Takeaways: Bruins have rattled Maple Leafs on the ropes

It isn’t just Jeremy Swayman establishing doubt in the Toronto Maple Leafs.

For the second straight season, the Bruins will return to Boston with a 3-1 series lead. Unlike last year, when they faced a scrappy Florida Panthers team with nothing to lose, the Bruins will enter this year’s clinching scenario against a team with very little confidence.

The opportunistic Bruins capitalized on Toronto’s turnovers and undisciplined play. They struck first for the third time in the series on James van Riemsdyk‘s tally in the opening frame. A pinching Mason Lohrei forced Ryan Reaves into a blunder in the Boston attacking end, setting van Riemsdyk up to net his first tally since Feb. 17. 

On the heels of Max Domi’s embarrassing cross-check on David Pastrna, Brad Marchand etched his name in the franchise record books. The Boston captain fired a one-timer past Ilya Samsonov for the 56th playoff goal of his career at 8:20 of the middle stanza.

Marchand factored into another insurance tally in the closing ticks of the second, beating T.J. Brodie to a loose puck in the slot before finding Pastrnak to finish a 2-on-0 sequence.

With Auston Matthews exiting to a nagging illness, Mitch Marner provided a little sign of life after cycling around Boston’s D for his first of the playoffs at 5:43 of the third. The Leafs had the Bruins scrambling a few shifts later, only for William Nylander to commit another ill-advised attacking zone penalty.

The Bruins kept the Leafs in check for the final half of the third to secure their 3-1 win in front of a disgruntled Scotiabank Arena crowd.

Here’s what we learned from Boston’s convincing Game 4 triumph.

The Bruins had their most well-rounded effort of the series.

Following two spectacular outings, the Bruins decided to halt their goaltending rotation with Swayman and Linus Ullmark.

Entering Game 4, Swayman carried a 5-0 record and a .957 save percentage against the Leafs this season. Even with his otherworldly success, the Bruins didn’t quite have a complete 200-foot effort through the first three games.

That trend changed on Saturday.

The Bruins established plenty of layers in the middle of the ice, relinquishing very few odd-man rushes and limited secondary scoring bids. Swayman didn’t face significant traffic, but he more than provided enough support in the third when his teammates got caught scrambling in a few instances during Toronto’s third-period pushback.

“I just wanted to do my job. I just wanted to pull my end of the rope,” Swayman told NESN’s Adam Pellerin after watching his teammates block 26 shots on the night. “You’ve got 23 guys in there that are doing their job to an absolute T. So, I just wanted to be a part of something special.”

The Bruins didn’t need to make a special effort. They just needed to maintain a simple but effective approach.

Jim Montgomery’s club pounced on turnovers, allowing van Riemsdyk to snap a two-month skid between tallies. They took advantage of mental lapses in the second, leading Marchand to achieve another milestone with his power-play tally and later finding Pastrnak to create more separation on the scoreboard.

“This time of year, you have to want to be a part of it, and you have to want to make a difference,” Marchand told reporters. “We just seem to have that in the group right now. Everybody has the trust and belief in themselves that they’re gonna do their job and make the plays in front of them.”

The vibes are significantly different on both benches.

The Bruins supported one another in every area of the ice to put them a game away from advancing to Round 2. Conversely, the Leafs enter Game 5 desperately needing even the smallest bit of confidence.

Frederic’s second-period tally from Game 3 changed the tide of the series. Instead of dissecting the multiple breakdowns from that Game 3 setback, head coach Sheldon Keefe and the rest of the Leafs turned their attention to providing soundbites on Marchand’s exchange with former teammate Tyler Bertuzzi and whether or not Swayman was in Toronto’s heads following his altercation with Domi .

Little did they know Marchand or Swayman would become the least of their problems.

The Leafs became visibly frustrated following Marchand’s tally. Nylander and Matthews, became angry and boisterous on the bench, presumably questioning Marner’s efforts as he slammed his gloves in disgust. A passionate fanbase with little to cheer for had booed their team out of the building after Pastrnak extended Boston’s lead to 3-0.

Matthews didn’t return for the final 20. Additionally, the Leafs replaced a struggling Samsonov with former Boston College netminder Joseph Woll. 

Marner seemed to have snapped out of his rut only to watch Nylander, in his first appearance of the postseason, commit a head-scratching hold on Jake DeBrusk just as the Leafs had seemingly regained their stride.

With another two days between games, the Leafs face even more questioning from an aggressive Tornton media over their mental makeup entering a must-win Game 5. That’s not a development any team wants to encounter, let alone one that’s only won one playoff round with a core featuring Nylander, Matthews, Marner, Morgan Rielly and John Tavares.

The Bruins will enter their second straight postseason with a chance to clinch their first-round series in five games. They’ll enter this year’s scenario with a level-headed, but poised approach after last year’s meltdown against Florida.

“We’re really excited to go back [home],” Swayman told Pellerin. “We’re really grateful that we got the best fans in all the NHL. We’re determined to get it done.”