The Boston Bruins had no answer for the top line of the Toronto Maple Leafs in Wednesday night’s 6-1 loss at the Air Canada Centre.
The James van Riemsdyk-Tyler Bozak-Phil Kessel trio combined for eight points (four goals, four assists) and eight shots on goal.
This line helped propel the Leafs to their third consecutive game with five or more goals scored (all wins).
Here are the “3 Stars” of Wednesday’s game.
No. 3 Star: Tyler Bozak, Center, Toronto Maple Leafs
Bozak scored a goal and added two assists for his first three-point performance of the season. He assisted on linemate Phil Kessel’s goal 18 seconds into the second period, which doubled Toronto’s lead to 2-0.
Bozak’s next two points came on the power play, a unit that went 3-for-4 on the night. He scored his sixth goal of the season by tipping a James van Riemsdyk shot past Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask, then assisted JVR’s power play tally at 9:52 of the second period.
Toronto’s first-line center entered Wednesday’s game with just two goals in his last 12 games.
No. 2 Star: James van Riemsdyk, Left Winger, Toronto Maple Leafs
JVR tallied three points (one goal, two assists) for the Leafs, all of which were earned in the second period. He earned a secondary assist on Kessel’s second goal, then picked up another helper on Bozak’s power-play tally a little more two minutes later. Van Riemsdyk scored Toronto’s second power-play goal by deflecting the puck past Bruins goalie Niklas Svedberg at the top of the crease.
The former University of New Hampshire winger also registered one shot on goal, a plus-2 rating and one takeaway in 14:32 of ice time.
No. 1 Star: Phil Kessel, Right Winger, Toronto Maple Leafs
Kessel entered Wednesday’s game with just three goals in 27 career regular-season games against Boston. The former Bruins forward was much more effective in Game No. 28. He scored two goals on Rask, one from each faceoff circle. Kessel also tallied a team-high four shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in 15:10 of ice time.
Kessel now is tied for third in the scoring race with 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists). He’s tied for fourth in goals scored and leads the league with eight multi-point games.
Photo via John E. Sokolowski/USA TODAY Sports Images
