The Bruins win back-to-back games for the first time this year to improve to 5-7-0. They’ve outscored their opponents 12-3 in those two games, and that is against an Ottawa team that came in riding a six-game win streak and a Toronto club that leads the East in points and had not suffered a regulation loss on home ice prior to this.
The Bruins will look to continue their resurgence Monday when they return to the Garden to host the New York Islanders.
Third Period, 16:52, Bruins 7-0: Gregory Campbell and Dion Phaneuf have some words about Phaneuf’s hit on Kelly, and both get 10-minute misconducts as the refs make sure nothing entertaining can happen late in a blowout.
Third Period, 13:49, Bruins 7-0: The penalties are all over and the sides are back at even strength as we head to the home stretch of this game.
Third Period, 11:49, Bruins 7-0: Dion Phaneuf delivers a huge hit on Chris Kelly. That triggers a big scrum, but no fights develop. Jordan Caron gets the only penalty for roughing, with Phaneuf not getting a call despite leaving his feet on the hit.
Third Period, 10:59, Bruins 7-0: Not that they need any more help, but the Bruins will be on the power play as Clarke MacArthur is called for slashing.
Third Period, 8:45, Bruins 7-0: The Bruins kill off that penalty and are back at full strength. Meanwhile, that last goal has been changed to Thornton. Apparently Campbell did not get a piece of it in front.
Third Period, 6:45, Bruins 7-0: The Bruins are shorthanded again, with Tyler Seguin the guilty party this time. he goes off for two minutes for high-sticking.
Third Period, 6:12, Bruins 7-0: The Bruins once again score two goals in quick succession. This time the fourth line gets in on the act as Gregory Campbell sets up in front and scores from Shawn Thornton 28 seconds after Lucic’s tally.
Third Period, 5:44, Bruins 6-0: The Bruins kill off the penalty, then add another goal as Milan Lucic and David Krejci, fresh from the box, break in on a 2 on 1.
Lucic takes the return pass from Krejci and buries his second of the night from the left side.
Third Period, 3:28, Bruins 5-0: The Bruins will be shorthanded again as David Krejci is called for hooking, giving Toronto its second power-play chance of the night.
Third Period, 2:28, Bruins 5-0: Phil Kessel with a steal and breakaway down the right wing, but he can’t convert the chance as he misses the net from the circle.
Third Period, 0:00, Bruins 5-0: The final frame is under way in Toronto, where the Bruins will look to close out what could be a huge victory over the Eastern Conference-leading Leafs.
Second Intermission Notes: The Bruins couldn’t ask for a better period than that. They struck for two goals eight seconds apart in the opening minute and two more 14 seconds apart late in the frame to break this one open at 5-0.
Tyler Seguin had the front end of both of those back-to-back goal sequences to complete his first NHL hat trick. He has three goals on just three shots in 10:02. Perhaps more impressive, he bounced back from a huge hit from Joey Crabb and scored his third goal on his next shift.
On the other side, Phil Kessel is back to struggling against his old club. He’s a minus-1 with just two shots and a giveaway in an uneventful 12:21. The Leafs actually have a 19-17 edge in shots, but Tim Thomas has been perfect while Ben Scrivens was lifted after allowing the fifth goal.
End Second Period, Bruins 5-0: The middle frame is complete, and it was a memorable one for the Bruins, who struck for two goals in eight seconds early and two more in 14 seconds late in the frame to break this one open.
Second Period, 17:44, Bruins 5-0: The Bruins shut down Toronto’s power play with little trouble, as the Leafs could not generate any serious threats during that man advantage and the sides are back to even strength.
Second Period, 15:44, Bruins 5-0: The Bruins are shorthanded for the first time in this one as Milan Lucic is sent off for high-sticking Cody Franson.
Second Period, 15:15, Bruins 5-0: Once again the Bruins strike in quick succession, as David Krejci adds another goal just 14 seconds after Seguin’s third score.
Krejci bangs in a rebound from the right circle to end the night for Scrivens.
Second Period, 15:01, Bruins 4-0: Tyler Seguin was obviously not too affected by that hit, as he returns to the ice and finishes his first NHL hat trick.
Seguin took a pass from Bergeron and roofed a shot from the right circle for his third tally of the night.
Second Period, 11:30, Bruins 3-0: Tyler Seguin’s night just took a little turn for the worse as he is belted up high by Joey Crabb. Seguin heads to the bench in pain, but stays on the bench and appears OK.
Second Period, 10:44, Bruins 3-0: The Bruins getting a little sloppy in their own zone, with Johnny Boychuk in particular having some turnover issues on that shift. Thomas bails him out as he snares a blast from Dion Phaneuf and holds on for the whistle after Boychuk had coughed it up again.
Second Period, 9:36, Bruins 3-0: The Bruins threaten again, this time with Nathan Horton firing in a shot that forces Scrivens to flash out a pad to make the stop and keep Boston’s lead at three goals.
Second Period, 7:40, Bruins 3-0: Things have calmed back down in Toronto, but the Bruins are now playing with a three-goal lead and are more than willing to see the pace slowed.
Second Period, 0:42, Bruins 3-0: The Bruins add another just eight seconds later.
David Krejci won the faceoff back to Zdeno Chara, who sprung Milan Lucic on a long outlet pass, and Lucic beat Scrivens 5-hole to make it 3-0.
Second Period, 0:34, Bruins 2-0: The Bruins extend the lead quickly, and it’s Tyler Seguin again with his second of the night.
This time he began the play by forcing a turnover at center ice. Patrice Bergeron then tried to get a pass over to Seguin. It was deflected, but Seguin batted it home out of midair in front. After a review, the goal stands.
Second Period, 0:00, Bruins 1-0: The middle frame is under way in Toronto, where the Bruins will look to build off a solid opening period and extend their one-goal lead.
First Intermission Notes: The Bruins put together a solid opening period and have a 1-0 lead to show for it.
They took advantage of the only penalty of the frame as Tyler Seguin scored on the power play off a great feed by Rich Peverley. Peverley looks fine after missing the last two practices, picking up a takeaway as well as that assist in 5:05.
Dennis Seidenberg also looks no worse for wear after missing those same two workouts. He has a shot and two hits in 7:06, and also drew the holding call on Joey Crabb that led to that power-play chance.
Adam McQuaid also looks a little more like himself with a hit, a shot and two blocked shots in 4:37. Shots have been scarce early, with Toronto holding a 7-5 edge. There’s been far more attempts that haven’t reached the net though, with 21 blocked shots and eight missed shots. Toronto has an 11-10 edge in blocks, while both teams have missed the net four times.
Another quiet period for Phil Kessel against his old club. He had one shot but was largely invisible in 6:21 of ice time in the first.
End First Period, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins with a solid overall effort in the first frame despite some frantic moments late, and they take the one-goal lead into the first intermission.
First Period, 17:35, Bruins 1-0: The Leafs with a lot of pressure in deep, but Thomas holds the fort in a wild scramble around his crease.
First Period, 16:07, Bruins 1-0: The pace has definitely slowed a bit. Not a lot of action in this frame, but that’s just fine for the Bruins, who have the lead and are playing a solid road game so far.
First Period, 12:40, Bruins 1-0: The Leafs picking up the pace a bit with some solid shifts to create pressure in the Bruins end capped by a huge hit by Jay Rosehill on Andrew Ference.
First Period, 9:30, Bruins 1-0: Thomas makes his first sprawling save of the night as he robs Matthew Lombardi on a bid after Lombardi got a step on the Bruins defense to break in for the shot at the left post.
First Period, 6:23, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins strike first on the power play as Tyler Seguin comes back to haunt Toronto with the tally.
Rich Peverley made the play with a rush down the left wing and around the back of the net. He passed it up to Patrice Bergeron at the point, took the return pass, then fed a perfect crossing pass over to Seguin for a one-timer in the low left circle.
First Period, 5:13, 0-0: The Bruins get the first power-play chance of the night as Joey Crabb is sent to the box for holding Dennis Seidenberg deep in the Boston zone.
First Period, 3:20, 0-0: Decent start for the Bruins, with the Chris Kelly line creating a chance early, but otherwise opportunities have been limited for both teams in the opening minutes.
First Period, 0:00, 0-0: After renditions of both anthems, the action is under way in Toronto, where the Bruins will look to win back-to-back games for the first time this season by handing the Leafs their first regulation loss at the Air Canada Centre.
7 p.m.: There could be some fireworks off the start of this one, as the Bruins are opening the game once again with the fourth line of Daniel Paille, Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton, along with Zdeno Chara and Johnny Boychuk on defense and Tim Thomas in goal.
The Leafs counter with their fourth line with tough guys Jay Rosehill and Mike Brown flanking David Steckel up front, Mike Komisarek and John-Michael Liles on the blue line and Ben Scrivens in net.
6:55 p.m.: The Bruins have officially scratched Benoit Pouliot and Steven Kampfer as expected.
Colton Orr, Luke Schenn and Philippe Dupuis are out for Toronto, which will dress Cody Franson and Jay Rosehill in this one.
6:30 p.m.: Tim Thomas and Ben Scrivens led the clubs out for warm-ups, confirming that they will be the starters in goal for this one.
The focus will likely be on the forwards though, or more specifically on Phil Kessel and Tyler Seguin.
Kessel leads the NHL in scoring right now with 10-11-21 totals through 13 games, but had no points against Boston in the clubs’ first meeting this year. Seguin was taken with the first of the three picks Boston received for Kessel, and the Ontario native leads the Bruins with 4-7-11 totals in 11 games.
6 p.m.: The Bruins are looking to win back-to-back games for the first time this season, but it won’t be easy against East-leading Toronto, which is 5-0-1 at home this year.
Tim Thomas was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate, traditionally the indication of that night’s starter. Rich Peverley and Dennis Seidenberg also skated and should be in the lineup after getting both Wednesday and Thursday off from practice this week.
Rookie Ben Scrivens is expected to get the start in goal for Toronto. He made 38 saves in a 4-1 win in Columbus in his NHL debut on Thursday.
8 a.m. ET: Things have truly been turned upside down in the Eastern Conference at the start of the season.
The reigning Stanley Cup champion Bruins head to Toronto on Saturday in last place in the conference with a 4-7-0 record for just eight points. The host Leafs, who have not even made the playoffs since before the owners’ lockout in 2004, currently sit atop the East standings at 9-3-1 for 19 points.
Ex-Bruin Phil Kessel leads the NHL with 10-11-21 totals through 13 games, but was shut out once again when the clubs met for the first time this season back in Boston on Oct. 20. The Bruins took a convincing 6-2 decision in that game, but have yet to post back-to-back wins this season. They’ll get a chance to change that on Saturday after beating Ottawa 5-3 on Tuesday, but it won’t be easy taming Toronto’s potent offense that soared to a 5-3 win over New Jersey on Wednesday and a 4-1 victory in Columbus on Thursday.
“They [play] a high-tempo, very open type of game,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “[Wednesday] night was back and forth and certainly created a lot of goals on both sides. That’s their M.O. We’ve certainly dealt with teams like that before. We’ve just got to be at our best. If we do that properly, the offense will come from that as you saw the other night [against Ottawa]. That’s how we feed our offense is from good defense. So if they’re going to open up, then we’re going to have to make sure we’re ready to play good defense.”
The Leafs will be without starting goalie James Reimer, who remains sidelined with a head injury suffered two weeks ago. Jonas Gustavsson has taken over in net and is 4-3-0 despite a pedestrian 3.61 GAA and .886 save percentage, and the Bruins torched him for six goals on 43 shots in the last meeting. Ben Scrivens got the call on Thursday and made 38 saves against the Blue Jackets, and could get the start again in this one.
The puck drops at 7 p.m., so check back here for updates on all the action.
