This is the third time since 2013 that the Leafs and Bruins have met in the playoffs (also last year) with Boston taking both of them in seven epic games. In Game 1 tonight at TD Garden, the Maple Leafs executed their gameplan to perfection as they came away with an easier-than-expected 4-1 victory. Mitch Marner continued his mastery of the B's (and added more dollar signs to his next contract this summer) with a pair of goals while Frederik Andersen (37 saves) had one of the best playoff performances in his NHL career. Boston actually got the first goal which is usually a huge key in the postseason: Patrice Bergeron finished a pretty cross-ice feed from his BFF Brad Marchand for a 1-0 lead at 9:31 of the first period. It was the 32nd career playoff goal for Bergeron and his 86th postseason point; Marchand reached 40 career playoff assists and 61 postseason points while Torey Krug (20th career assist and 29th postseason points) had the other helper.
Toronto tied it up at one later in the first period as Jake Muzzin's shot hit the post and then Marner was there to put in the rebound at 16:44. He was the best player against Boston in last season's playoff series and Marner continued to bolster his credentials as a legit Bruins killer (9 goals, 20 assists in 20 career games vs. Boston). The B's went 3-1 vs. the Leafs in the regular season which means nothing and for what it's worth, this was the first time that Muzzin faced them since he was traded to Toronto from Los Angeles this winter. That was Muzzin's 14th career playoff assist and John Tavares had the other assist (his 1st playoff point as a Leaf). You might remember him as the guy that supposedly spurned the Bruins in free agency last summer for his hometown Leafs.
With another power play early in the second period, the B's looked poised to regain the lead but instead about the worst possible (and extremely unlikely) event happened: the puck hopped over Jake DeBrusk's stick at the blue line of Boston's offensive zone which allowed Marner to zoom ahead on a breakaway. DeBrusk isn't yet known for his Bergeron defensive forward skills so all he could do to prevent a goal was to take Marner down before Jake went crashing back first into the boards, ouch. There wasn't much that Tuukka Rask (29 saves) could do on the ensuing penalty shot as Marner froze him with a slick move then wheeled the forehand shot around him. It was only the second successful penalty shot in Leafs playoff history and the sixth ever allowed by the Bruins (only 2 of which ended in goals). That punch in the gut was followed by a kick to the nuts later in the frame by Toronto was William Nylander took a long stretch pass from Nazem Kadri (7th career playoff assist) and beat Rask five-hole for a 3-1 Leafs advantage at 18:25. What do you want Rask to do when his teammates allowed roughly 100 breakaways in that period? Old man Patrick Marleau (playing in his 185th career playoff game) had his 54th career playoff assist on young Nylander's backbreaking tally.
Boston outshot Toronto 21-14 in the second period yet they were outscored 2-0 then, yuck. The Bruins could never make it interesting in the third (by cutting the deficit to 1 goal and putting some pressure on the Leafs). The closest they came to another goal was Joakim Nordstrom missing the net by mere inches on a rebound in the crease that Andersen had lost track of. Fittingly on that last slice of turd pizza, Tavares put it away with an empty-netter at 18:41. Gross. Game 2 is Saturday night (8, NESN) at the Garden and all the Bruins can do is flush this disappointing Game 1 down the toilet.
If you are into scary numbers, check these out: Boston is 14-34 all-time in best-of-seven series when they trail a series 0-1 while Toronto is 19-13 all-time in best-of-seven series when they lead a series 1-0. Finally, Boston is 20-28 in Game 2s when trailing in a series 0-1. Home ice doesn't mean all that much in the NHL playoffs (this ain't the NBA my friends) but needless to say, Game 2 is nearly a must-win for the Bruins. There is no way they want to go to Toronto down 0-2 in the series. The biggest adjustment that they have to make for a different outcome on Saturday is to not allow so many breakaways and odd-man rushes by the Leafs. That's easier said than done since Toronto has so much team speed, still it's no time to panic yet for the home team. Did anybody think that this series would be that easy (and yes I realize that everyone and their mother picked the Bruins to win it)?
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