TORONTO – Brad Marchand became the Bruins’ all-time leading playoff goal-scorer and also added an assist as Boston beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 on Saturday to take a 3-1 lead in the teams’ first-round playoff series .
James van Riemsdyk and David Pastrnak scored the other goals for Boston, which can end the best-of-seven series at home Tuesday in Game 5. Jeremy Swayman made 24 saves.
Mitch Marner replied for Toronto. Ilya Samsonov stopped 14 of 17 shots in 40 minutes of action. Joseph Woll played third and finished with five saves. Leafs star Auston Matthews, who missed practice Friday, played two periods but did not come out for the third.
Game 6, if necessary, will be back in Toronto on Thursday.
Leafs winger William Nylander made his 2024 playoff debut after missing the first three games due to an undisclosed injury.
Swayman, who also played Games 1 and 3, got the start over Linus Ullmark as the Bruins strayed from their crease rotation, which had seen them rotate goaltenders since February.
Toronto, which last spring won a post-season series for the first time since 2004, was unable to connect on two power plays in the first period – falling to 1 of 13 in the series – leaving the crowd buzzing before the visitors’ advance. .
Leafs strongman Ryan Reaves had the puck in the defensive zone, but Bruins rookie defenseman Mason Lohrei knocked him down with his stick. Van Riemsdyk, who played in Toronto from 2013 to 2018, pounced on a miscue and past Samsonov for his first goal of the series at 15:09.
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Toronto winger Max Domi took a cross-checking penalty in the second minute, and Boston’s red-hot power play took advantage with his sixth goal in four games when Marchand scored his second of the playoffs and his 56th of the postseason. Season career-high 8:20 to pass Cam Neely for the top spot in franchise history.
The goal was also Marchand’s 12th playoff goal at the Air Canada Centre/Scotiabank Arena, tying Brian Trottier for the most goals by a visiting player in an opposing zone in NHL history. Trottier scored 12 times in the post-season at the Capital Center in Washington.
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As the period progressed, frustration began to build on the Leafs bench, with Matthews and Mitch Marner getting into an animated discussion. William Nylander was caught on camera mumbling to himself before Marner took off his gloves.
The Bruins, who had topped Toronto by seven games in the opening rounds of the 2013, 2018 and 2019 playoffs, settled things with 41.6 seconds remaining in the period on another series of Leafs miscues that led to a 2-on-0. Done, where Marchand fed Pastrnak for his second.
After some criticisms about the atmosphere in Game 3, fans were encouraged to make noise, but as the clock reached halftime, they turned that energy into a roaring noise.
The Leafs made a change in goal and were without Matthews when Toronto defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin shattered Swayman’s crossbar in the third minute.
Marner finally got the home team on the board when he slammed his first of the playoffs past Swayman at 5:42.
The Bruins goaltender then denied Joel Edmundson on two consecutive occasions with pressure from the Leafs.
Toronto got another power play with less than six minutes to go in regulation, but barely gained control in the offensive zone and went 1 of 15 in the series.
The Booze staged a final-minute comeback to send the Leafs through, who now need three wins in a row to keep their season alive against a team that has won 10 of the last 11 head-to-heads.
A great man was honored
The Leafs paid tribute to late play-by-play man Bob Cole – the legendary broadcaster was the voice of hockey for generations of Canadian fans – with a video montage of some of his memorable calls before puck drop. Cole died on Wednesday at the age of 90.
dad strength
With two days off between Games 3 and 4, Lyubushkin moved to California to be with his wife following the birth of the couple’s daughter.
Acquired from the Anaheim Ducks in February, the Russian defenseman missed Friday’s practice, but returned to Toronto a few hours later.
“You feel different energy,” Lyubushkin said about jumping back into playoff action. “It’s a good feeling.”
McMann is improving
Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said winger Bobby McMann – out with a lower-body injury since the regular season finale on April 13 – is expected to resume skating soon.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2024.
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