Final, Maple Leafs 4-2:Â The Maple Leafs took big strides in this one, and in winning their first playoff game since 2004, they have tied up the series as it shifts back to Toronto.
Third period, 16:57, Maple Leafs 4-2:Â The Maple Leafs look like they’ll be heading home tied in the series.
James van Riemsdyk continues to be a thorn in the side of the Bruins, and he has them up by two goals again. The UNH product just scored a nifty little goal after a nifty little play and pass from Mikhail Grabovski and Toronto leads by two.
Third period, 14:29, Maple Leafs 3-2:Â The Bruins aren’t done, and they have gotten a huge jump from the Johnny Boychuk.
The B’s are peppering James Reimer here in the third period, and he’s trying to help them tie the game apparently. The Toronto goalie has been bad at controlling his rebounds since the goal, ad if the Bruins get to the net, they’re going to have chances (and second chances).
Third period, 10:35, Maple Leafs 3-2:Â It’s not over yet.
Johnny Boychuk scored a goal from the right point, on a shot that looked to be tipped, but the defenseman is getting credit for the goal for now at least.
Either way, the B’s are right back in this game.
Third period, 10:01, Maple Leafs 3-1:Â The Bruins were able to kill off the penalty, but they may have missed an opportunity to get back in the game.
Daniel Paille and Gregory Campbell were able to get a 2-on-1 toward the end of the kill, but Paille got a little too cute with the puck and when he attempted to pass the puck across the slot, the play was broken up.
Third period, 6:21, Maple Leafs 3-1:Â The Maple Leafs are getting another power play, and the Bruins will once again be without a valuable penalty killer.
Zdeno Chara is now in the penalty box, where he’ll serve two minutes for interference after knocking down Nazem Kadri in the Boston end. Not a good penalty at all.
Third period, 0:53, Maple Leafs 3-1:Â Phil Kessel just silenced the Garden crowd — those not wearing Maple Leafs jerseys at least.
Kessel burst out of the Toronto zone like a rocket lifting off and he was hit with a gorgeous pass through the neutral zone from Nazem Kadri. Kessel burst into the zone and made a nifty move to beat Tuukka Rask.
Third period, 0:01, Maple Leafs 2-1:Â The third period is underway.
Second period reaction:Â The Maple Leafs have been very impressive through two periods, which is something we kind of expected despite their lack of playoff experience. They’ve been there every step of the way through two periods, and even after the Bruins got the game’s first goal early in the second period, the Maple Leafs did not go away.
Joffrey Lupul continues to hurt the Bruins, and he did so in a big way in the second period. Lupul scored both Toronto goals, and he did a good job of just putting himself in the right place to make plays. Give him credit as well for being able to finish his chances, and he’s one of the big reasons the Leafs are up 2-1.
It also doesn’t hurt that the Bruins aren’t nearly as sharp as they were in Game 1. The B’s were particularly sloppy in the second period, and the Leafs took advantage. It could have been even worse for Boston, really, but Tuukka Rask made a handful of big saves to keep this game close. If they’re able to tie it up and eventually take the lead, we’ll point to Rask’s play as a major reason why.
One goal is not going to win many hockey games, and it obviously won’t win this one. The Bruins need to follow Horton’s lead and get to the net to create traffic and second-chance opportunities. They’re also going to need something — anything — out of the third line. Jaromir Jagr has been somewhat invisible through two games, and that’s not good. The third line has been an issue all season long, and it looks like that’s carrying over.
End second period, Maple Leafs 2-1:Â The second period horn sounds, and the Maple Leafs take a lead to the room for the first time in this series.
Second period, 18:54, Maple Leafs 2-1:Â The Bruins just got themselves a great chance as well, but James Reimer was able to preserve the lead.
Daniel Paille beat out a potential icing, that led to a Zdeno Chara shot from the point. Gregory Campbell was there for the rebound chance, but Reimer made the save and then covered up.
Second period, 15:17, Maple Leafs 2-1:Â The Bruins are starting to get a little sloppy in their own end, but it hasn’t quite cost them yet. However, it almost did.
The Leafs just did everything but score in a mad scramble in front of the Boston net, with a shot that hit the post and then another that appeared to hit Tuukka Rask in the backside as the goalie was facing the net. Somehow, no goal is scored, though.
Second period, 11:56, Maple Leafs 2-1:Â The Maple Leafs now have themselves the lead.
Matt Frattin did a wonderful job of bringing the puck through the neutral zone and into Boston’s end before he flipped it across to Joffrey Lupul. From there, Lupul had a pretty easy goal as he lifted it over a sprawling Tuukka Rask to give Toronto the lead, its second of the series. They scored the first goal in Game 1 before Boston scored four unanswered goals.
Second period, 11:12, 1-1: The Maple Leafs came this close to taking their first lead since early in Game 1.
Nikolai Kulemin did a terrific job of stickhandling and carrying the puck into the Boston zone before getting a backhanded shot attempt toward Tuukka Rask. The Toronto forward beat Rask, but he also rang the iron, hitting the post and keeping the game tied.
Second period, 9:35, 1-1:Â Rich Peverley’s delay of game penalty comes to an end, with the Bruins killing it off to keep it at 1-1 here midway through the second period.
Second period, 7:23, 1-1:Â The Bruins will have to kill another penalty.
This time around, it’s Rich Peverley who gets the penalty for delay of game after flipping the puck over the glass.
Second period, 5:18, 1-1:Â The Maple Leafs took full advantage of the questionable penalty call.
Joffrey Lupul was able to knock down a Jake Gardiner shot with his stick, gather it and then flip it by Tuukka Rask for the goal. The goal came with just 2 seconds left on the Boston penalty.
Second period, 3:20, Bruins 1-0:Â We’ve seen a couple of suspect penalty calls, and the latest will go against the Bruins. This time it’s Zdeno Chara who was called for tripping, giving Toronto a power play.
Second period, 1:56, Bruins 1-0:Â Go to the net and good things happen. Case in point: Nathan Horton.
The forward went straight to the net as Milan Lucic carried the puck into the Toronto zone. Lucic put the puck on net, and Horton crashed the net. Horton then drove home the rebound for the goal.
Second period, 0:01, 0-0:Â The second period begins, and Patrice Bergeron is back on the ice for the Bruins.
First period reaction:Â That was a much, much better period for the Leafs, their best period of the first two games. Toronto, who was outshot badly in Game 1, actually outshot the Bruins 12-10 in the first period. They also outhit the Bruins 22-10, making the physical part of the game a priority apparently. It will be interesting to see if they can sustain that against a physical team like the Bruins, and you have to think the B’s don’t necessarily mind playing that way.
I went back and watched Patrice Bergeron’s final shift of the period before he went to the room. It’s tough to say what the injury might be. He got tangled up in the front of the Toronto net in what looked to be a pretty harmless tumble. No idea if that’s where whatever happened may have happened, though.
Hopefully for the Bruins’ sake, Bergeron is ready to go. His line was good in the first, thanks in large part to Tyler Seguin, who was the best Bruin on the ice in the first. Seguin leads the team with four shots already, and he’s played most of his 4:52 like he was shot out of a cannon. He’s doing it at both ends, too, with at least one very impressive display of back-checking that broke up a potential Leafs rush.
End first period, 0-0:Â The scoreless first period comes to a close, with Patrice Bergeron missing from the Bruins bench. He left toward the end of the period and hasn’t returned.
First period, 18:57, 0-0:Â And just like that, the power play is over.
Brad Marchand was just sent to the box for tripping, and that negates the Boston power play. That was an iffy call at best.
First period, 18:48, 0-0:Â Brad Marchand, the agitator, gets the Bruins a power play.
Marchand mixed it up with a couple of Leafs after the whistle, but when the dust settled, it was only Dion Phaneuf who got the penalty.
The Bruins get the first power play of the night.
First period, 14:08, 0-0:Â Phil Kessel and the Leafs have had a couple of odd-man rushes so far, but they haven’t done anything with those just yet.
The latest came on a 2-on-1 as Zdeno Chara struggled to slow the play in the Toronto end and into the neutral zone. Joffrey Lupul passed the puck to Kessel at the end of the break, but Kessel couldn’t jam it home as he had outskated the puck just enough to take away the chance to bury a one-timer over the sprawling Tuukka Rask. The goalie pinned the puck with his left leg pad.
First period, 10:32, 0-0:Â Give the Maple Leafs credit — they’ve certainly come out much more physical in Game 2, and they look comfortable as well. They may be in line for a lift after Colton Orr just walloped Zdeno Chara with a big check in the corner in the Boston end.
The Leafs had a scoring chance not long after, but Phil Kessel made an errant pass in a 2-on-1 with Tyler Bozak that neutralized the threat.
First period, 6:36, 0-0:Â This is definitely a pumped-up crowd in the house for a Saturday night playoff game, and they’ve been treated to a good one so far.
We’ve seen plenty of jump from both teams, but especially the Bruins, who tilted the ice pretty good in the first few minutes.
Boston just got its best chance of the game when Jake Gardiner — who is in the lineup after missing Game 1 — made a horrible turnover. He tried to bank it off the boards in the Toronto end, but it went straight to Gregory Campbell in the slot instead. Campbell put a shot on goal from the high slot that James Reimer stopped. The puck started to trickle by Reimer, but he was able to cover it up to keep things scoreless.
First period, 0:01, 0-0:Â The game is underway here at the Garden.
7:09 p.m.:Â Boston Marathon victim Jeff Bauman just brought the house down in his first public appearance since the tragic events of Marathon Monday. To say it was a powerful moment would be an absolute understatement.
6:38 p.m.:Â We’ve got some changes in both lineups.
For the Bruins, it looks like Dougie Hamilton will be in the lineup, as he took pregame line rushes alongside Wade Redden. Also, Matt Bartkowski isn’t here. So that’s a good indication that he won’t be playing in this one.
Rich Peverley, as expected, was in there with Chris Kelly and Jaromir Jagr. Here are the lines.
Milan Lucic — David Krejci — Nathan Horton
Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — Tyler Seguin
Rich Peverley — Chris Kelly — Jaromir Jagr
Daniel Paille — Gregory Campbell — Shawn Thornton
Zdeno Chara — Adam McQuaid
Dennis Seidenberg — Johnny Boychuk
Wade Redden — Dougie Hamilton
Here are the Leafs lines, from pregame warmups at least.
James van Riemsdyk — Tyler Bozak — Phil Kessel
Nikolai Kulemin — Nazem Kadri — Joffrey Lupul
Leo Komarov — Mikhail Grabovski — Matt Frattin
Ryan Hamilton — Jay McClement — Colton Orr
Dion Phanuef — Carl Gunnarsson
Ryan O’Byrne — Jake Gardiner
Cody Franson — Mark Fraser
6:20 p.m.:Â Claude Julien, despite his team’s domination of Game 1, is not going to take anything for granted in this game. He’s unsurprisingly expecting the same effort out of his team, and he would even like to see them show a little bit of improvement. ‘
“You just have to look around the league and see what’s going on, a lot of series are tied 1-1,” he said after morning skate. “There’s nothing to get cocky about, or confident about, you just got to play every team the way you thought you would play that first one. We know they’re going to be a better team tonight, this is not a secret to anybody, but we have to be better ourselves.”
Warmups begin in about five minutes, which is when we’ll get a better idea of what the Bruins (and the Leafs) will be doing in terms of lineups.
5:50 p.m.:Â Good evening and welcome to a quiet TD Garden, that will be anything but in about an hour or so.
It will be especially emotional just before puck drop when the honorary captain is announced to the Garden crowd. After designating a local bomb squad as the honorary captain in Game 1, the Bruins will honor Boston Marathon bombing victim Jeff Bauman prior to this game. Bauman, who suffered severe injuries, including the loss of both legs, will be in the house to wave the fan flag prior to the game. He’s also the guy who helped the FBI identify the two suspects.
That is going to be one incredible moment.
3:15 p.m.:Â We won’t know for sure what Claude Julien’s lineup will be for Game 2, but we got a pretty good indication going off of morning skate. Also, nothing changed from Friday’s practice. So you add it all up, and it sure looks like Dougie Hamilton will be in for the suspended Andrew Ference and Rich Peverley will be in on the third line in place of Kaspars Daugavins.
Julien did say that Matt Bartkowski is an option for the extra D-man spot, but that seems a little difficult to believe. Bartkowski was assigned to Providence last week, and he’s currently with the P-Bruins in their playoff series in Hershey.
On the other side of things, the Maple Leafs — who practiced Thursday and Friday — had a limited morning skate. Only a handful of players took the optional skate, which means we have no indication of what they will do with their lines Saturday night. Head coach Randy Carlyle was unwilling to divulge any of that information when he met with the media following the skate.
8 a.m. ET:Â All went according to plan in Game 1 for the Bruins, and now it’s on them to prove that it wasn’t just a one-time thing. While in-game consistency problems were solved for at least one game, the B’s will attempt to prove they can find sustained consistency Saturday night in Boston.
The Bruins and Maple Leafs will tangle in Game 2 of their best-of-seven Stanley Cup playoff first-round series Saturday night at TD Garden. The B’s are looking to take a 2-0 series lead after dismantling Toronto 4-1 in Game 1 on Wednesday night in Boston. There was a pretty noticeable discrepancy between the two teams in the first game, and the Leafs will try to bridge that in Game 2, but it won’t be easy. They looked overmatched and outclassed in the first meeting,
The Boston lineup will look a little different for Game 2, though. Most notably, Andrew Ference is out after being suspended one game for a hit on Mikhail Grabovski in the first period Wednesday. At Bruins practice Friday, it looked like Dougie Hamilton would be the man taking Ference’s place in the lineup, a move that would force the club to split up the valuable D-pairing of Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg. There may also be changes up front. Rich Peverley was back skating with the third line alongside Jaromir Jagr and Chris Kelly at practice Friday, so that would indicate Pevrley will return after being scratched in Game 1.
Toronto coach Randy Carlyle has already said that he’ll make some changes in the lineup for Game 2, likely both up front and on the blue line. He won’t have a choice but to do something with his defense corps, though, as Mike Kostka suffered a broken finger in Game 1 and is out. That could be one of a few changes made by the head coach in an attempt to spark the club after a pretty ugly showing Wednesday night.
Puck drop for Game 2 is slated for 7 p.m.
