On Saturday night, a classic rivalry was renewed at TD Garden between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs. After an early season matchup that saw the blue and white get the better of the Bruins. This time it was the home side winning this one 4-3. The Boston Bruins continued their dominant run at home this season with an outstanding 20-1-3 record. After tonight’s loss, the Maple Leafs will now look ahead to Tuesday night’s test vs. the Florida Panthers at Scotiabank Arena.
In the opening period, the Boston Bruins had a quick start; after a loose puck found Bruins center Charlie Coyle’s stick in the slot, Charlie then sent a nifty back-handed pass to Brad Marchand, who was all alone back door. As it looked like an easy goal for the Bruins star, Marchand was robbed by Maple Leaf goaltender Matt Murray! The Bruins forward had a wide-open goal but was denied by the glove of the Leaf goaltender.
After the dazzling glove save from Matt Murray, the game started to open up. A fight between Maple Leafs Wayne Simmonds and Boston’s Nick Foligno went down. Both veteran forwards were throwing punches in a fairly back-and-forth fight. The TD Garden in Boston was loving it; as the crowd roared, you could feel that playoff-type vibe in Boston.
After the fight, the Leafs clearly got a boost of momentum. A few solid shifts on the forecheck for the blue and white resulted in a power-play opportunity. As Mitch Marner entered the zone and played a pass down low to John Tavares, the Maple Leafs’ captain found teammate Michael Bunting with a pass in the slot for the team’s opening goal! This was Bunting’s 14th goal of the season that put the Leafs up 1-0 in Boston.
After the Maple Leafs took the lead early, the Bruins started to push back, trying to find the equalizer. A few good looks for the Bruins were denied by the Maple Leafs’ goaltender until the Bruins finally broke through. An unfortunate giveaway from Morgan Rielly in the defensive zone found Bruins forward Brad Marchand.
Marchand then played a pass to the front of the goal, where it was redirected into the net by Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron. The Bruins tied the game with just under five minutes to go in the first period.
As the first period closed, both sides kept fighting for the go-ahead goal, as neither team could get a second before the end of the period. All watching knew it was going to be a fun second period. After everything the first period had, the Bruins outshot the Maple Leafs 15-5 in the opening frame.
As the second frame kicked off with both sides getting opportunities quickly, the Maple Leafs struck first. A beautiful rush from Maple Leaf forward Pierre Engvall, who then walked into the Bruins zone and fired a wrister right by Linus Ullmark for the goal! This was Pierre’s ninth goal of the season for the blue and white, and wow, was it ever a beauty.
Once the Leafs went ahead for the second time, the Bruins didn’t quit. Shortly after Engvall’s goal, Bruins forward David Pastrnak scored his 33rd goal of the season to tie the game. A Conor Timmins pass that the Bruins intercepted to set up a two resulted in Pastrnak’s goal. The elite scoring winger faked the back door pass to Marchand and wristed one five-hole himself on Matt Murray.
After the game leveled at two a piece, the Maple Leafs came close to a 3rd goal but couldn’t connect. A slot pass for William Nylander just skipped his blade. As the game went on, a lack of communication by the Maple Leafs left Bruins forward A.J. Greer alone in the slot as he put one past Matt Murray. The Bruins took a 3-2 lead just under the midway mark.
As the middle frame’s final minutes started to close, both teams had their fair share of opportunities. After being a bit late to pucks in the first period, the Maple Leafs started to get their rhythm back as they hoped for an equalizer. The shot totals were much more balanced in the second period at 12-13. Neither side could add another, which set up a pretty entertaining final frame.
As the third period kicked off, Leafs’ nation died for an equalizer in Boston. Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews rose to the occasion. Auston scored a beautiful goal in tight on Linus Ullmark, raising the puck above the glove that was so perfectly placed. Auston’s equalizer was his 21st goal of the season, and it couldn’t have come at a better time!
As the period tied at 3, both sides kept pushing for the lead. After some good stops from Matt Murray and Linus Ullmark, the game looked like it was destined for overtime until, however, a late game-winner was scored by the Bruins!
The TD Garden in Boston exploded as Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk fired a booming shot from the point that went right through Matt Murray. This was Grzelcyk’s 2nd-goal of the season, and it was undoubtedly a clutch one. With only 1:16 left remaining in regulation, the Leafs tried everything they could for the late tie but ran out of time. The Maple Leafs fell short in Boston, losing 4-3 to the Bruins.
Despite the loss, it was truly an epic hockey game that couldn’t have been on a better night. This was one of the most memorable Hockey Night in Canada games I’ve witnessed in a long time. It had everything from fights and saves to beautiful goals. The Maple Leafs’ next game will be on Tuesday as they host the Florida Panthers. If these two sides find a way to meet in the postseason, it’ll truly be an epic series.
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