The Canadiens take time to recover after losing to the Bruins in double overtime.
MONTREAL (AP) – The Montreal Canadiens planned a little group therapy and a team dinner Wednesday to recover from their 4-3 double-overtime loss to the Boston Bruins.

The defeat, in which the Canadiens blew a 3-1 lead, left them down three games to one in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series and facing elimination in Game 5 Thursday night in Boston.

Defenseman Sheldon Souray and coach Claude Julien backed off criticism of star forward Alex Kovalev for abandoning the puck after he was slashed on the hand at 9:27 of the second overtime, leaving Boston’s Glen Murray free to score the game-winner on a breakaway.

“It’s a long year and sometimes you’re going to have distractions,” captain Saku Koivu said Wednesday. “You have the clear the table and then forget the whole thing. That’s what we’re going to do. I don’t think there will be a problem, but if there is, we’ll talk about it.”

Kovalev was flapping his hand in pain after being hit on the glove by Travis Green and collided with Souray, who was chasing back to get the puck. Murray did the rest, sending the Bruins home to Boston with a chance to win the series rather than tied two games apiece.

After the game, Souray said that even if a player is hurt, he shouldn’t “quit on the play.” On Wednesday, his tone was softer.

“I wasn’t blaming anyone, I was just disappointed in the way we lost,” said Souray. “Alex was probably our best player in the game. It was just an unfortunate play that ended up costing us the game. But whatever happened, it’s in the past.”

Julien also backed off from his post-game comments.

“I don’t think I said he,’ I said we’ can’t stop playing until the ref blows the whistle,” Julien said. “But as far as that’s concerned, we said what we had to say. Right now, we want to focus on the game.”

Kovalev’s response was that “If they made those comments, that’s what they think. I can’t control that.”

Kovalev scored two goals in Montreal’s 3-2 win in Game 3 on Sunday and added another in Game 4 before the overtime incident.

“A lot of the guys came to me and said it’s not my fault, which was great to see,” he said. “But sometimes, you can’t let it go. You still feel responsible for the loss. With the way we played, we should have won that game.”

The Canadiens were less than a minute from winning in regulation when Mike Knuble put a backhander past Jose Theodore’s left pad from the edge of the crease. The referees on the ice disallowed the goal, but the call was reversed after video replays showed the puck crossed the goal line.

“It would have been a lot different attitude around here today then if we lost,” Knuble said on the Bruins’ Web site. “To come back to the FleetCenter and have a chance to close out the series is great. The nucleus of this group hasn’t been out of the first round in two tries, so we’re looking forward to doing it.”

The Bruins, who did not practice on the ice on Wednesday, were expecting a spirited game from the Canadiens on Thursday.

“We have to give them respect,” Martin Lapointe said. “They’ve been playing pretty well so far, so we can’t take anything for granted.”

For Montreal, Thursday’s task is simple: win or go home.

“We’re in a tough situation, but if we win the next game and then come back here (for Game 6 on Saturday), you never know what will happen,” said Kovalev, adding he expects to play Thursday. “I’ve never lost in the first round and I want to keep that record.”

Notes: Canadiens defenseman Stephane Quintal, who left in the second period after jamming his right wrist or arm in a fall against the boards, had his arm in a sling. Julien said Quintal’s chances of returning in the series were “very slim.” That would put rookie defenseman Mike Komisarek into his first career playoff game…Julien said he will not pull Theodore for backup Mathieu Garon. “There’s no question of changing the goalie,” Julien said. “We know he can do as well as (Boston goalie) Andrew Raycroft. This would be a good time for him to show it.”

AP-ES-04-14-04 1908EDT