A handful of Bruins remain from the last playoff meeting with the Maple Leafs in 2019. But only one is left standing from the first Boston-Toronto matchup 11 years ago.
Brad Marchand had already achieved a hockey player’s dream of hoisting the Stanley Cup when the Bruins met the Leafs in 2013. Little did he know then that Toronto would become a common playoff opponent.
Unlike the Bruins, the Leafs encountered a transitional period in the mid-2010s following their Game 7 collapse at TD Garden. The marquee names changed over the years from Phil Kessel, Nazem Kadri, Dion Phaneuf and James van Riemsdyk to a current core featuring the dynamic Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, Morgan Rielly and William Nylander.
Four members of Toronto’s core five came up short after the Bruins came from behind in the third for another Game 7 win in 2018. The Leafs added Tavares as their prized off-season addition the following summer, only to lay an egg in Game 7 on Garden ice.
Both teams witnessed significant roster turnover in the five years since. But amid the changes within their depth forwards, defense and goaltending, the Leafs’ core five remains intact.
The Bruins, who haven’t won a Game 7 since their 2019 triumph over Toronto, saw two of their top centers in franchise history retire following a record-breaking regular season in 2022-23. They leaned on Marchand’s leadership, a stout goaltending tandem of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman, another elite season from both David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy, and a reliable pair of replacements for David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron in Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle.
Yet, through the first two games of this year’s series, Marchand witnessed a different Leafs team from previous seasons.
Indeed, the Bruins took advantage of Toronto’s undisciplined play, scoring three power-play goals in seven attempts. They also benefited from multiple Leafs turnovers and loose defensive coverage in Game 1.
Despite that, the Leafs showcased significant improvements with their forechecking and physical presence. They’ve made the Bruins work for every inch of available ice, especially in Game 2.
“They’re playing a really tight playoff game right now,” Marchand told reporters following two bruising games to start this year’s first-round series. “They’re built different than in the past years. They’re playing a lot more physical, and they’re very committed to forechecking and they’re playing very tight defensively. So you gotta give them credit. They’re one of the top teams for a reason, and when you add their offensive ability on top of that, they’re a tough team to play right now. We’re seeing it. Even in the first game, it was a different game than the [final] score.”
Boston’s 5-1 win in Game 1 didn’t necessarily reflect the final outcome. In Game 2, the Leafs showcased their sticktoitiveness, tying the game twice on Max Domi’s first-period tally and Tavares’ power-play marker. By the third, they had the Bruins on the ropes and eventually earned their first lead of their six matchups this season on Matthews’ breakaway.
Indeed, Toronto’s defensive and goaltending liabilities remain a sore spot. They capitalized on another such instance in the closing seconds of the first.
With Tavares as the lone defender along the net front, David Pastrnak fired his first of the postseason after Pavel Zacha won a puck battle along the walls.
The Leafs got puck-watching on Pastrnak’s tally. But the Bruins didn’t do enough to expose Toronto’s D during the final 40 minutes of regulation.
Through skill and will, Toronto persevered against a game Ullmark. They quickly overcame a high-stick review that overturned Tyler Bertuzzi’s tally on Tavares’ equalizer and earned their 3-2 win after Matthews capped off his three-point night on his breakaway.
“They’re competing hard,” Marchand told the press following Tuesday’s optional practice. “They’re getting numbers to pucks and coming out with more loose pucks, which is making it easier to break out and harder for us to attack the net. So we have to just win more battles down there.”
The Leafs overcame a slow start in Game 1 against the Lightning last year before bouncing back in Game 2. This year, they’ll ride the momentum from their Game 2 rally against the Bruins into Toronto for Games 3 and 4.
The Bruins will enter Wednesday’s tilt without a reliable penalty killer and shutdown defenseman in Andrew Peeke. Head coach Jim Montgomery confirmed Peeke’s status as “week-to-week” after the former Blue Jacket left in the second period with an undisclosed injury.
Regardless, the Bruins need a better 200-foot performance as the series shifts north of the border. Otherwise, they’ll face a deficit against a different-looking Leafs team from seasons past.
“We have to continue to be better,” Marchand said. “We know it’s a very tight playoff series. We knew it was going to be a battle, and they showed up. They’re playing for keeps, so it’s a good challenge.”
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