It really hasn’t happened all season to this point, but the Toronto Maple Leafs found a way to turn the lights out on the offense of the Boston Bruins on Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena.
The Bruins came into the contest leading the NHL with 4.45 goals per game, but didn’t come close to that average against the rival Maple Leafs. In fact, the Bruins had their lowest scoring output of the season dropping a 2-1 decision to Toronto and having their seven-game winning streak come to an end.
“I think Toronto checked better than we did tonight,” Bruins first-year coach Jim Montgomery told Jack Edwards and Andy Brickley following the game on NESN postgame coverage. “It was hard for us to generate a lot of offense. You got to tip your hat to them.”
Montgomery also pinpointed exactly why the Bruins weren’t able to get their offense clicking as Boston recorded just 21 shots on net.
“It was breakouts. We weren’t very clean,” Montgomery said. “And then also, just our puck decisions through the neutral zone. Making sure that we were able to establish a forecheck, which we weren’t able to.”
Boston still had chances to level the score in the latter stages of the game, especially with two power-play opportunities in the final frame. The Bruins couldn’t convert, though, as the connection seemed just a little bit off in the offensive end all night.
The Bruins understand with the start they are off to, they are going to get each opponent’s best shot and they certainly got that from the Maple Leafs, who are more known for their offensive prowess instead of their defensive capabilities.
“I thought tonight they were on top of us a lot,” Taylor Hall told reporters, as seen on NESN postgame coverage. “So, not a lot of time and space against a team that people think are easy to play against. It was tough tonight.”
Hall added: “We’re going to get everyone’s best. We want that, right? We want that challenge. So, we’re going to have to play better than we did tonight. It was a really good run.”
Here are more notes from Saturday’s Bruins-Maple Leafs game:
— David Krejci returned to the lineup after missing three games and he slotted right back in on the second line flanked by David Pastrnak and Hall. Krejci didn’t have his best performance, managing just two shots in 17:03 time on the ice.
“Felt alright. Hopefully better each day,” Krejci said, as seen on NESN postgame coverage.
— Brad Marchand notched a milestone in the win, recording his 800th career point in a unique fashion by netting a penalty-shot goal. The highly skilled winger now has 355 goals and 445 assists in his 14-year career.
“I was actually going to shoot it (on the forehand),” Marchand told reporters, as seen on NESN postgame coverage. “When I went in, it looked like there was room on the glove side. So, I was actually going to shoot it, but I just kind of noticed he was a little bit further out of the net and I had pretty good speed. Just kind of held it and luckily it went in.”
— Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark matched a franchise record with wins in his first eight decision to start the season. He suffered his first loss, though, against the Maple Leafs. Ullmark made 26 saves on 28 shots.
— The Maple Leafs had to make a goalie switch after the second period with Ilya Samsonov exiting due to a knee injury. Erik Kallgren stepped between the pipes for the final frame and held up to Boston’s pressure, stopping all seven shots he faced.
— Boston still only has two losses on the season, both of which have come on the road.
— With the conclusion of their four-game road trip, the Bruins return to home ice on Monday against the St. Louis Blues. Puck drop from TD Garden is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, with NESN 360.
