The Bruins’ Marco Sturm, left, celebrates his winning goal with teammate P.J. Axelsson, during the third period last night.

AP / Winslow Townson

BOSTON — The underdog Bruins keep coming back — all the way back to a surprise seventh game against the Canadiens in Montreal.

Boston overcame three one-goal deficits last night and won 5-4 on Marco Sturm’s goal with 2:37 left. Now the Bruins need just one more win to take a series that they trailed 3-1.

“We’ve battled and battled and battled and got ourselves back in this position,” goalie Tim Thomas said. “We still have more work to do.”

The Bruins are 0-20 in series they trailed 3-1. They were given little chance to knock off the Canadiens even before the playoffs started. Boston rallied at the end of the season to earn the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Montreal had the best record and the No. 1 seed in the East.

The Canadiens also were unbeaten in their eight regular-season games against the Bruins.

“People are going to pull out every stat that’s insignificant and it’s what we talked about going into the playoffs,” Boston defenseman Aaron Ward said. “We have no pressure on us right now. We were not expected to be in this situation.”

Neither was Montreal rookie goalie Carey Price.

He had allowed a total of five goals in the first four games, three of which were decided by one goal. Then he lost his touch and gave up four goals in the third period of the next two games — Boston’s 5-1 win in Montreal and last night’s victory.

“Our best player has to be our best player,” Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau said when asked about Price’s problems.

Sturm scored after Price stopped his first shot but failed to control the rebound. Sturm collected it, skated across the crease from left to right, and a sprawling Price couldn’t get to the other side in time.

“We worked so hard just to try to grind it out in the end and it worked really well,” Sturm said.

So the Bruins, who repeatedly harried the Canadiens in the neutral zone, still have a chance to win a playoff series for the first time in nine years and complete an improbable comeback. The Canadiens, suddenly, are close to extending their postseason problems to just three series victories in 14 seasons.

“They were just hungrier. They bore down on every chance they had,” Price said after his second straight loss. “Just need to make sure it is not three in a row.”

The Bruins took their first lead, 4-3, with 4:15 left in the third period on Phil Kessel’s second goal of the game. He also scored in Game Five after being benched for three games because of defensive deficiencies.

“The way he’s played the last two games has been unreal,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “If he wants to prove me wrong, I can take it.”

The lead lasted just 11 seconds until Christopher Higgins scored.

Bruins

5

Canadiens

4

Next Game

Tomorrow

at Montreal,

7 p.m.