Final, Bruins 4-3: That’s it and that’s all, as David Krejci wins it in overtime with the hat trick.
Overtime, 13:23, 3-3: Tuukka Rask has been sensational in overtime.
Phil Kessel was the latest to test him, and Rask made the save before smothering the rebound chance.
Overtime, 11:17, 3-3: We’re 11 minutes in, and we already have 16 combined shots on goal. No goals yet.
Overtime, 7:53, 3-3: The Leafs are bringing it in a big way. Tuukka Rask has been up to the challenge so far. He just made a huge glove save on Joffrey Lupul.
Overtime, 6:20, 3-3: Matt Frattin just got loose in the Boston zone, but he hit the post.
Overtime, 5:04, 3-3: The Bruins and Leafs have traded multiple chances already.
Tuukka Rask had to make a big save on Nazem Kadri which preceded a James Reimer save on Patrice Bergeron. Wild pace right now.
Overitme, 1:00, 3-3: Overtime has begun.
Third period reaction: This has been a fantastic hockey game, and since there’s probably going to be some weird goal that just erases any sort of analysis, we’ll just leave it at that for now.
As for game-winner picks, I’m gonna take Patrice Bergeron. Feel free to leave your picks for who’s gonna score the winner in the comments.
End third period, 3-3: We are going to overtime.
The Bruins had a couple of chances late, but they couldn’t put them home.
The first came when Milan Lucic chased down the puck behind the Toronto goal. He and James Reimer got tied up, and Reimer ended up batting the puck out of air. It went to David Krejci who came barreling down the left wing. The forward tried to lift it over a diving Reimer, but the goalie got just enough of it.
In the final seconds, Tyler Seguin had a chance of his own, but he missed the net by a few inches as regulation ended.
Third period, 16:35, 3-3: And that’s what you call a huge penalty kill for the Bruins.
The B’s were able to kill off the Zdeno Chara penalty, and they’re back to even strength with just a few minutes to play in regulation.
Third period, 13:27, 3-3: The Bruins are up against it now.
Zdeno Chara was just called for high-sticking, and he’s going to the box for two minutes. This is a huge kill and the B’s are without one of their best killers.
Third period, 10:21, 3-3: This game is just so good.
Chris Kelly has returned to the Bruins’ lineup and to the ice after taking the Nazem Kadri high stick that left the Boston center bloodied.
Third period, 7:49, 3-3: Scary moment here in the third period. Mark Fraser just took a Milan Lucic shot in the face, and it may have saved a goal. Lucic appeared to have an open net as James Reimer was laying on the ground, but Lucic’s shot hit Fraser in the head.
Nathan Horton had a fantastic scoring chance a few seconds earlier, but he missed the shot high and wide.
Third period, 6:18, 3-3: The Leafs have gotten a jump out of the penalty kill, and luckily for the Bruins, they have Tuukka Rask.
Rask just stoned Joffrey Lupul right in the middle of the slot, as Lupul got loose and controlled the puck before putting one on Rask.
Third period, 5:00, 3-3: The Maple Leafs dodge a bullet and the Bruins miss out on a big-time opportunity.
The Leafs kill off the double-minor, and the Air Canada Centre is rocking again. The Bruins looked to be getting a little too cute on that man-advantage.
Third period, 19:02, 3-3: The Maple Leafs’ power play comes to a premature end.
Nazem Kadri got lazy with his stick as Chris Kelly blew by him, and Kadri gets the high-sticking penalty. It drew blood, so the B’s will get an extended 3:38 of power-play time.
Third period, 0:01, 3-3: The third period has begun, with the Bruins trying to kill off a minute of Gregory Campbell’s penalty.
Second period reaction: The biggest reaction from the second period is to just take a little break. That was exhausting.
The Bruins have done an excellent job of getting back in this game. Unsurprisingly, the B’s got their first two goals by going to the net and taking advantage of rebounds. Both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci did just that and they were rewarded with goals. The Bruins’ go-ahead goal was another power-play tally for Krejci after a brilliant pass from Nathan Horton across the slot. It’s obviously good to see that unit clicking as well.
The Leafs deserve credit, too. They could have been shell-shocked by losing the lead and then falling behind in the period, but they bounced right back. Randy Carlyle looks like a genius inserting Clarke MacArthur back into the lineup, as the forward rewarded the move with a goal to tie the game 44 seconds after the B’s took the lead.
End second period, 3-3: The Bruins survive the second period, but they’re not out of the woods.
Patrice Bergeron stepped in front of a Dion Phaneuf shot from the point, and that ends the period as the puck deflected out of the zone off of Bergeron.
Second period, 19:19, 3-3: Things go from bad to worse for the Bruins. The Leafs get a 5-on-3 for 52 seconds after Gregory Campbell slashed James van Riemsdyk’s stick in half.
Second period, 18:12, 3-3: Now the Maple Leafs get a gift power play.
David Krejci, yes David Krejci, is called for roughing after getting into it with James van Riemsdyk after the whistle.
Second period, 17:23, 3-3: And the Leafs have tied it up.
A shot goes wide, and the carom goes straight into the slot where Clarke MacArthur — reinserted into the lineup for Game 4 — jumped on it. MacArthur beats Tuukka Rask five-hole, and the puck trickles through.
Second period, 16:39, Bruins 3-2: The Bruins have their first lead of the hockey game.
David Krejci and the Bruins take advantage of Colton Orr’s bad penalty, and the B’s have the lead. Krejci blasted a one-timer from Nathan Horton by James Reimer, and the B’s have the lead.
Second period, 15:41, 2-2: Colton Orr takes a stupid penalty, and the Bruins get a power play.
It’s two minutes for “being stupid” — just kidding, it was high-sticking. The B’s get another power play.
Second period, 14:34, 2-2: The Bruins’ second goal is now being credited to David Krejci.
Second period, 12:59, 2-2: It’s a whole new hockey game.
The Bruins have worked back to tie the game here midway through the third period.
Brad Marchand worked through some contact in the slot before he was able to put the puck on net. James Reimer made the original stop, but David Krejci crashes the net and crashes into Mikhail Grabovksi, pushing the puck over the line.
The goal is Marchand’s for now.
Second period, 11:00, Maple Leafs 2-1: The Bruins were able to kill the penalty with one of their best kills of the postseason.
The Bruins’ PK has been dicey — they had only killed eight of 12 Toronto power plays through three games — so it’s good to see them get back on the right track there. They were much better and much more efficient in clearing the puck quickly and not allowing much of anything for the Leafs.
Second period, 8:57, Maple Leafs 2-1: Now it’s the Bruins’ turn to kill a penalty.
Gregory Campbell was just called for hooking, and the B’s will try to kill that off.
Johnny Boychuk has returned to play after leaving with an apparent injury a few minutes ago.
Second period, 6:17, Maple Leafs 2-1: The Bruins weren’t really able to sustain much momentum after the Patrice Bergeron goal, and the Maple Leafs have tilted the ice against Boston.
The Mikhail Grabovski line just had a couple of brilliant shifts, and they’ve got the Bruins back on their heels. The Leafs were especially aggressive once they realized Boston defenseman Johnny Boychuk was hurt. The blue liner just went to the dressing room after struggling to get off the ice with what looked to be some sort of a leg, foot or ankle injury.
Second period, 0:33, Maple Leafs 2-1: Finally, the Bruins take advantage of the rebounds.
Patrice Bergeron just jumped all over a rebound from a Zdeno Chara shot, and Bergeron beats James Reimer with a wrist shot from the slot to get the B’s within one.
Second period, 0:10, Maple Leafs 2-0: The second period is underway, and the Bruins have about a minute of power play to go.
Second period reaction: I honestly didn’t think that was that bad of a period for the Bruins, despite what the scoreboard may say. However, there’s usually at least one “everything is going wrong” game for teams in a series, and maybe this is that game for the B’s.
They haven’t gotten a good bounce in front of the net yet, but James Reimer is giving them plenty of chances. The B’s put 15 shots on goal in the first period, and Reimer seemed to give them rebounds on at least half of them. The Bruins just aren’t getting to those rebounds either by not being able to get to the net or because the Leafs have done a better job of clearing the area in front of Reimer.
At the other end, Tuukka Rask is probably the reason the Bruins aren’t chasing four after one, but at the same time, he gave up goals on shots he probably would have gotten to in Game 3. In Rask’s defense, however, he looked to be screened by Zdeno Chara on the second goal. It’s tough to stop what you don’t see.
The Leafs’ lobbying for fairer faceoff practices is paying off through one period. Toronto dominated in the faceoff circle, winning 14 of 22 draws in the first period. Patrice Bergeron is just 1-for-5.
End first period, Maple Leafs 2-0: The Bruins end the period on a power play after Leo Komarov was called for charging late in the period.
Milan Lucic was felled by a Zdeno Chara shot that looked to cut the Bruins’ power forward.
First period, 18:32, Maple Leafs 2-0: The Maple Leafs, despite being outplayed for the last five minutes or so, now have a 2-0 lead.
This time it’s Cody Franson who lights the lamp. The Leafs got help when a rebound hit the referee behind the net and went straight to Joffrey Lupul. Lupul passed it across the slot to the right point for Cody Franson, and Franson threw it at net. The shot beat Tuukka Rask who may or may not have been screened by Zdeno Chara.
First period, 15:31, Maple Leafs 1-0: The Bruins couldn’t get anything on the power play in terms of goals, but it was a very good-looking power play. They got three shots with the man-advantage and came close to scoring just after the man-advantage expired, but a shot either hit the post or was stopped by James Reimer. It was tough to tell.
Either way, the Bruins need to use that momentum in the final few minutes of this period to get something going.
First period, 12:43, Maple Leafs 1-0: Boston will get the first power play of the night.
Dion Phaneuf was just called for tripping Tyler Seguin, and the call was questionable at best. Nonetheless, the B’s get the man-advantage.
First period, 10:34, Maple Leafs 1-0: The Bruins and Maple Leafs are starting to get into some run-and-gun hockey. While it might be exciting to watch, it’s probably driving Claude Julien bonkers.
Tuukka Rask has already been put in position to make a handful of difficult saves, especially in the four minutes since the last TV timeout.
The Bruins continue pepper James Reimer, though. The rebounds are still there, as Reimer just gave up another second chance after attempting to glove the puck, something he’s done a bunch of times. If the Bruins continue to go to the net, they’ll have their chances.
First period, 6:15, Maple Leafs 1-0: While the Leafs have the early lead, it hasn’t been a horrible start for the Bruins; they have certainly had their chances.
The best of the game so far came when Daniel Paille put a shot on James Reiemer who made the initial kick save. As he has all series, Reimer struggled with the rebound, and that gave Gregory Campbell a second chance. Reimer stopped that one as well.
The Bruins have outshot Toronto 5-1, but unfortunately for the Bruins, that one Leafs shot found the back of the net.
First period, 2:35, Maple Leafs 1-0: The Air Canada Centre is rocking, and it looks like the Bruins are in for a tough one.
Joffrey Lupul just scored the game’s first goal after a gorgeous pass from Phil Kessel. Kessel skated behind the net before whipping a pass to the front of the net for Lupul who banged home the one-timer.
First period, 0:24, 0-0: The game is underway.
7:04 p.m.: Naturally, there’s a lineup change for the Maple Leafs.
It looks like Clarke MacArthur will indeed be in, which means that Ryan Hamilton is out. It’s unclear at this point whether or not this is just a straight change.
6:38 p.m.: The Leafs lineup, per pregame skate, is the same as it was for Game 3. However, Clarke MacArthur is on the ice for the first time since playing in Game 1. That could possibly mean that MacArthur is back in.
Regardless, here are the lines per warmups.
Joffrey Lupul — Tyler Bozak — Matt Fratin
Mikhail Grabovski — Nikolai Kulemin — James van Riemsdyk
Ryan Hamilton — Nazem Kadri — Phil Kessel
Jay McClement — Leo Komarov — Colton Orr
6:30 p.m.: Pregame warmups have begun in Toronto for Game 4. It will be Tuukka Rask versus James Reimer. Of course.
5:45 p.m.: As we kind of touched on a little earlier in the day, Game 4 would be a good time for Patrice Bergeron’s line to break out. We spoke earlier in the season about how the Bergeron line really is the top line — although the David Krejci line technically holds that distinction — and it’s time they started proving that again.
The Bergeron line, also as mentioned earlier, is in a bit of a rut in this series. They’ve combined for one point — a Brad Marchand assist — and that’s been it so far. Tyler Seguin has had some chances so far, but he hasn’t been able to bury them yet. The best chance probably came in Game 3 when he picked up a lose puck in the slot and tried to beat James Reimer with a backhand,but the Toronto goalie made the stop.
“The line that hasn’t [hasn’t been scoring] has been the Bergeron line,” head coach Claude Julien said after morning skate. “We saw [Seguin] hit the cross bar in the first game. They’ve had some chances but they haven’t capitalized. No doubt they can be a little better and we’re counting on them.”
Luckily for the Bruins, the other lines have picked up the slack. Included in that is the third line, which came along in Game 3, thanks in large part to the play of Jaromir Jagr. The Bruins would certainly like a similar performance out of the Bergeron line in Game 4.
2:50 p.m.: The big hubbub entering Game 4 is going to center around the two men that go unnoticed for much of just about every game — the linesmen.
However, given the way that this series and Game 3 in particular have played out in the faceoff dots, it’s certainly going to be a focal point. That’s because the Maple Leafs are looking to make it a focal point. The Leafs were beaten badly in the dot in Game 3, and they immediately took to lobbying for better enforcement of the rules in Game 4 and moving forward.
“When you’re at home, you think you would be afforded some of the staples of the opposition having to be down first and stop,” Carlyle told reporters Tuesday. “In our review, there were some things going on out there that we don’t agree with, as far as forcing the opposition to stop.
“When I talked to the official between periods, he stated that it was supposed to be visitor down, home down, puck down. That clearly was not happening as per video. So we’ll visit with them and talk about it.”
Carlyle wasn’t alone, either. Toronto center Tyler Bozak asserted the Bruins “cheating a little better” in the faceoff circle in Game 3 as well.
Naturally, Bruins head coach Claude Julien was asked about faceoffs on Tuesday as well, and he had a bit of a zinger for Carlyle and the Leafs.
“I looked at the video, too,” Julien said. “It is what it is. Guys getting kicked out, guys not getting kicked out.When you lobby for something, it’s because you’re looking for a break next game. That’s what Randy’s doing right now, he’s lobbying for some breaks on faceoffs. It will be interesting to see if the referees and linesmen just do their job next game and not worry about who’s crying wolf.”
Toronto, as the home team, should technically speaking have the advantage when the puck is dropped. The visiting team’s center is supposed to be stopped and have his stick on the ice before the home team centerman. That’s where the stick down, puck down comment of Carlyle’s comes from.
Julien spoke about draws again Wednesday after morning skate.
“It always has been [a big part of our game],” he said. “Every morning skate what you see is a routine we have with our centermen and taking draws every gameday morning. Even practice, after practice, we’ll grab some of centermen and it’s an important part of our game. It’s a strength for us, and it’s a strength that we hope pays off for us. It shouldn’t be viewed as a disadvantage. It should be viewed as a strength.”
The Bruins have dominated in the faceoff circle during the series, as they have for much of the year as the NHL’s top team when it comes to draws. The B’s have won 119 of the series’ 205 faceoffs in the series.
2:35 p.m.: In case you missed it, the Vezina Trophy finalists were announced a little earlier in the day, and Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask will not be one of those up for the award.
Claude Julien was asked about that following morning skate, and he had a pretty good reaction. The head coach said he didn’t think Rask would “loose any sleep” over the snub and that Rask is more focused on what the team is doing in the playoffs right now.
“That’s more valuable than a little individual trophy voted on by people,” Julien said. “You aim for the big trophy, which is more important than the individual one. That’s what we’re gonna try to do.”
1:15 p.m.: Morning skates have wrapped up in Toronto, and in the Bruins’ case, there doesn’t look to be any differences. There were no lineup changes for the B’s at morning skate in Toronto, which one would think indicates there will be no lineup changes. That could always change, of course, but here are the B’s lines from Game 3, in case you weren’t paying attention.
Milan Lucic — David Krejci — Nathan Horton
Tyler Seguin — Patrice Bergeron — Brad Marchand
Rich Peverley — Chris Kelly — Jaromir Jagr
Daniel Paille — Gregory Campbell — Shawn Thornton
Zdeno Chara — Dennis Seidenberg
Andrew Ference — Adam McQuaid
Wade Redden — Johnny Boychuk
8 a.m. ET: The Bruins know they can win a playoff game in Toronto. If they prove that once again on Wednesday night, there’s a good chance they will be moving on to the next round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The B’s will take on the Maple Leafs on Wednesday night in Game 4 of their best-of-seven first-round series. With a convincing 5-2 win in Game 3, the Bruins carry a 2-1 series lead into the Air Canada Centre with a chance to all but lock up the series.
They’ll do just that if they turn in an effort similar to that shown in Monday’s Game 3. The Bruins got balanced scoring and even play from their four lines, and they did a good job of neutralizing a crazy crowd taking in the first home playoff game in Toronto since 2004. Boston got a big effort — perhaps the biggest of his career — out of goalie Tuukka Rask. The Boston netminder stood on his head and kept the B’s in the game early, which eventually allowed the B’s to victimize James Reimer at the other end.
The Bruins also got a breakout performance from Jaromir Jagr and the third line. Jagr, along with Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley, started to show some cohesion for just about the first time since Jagr was acquired. That, of course, only helped Claude Julien fully utilize his entire lineup. However, if you’re looking for a line to be jump-started, at least on the statsheet, it has to be the Patrice Bergeron line. Bergeron, Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand have combined for just one point in this series. If they get going, this series is over.
A pivotal Game 4 gets started at 7 p.m. in Toronto.
