "Sure. I dont know," Price said laughing. "I guess. But like I said, they can try it but its going to be no different. Like I said, thats essentially how most goals are scored this time of year in this league so thats essentially a generic comment." During Game 2, the Bruins took a bench minor due to Julien expressing his displeasure with some calls against his team and what he felt were a lack of calls against the Canadiens. When asked about his teams ability to rally for the win, the Bruins bench boss took what appeared to be a little jab at the officiating. "I think especially the way it happened - we had that tough second period and at the start of the third, they got that other power play goal, but the way we just battled back through, I felt, a lot of crap that we put up with today, was pretty indicative of what our teams all about," Julien said. "It just shows that if you focus on the things you need to focus on, theres a pretty good team that can accomplish a lot." The crap part didnt go unnoticed by Therrien and on Monday he called his counterpart out. "Its the same thing with Claude. Hes not happy with all that ‘crap," he said. "I thought they got away with a lot of things as far as Im concerned, but they try and influence referees. Thats the way they are. Thats not going to change. Thats the way they like to do their things. But for us, were not paying attention to those things. We all know what theyre trying to do but it doesnt affect us at all." Therrien went on to say his team isnt going to focus on more retaliation through the media but rather to stay focused on their game plan on the ice. "We want to play hard and honestly we all understand the discipline is really crucial," he said. "Whatever comments they make on us, Im not a coach thats going to start making comments the other way. Its never been my philosophy. I dont like that. They can say whatever they want. Its their choice. But we know what we have to do to get success." That may very well be true, but the Canadiens made it clear Monday that they also dont plan to let every verbal jab from the Bruins go unheeded. James Murphy is a freelance reporter who also writes for NHL.com, the Boston Herald and XNsports.com. He covered the Boston Bruins/NHL for last 11 seasons writing for ESPNBoston.com, ESPN.com, NHL.com, NESN.com, the Boston Metro, Insidehockey.com and Le Hockey Magazine. Murphy also currently hosts the radio show "Murphys Hockey Law" heard Saturdays 9-11 AM ET on Sirius/XM NHL Network Radio and 4-6 PM ET on Websportsmedia.com. In addition to that, he is a regular guest TSN 690 in Montreal and Sirius/XM NHL Network Radio as well as a hockey analyst on CTV Montreal. Johnny Unitas Youth Jersey .Y. - Geno Smith shouted a couple of mighty expensive expletives. Quenton Nelson Jersey . Dallas also Monday recalled defenceman Aaron Rome from his conditioning assignment with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League and assigned goaltender Jack Campbell to the AHL squad. http://www.officialindianapoliscoltspro....t-colts-jersey/. -- Caris LeVert had 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for his first career double-double, and No. Malik Hooker Womens Jersey . The Brazilian-born strikers brace drew him level with Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo as the leagues leading scorers with 17 goals apiece through 16 rounds. "The important thing is to help the team win, not the goals," Diego Costa said. After a first half dominated by defence, Atletico pressed Valencia into its area and Diego Costa did the rest. Pat McAfee Youth Jersey . The No. 23 seed at the first Grand Slam event of the tennis season has worked out all the details, from his training regime right down to where hes going to eat dinner. OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Clippers made a silent protest against owner Donald Sterling before Game 4 of their Western Conference playoff series against Golden State. The Warriors made a different kind of statement during the game. And just like that, a series pulled into a race-related scandal took another twist. Stephen Curry made a career playoff-high seven 3-pointers and scored 33 points, leading the Warriors past the Clippers 118-97 on Sunday to even their first-round series at two games apiece. "We wanted to come out and focus on all the work weve put in over the summer, throughout the course of the season to get ready for this moment in the playoffs and just have fun and enjoy it -- not let one person ruin it for everybody," Curry said. The game almost became an afterthought -- until tipoff anyway -- after an audio recording was posted Saturday online by TMZ purportedly of Sterling making comments urging a woman to not bring black people to his teams games. The alleged comments, which are under investigation by the NBA, have set off reactions of anger and calls for action through the league. Clippers players made a silent protest against Sterling by shedding their warm-up jerseys and going through the pregame routine with their red shirts on inside out. They also wore black bands on their wrists or arms and black socks in a show of solidarity. Clippers coach Doc Rivers said he knew what his players had planned but didnt voice his opinion. He said he wasnt thrilled about the demonstration, though he didnt elaborate why. Curry and company did a better job focusing from the start. The All-Star guard made his first five 3s to give Golden State a 20-point lead in the first quarter that held up most of the way. Curry shot 10 for 20 from the floor, including 7 of 14 from beyond the arc, and had seven assists and seven rebounds to help the Warriors snap a two-game losing skid. "I just thought they were the tougher team and it wasnt even close. Should have been a first round knockout," Rivers said. Golden State outshot Los Angeles 55.4 to 42.9 per cent. The Clippers had 19 turnovers, while the Warriors had a series-low 15 turnovers. Both coaches and players agreed that Sterlings purported comments affected their preparation, and neither side believed it was a determining factor in the outcome. "I think both teams were somewhat bothered by what has taken place the last 24 hours," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. "But my guys just played with great energy, great effort." Rivers blamed himself for not getting his players ready. "Im not going to deny that we had other stuff," he said. "I just believe when the game starts, the gamme starts and nobody cares anymore.dddddddddddd Golden State surely didnt care." Game 5 is Tuesday night in Los Angeles. Andre Iguodala added 22 points and nine assists, and David Lee, Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes each scored 15 as the Warriors went to a smaller lineup to regain their shooting touch in front of a roaring, gold-shirt wearing sellout crowd of 19,596 that stood after every swish. "It just all came together," said Iguodala, who also had nine assists and four rebounds. Jamal Crawford scored 26 points, and Blake Griffin had 21 points and six rebounds for a Clippers team wrapped up in the most talked-about topic in sports. "Maybe our focus wasnt in the right place would be the easiest way to say it," Clippers guard J.J. Redick said. New NBA Commissioner Adam Silver attended the game and met privately with former All-Star guard and current Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, who is advising the players union on the Sterling situation. Johnson even held a news conference during halftime that spilled well into the third quarter. Silver has said he hopes for a quick resolution after the league investigates, and that Sterling has already agreed not to attend Game 5. Johnson said the players trust Silver and are hoping for a quick resolution -- and the harshest penalty possible if the audio recording is authenticated. Once the ball was thrown up and the crowd roared, the Warriors quickly put the Clippers in a hole they could never recover from. Currys five 3-pointers in the first quarter tied a franchise-playoff record for a quarter, matching a mark he and Thompson set last year. Golden State led by 20 in the first quarter, 23 in the second quarter and 66-48 at the half. Jackson used a smaller lineup -- with power forward David Lee playing centre for long stretches instead of Jermaine ONeal, whom Jackson said requested the switch -- to spread the floor more than he had at any point in the series, which big man Andrew Bogut has missed with a fractured right rib. The Clippers never closed within single digits at any point in the second half. Curry kept on shooting -- and kept on hitting -- to send the series back to Los Angeles tied. And with so many in an uproar over Sterlings purported comments, theres no telling what the scene will be like at Staples Center. "Were going home now, and usually that would mean were going to our safe haven," Rivers said. "And I dont even know if thats true." NOTES: The Warriors have won 16 of their past 19 home games against the Clippers. ... Sterlings wife, Rochelle "Shelley" Sterling, sat in a courtside seat across from the Clippers bench. ' ' '