‘We’re not good enough,’ Julien says

Bruins top line ran roughshod over Canadiens

Things might not be going well for the Canadiens, but give coach Claude Julien credit for maintaining his sense of humour.

The Canadiens dropped a 4-1 decision to the Boston Bruins on Saturday at the Bell Centre and most of the damage was done by Boston’s top line of Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand.

When asked how it felt to be victimized by players he helped to develop when he was coaching the Bruins, Julien said: “At the end of the day, if I knew I would have to face them now, I would have kept them separated

We know that we have to contain that top line in order to beat that team.

for all those years.”

The Bergeron line was the difference Saturday. Pastrnak scored twice, added an assist and had a gamehigh eight shots on goal. Marchand had two assists. And Bergeron, who had a goal erased because of an offside ruling, was limited to one assist, but won 12 of his 18 faceoffs.

“We know that we have to contain that top line in order to beat that team,” said captain Max Pacioretty, who scored the lone Montreal goal. “All three guys were in positions to score tonight and they made us pay.”

“I think that line’s probably the best all-around line at both ends of the ice,” noted defenceman Karl Alzner.

Julien said the strategy was to defend against the top line with a unit of five, but it didn’t work.

It was the Canadiens’ third game against the Bruins in eight nights and Montreal went 0-2-1.

“We’re not good enough,” Julien said. “I thought the first game here (a 4-3 loss last Saturday), we should have won it,” Julien said. “We had some great chances. The second game to me was a writeoff. We did not show up in Boston . ... Tonight, we’re there, but we’re not good enough . ... We don’t match up with them right now, but maybe with Shea Weber back and a couple of things here and there, maybe we have a better chance.”

Goaltender Carey Price admitted he let the Bruins back in the game when he surrendered Pastrnak’s first goal.

“I was looking back door when he fired the puck and I didn’t react well,” Price said.