The Boston Bruins headed north of the border and came away with a wild 4-3 overtime win over the rival Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday night.
The Bruins improved to 16-4-3 while the Maple Leafs dropped to 12-6-4.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Bruins once again showed they have an immensely difficult time closing out games. Boston allowed Toronto to level the score with 5.7 seconds left in regulation, creating a feeling of despair that the Bruins would completely cave in during the overtime session.
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But what ensued was an electrifying display of hockey.
The Bruins and Maple Leafs went back-and-forth during the extra frame, trading breakaway chances until the Bruins finally cashed in on their attempt.
It was a thrilling win and one that should fuel the Bruins going forward. But a win in that fashion shouldn’t mask the issue that the Bruins shouldn’t have even been in that position in the first place.
They need to correct their end-of-game woes. It’s the Bruins’ clear Achilles heel. It cost them last season in the playoff and if they don’t find a solution, it will ultimately cost them again.
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STARS OF THE GAME
— Brad Marchand was in the right place to pot the game-winning goal with less than 10 seconds remaining in overtime. He cleaned up a David Pastrnak breakaway attempt by plucking the puck out of the air and depositing a shot into a vacated net.
— Pastrnak powered the Bruins’ offense with a three-point showing. He opened the scoring in the first period with a snipe past Maple Leafs goalie Joseph Woll and then made a slick pass to set up Boston’s second goal.
— Auston Matthews delivered in the clutch for the Maple Leafs. The star forward scored twice, including leveling the score in the final seconds left in regulation.
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WAGER WATCH
FanDuel Sportsbook certainly didn’t expect Kevin Shattenkirk to finally find the back of the net against the Maple Leafs as he had +1300 odds to score. The veteran defenseman scored on a slick backhand in the second period, and a $100 wager on Shattenkirk would have resulted in a $1,400 payout.
UP NEXT
There isn’t any rest for the Bruins as they return home to Boston on Sunday to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets. Puck drop from TD Garden is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
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Featured image via Dan Hamilton/USA TODAY Sports Images
