miss him, but were going to have to step up

BOSTON -- Asked if the Canadiens dodged a bullet in Game 1 against the Bruins, Montreal coach Michel Therrien opted for a different view of his teams 4-3 double-overtime win. "The good news is we found a way to win. Thats the most important thing," he told reporters Friday. "And we all know were capable of being better. And we will (be). "But (goaltender) Carey Price was outstanding. He was tough to beat (Thursday night)." Despite the win, Therriens message was that his team has to be better in Game 2 of the second-round playoff series Saturday. Boston outshot Montreal 51-33 Thursday, climbing back from a 2-0 hole to force overtime. Price turned the surging Bruins back again and again, giving his team a chance to win. P.K. Subban obliged with the double-overtime winner. "We played against the best team in the league and you need goaltending," Therrien said. "Certainly Carey Price gave us that type of performance. He was phenomenal. Its good for the confidence of the team. "Like I said, we know as a team we could be better. We liked the way we finished the year. We liked the way we played the first round." Boston coach Claude Julien dismissed the idea that Price might get into his players heads. "Theres a lot of good goaltenders in this league," he said. "Weve got one (in Tuukka Rask). "And we basically still got three goals on him last night ... Weve just got to play our game and the chances are there. Im going to go back to what I said earlier -- bury those great opportunities. We played well, but there were a lot of open nets that we missed, there was a lot of chances that if we would have shot them properly, instead of panicking maybe, we get ourselves a goal." Therrien thought his team showed the rust of not having played since the April 22 completion of the Tampa Bay Lightning sweep. But there were positives. The Montreal power play finally clicked, going 2-for-3 on the night with both goals coming from Subban. And the Canadiens, who managed 43 hits combined in the two games in Tampa, dished out 45 Thursday night in Boston. Still the Bruins outhit them 56-45 on the night. Asked about having to play a 12:30 p.m. ET start Saturday, Therrien laughed and said, "We had no choice." The Canadiens had a team meeting Friday and most of the players hit the gym. Therrien mixed up his lines during Game 1, with perhaps only the trio of Lars Eller, Brian Gionta and Rene Bourque standing out. "We tried to use them as much as we can in good situations, to help the team win." said Therrien. "But thats part of coaching," he added. "Sometimes you can not be afraid to make some changes." Thomas Vanek, who plays on the top line with David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty, has somehow become the poster boy for the need for improvement. "Theres a few players on our team who I believe need to step up our game regarding (Thursday night) and hes one of them," Therrien said of Vanek. "Im not here to mention any names but as a group weve got to be better and we will. "Im not worried and were glad that weve got Thomas Vanek in our lineup because he can be a dangerous guy to the other teams." Vanek, who was minus-one and did not have a shot in Game 1, did not shy away from the issue. "Last night as a line, even as a team, I dont think we played well. I think Carey carried us the whole game and then stole us the game. Subbie (Subban) stepped up and had a big goal. I think were not ignorant (of the need) for us being better as a line and myself as an individual." Cheap Pacers Jerseys Authentic . -- Fresh off their surprising run in the playoffs, the Portland Trail Blazers have signed head coach Terry Stotts to a multi-year contract extension. Mark Jackson Jersey . However, Therrien added that Galchenyuks status for next Wednesdays game against the Detroit Red Wings is questionable. Galchenyuk has been out since Jan. 6 with a broken right hand. http://www.cheappacersjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-bojan-bogdanovic-jersey . MacLean clocked 8:24.91 seconds, eclipsing the previous mark of 8:27.59 set by Brittany Reimer of Victoria at the 2005 FINA World Championships in Montreal. MacLean and Tabitha Baumann of Ottawa -- second in 8:32.37 -- both went under the qualifying standard to be nominated to the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific teams. Domantas Sabonis Jersey . The 34-year-old averaged 10.1 points and 2.7 rebounds in 82 games played in 2013-14 with the Utah Jazz. Jefferson has averaged 14.5 points, 4. Cheap Swingman Pacers Jerseys . The Oilers jumped into the free agent market early by signing defencemen Keith Aulie (six-foot-six, 228 pounds) and Mark Fayne (6-3, 210 pounds) and left-winger Benoit Pouliot (6-3, 197-pounds). Two days earlier MacTavish traded lightweight forward Sam Gagner to Tampa Bay for 6-3, 203-pound right winger Ted Purcell. HOUSTON -- Washington outfielder Bryce Harper had surgery on his injured left thumb on Tuesday and will be out for an extended period of time. Manager Matt Williams would not commit to a time frame, but said "that time frame is out there" after reports Monday that he would be out until at least July. "The doctor reported that everything went fine, and we got a little message from Bryce about getting back and taking BP post-surgery," Williams joked. "It went fine, well have to see how long it takes ... we expect him to heal fast. Given his history, he has healed pretty fast. We are optimistic about it, but were not really sure how long it is going to take." The two-time All-Star was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday with what was then called a sprained left thumb. Williams talked about what Harpers absence will mean for his team. "It hurts a lot. Hes a fantastic player," Williams said.dddddddddddd "Well certainly miss him, but were going to have to step up." He was injured on Friday night against San Diego on a headfirst slide into third base on a triple. He remained in the game until after the next inning. Despite the injury, Williams is not opposed to headfirst slides. "Bryce had another collision sliding feet first earlier in the year, and he hurt himself last year sliding feet first," Williams said. "Its something that you cant control. The play that he hurt himself on, he was trying to get to third base the quickest he could, and I dont know if he is safe if he slides feet first. He was safe sliding head first, but he got the thumb in the wrong position." The 21-year-old Harper is batting .289 with one home run and nine RBIs this season. Harper was the National League Rookie of the Year in 2012 after hitting .270 with 22 homers and 59 RBIs. ' ' '