I Don't Know How to Say This...

...But tonight's Bruins game is kind of a big deal.  No, it's not an elimination game yet. Yes, the season goes on even if they lose to the Habs tonight.  But I'm telling you right now - the season will effectively be on the line when Game 4 begins tonight in Montreal.

If the Bruins win tonight and the series gets tied up 2-2 - it's a whole new ballgame.  Forget the first 2 losses at the Garden, the series would effectively become a best of 3. Clean slate. Except, of course, that the Bruins would have all the momentum in the series, and would be headed back to Boston looking to take a 3-2 series lead.  From there, they just have to win at home and they are moving on.

If the Bruins lose tonight, however, and go down 3-1 in the series, the season is over.  This is not to say the Bruins would 100% be finished, but I'm betting it'll be pretty close to that if the Habs win tonight.  Think about it - if the Canadians win tonight, they could literally not show up for game 5 in Boston and still wrap the series up in Montreal in game 6. 

I know that there are plenty of people out there who would call me a traitor or not a true fan for giving up hope if the Bruins lose tonight. But let's call a spade a spade: the Bruins have looked relatively outmatched for most of this series. Sure, there's a period here or a period there where the B's have outplayed the Canadians, but for the most part Brian Gionta and his merry band of midgets have simply looked in control.  Carey Price is getting hot at the right time, and the Habs skaters are controlling the neutral zone and winning battles. So why should I believe that the Bruins would be able to win 3 games straight (if they were to lose tonights)? I don't care if Tim Thomas regains his regular season form, he's still gonna give up a softy at some point and Carey Price will lock down his goal like a protective father guarding his teenage daughter.

That being said, this should be a fun game tonight.  If you're any kind of Bruins fan at all, I'd tune in. You might just see the most important game of the season.