Thursday marked the end of the NHL regular season, and the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs begins Saturday, which will be highlighted by a primetime matchup between the Bruins and Maple Leafs.
Boston finished second in the Atlantic Division, and Toronto earned the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. This will be the 17th time the Original Six rivals face off in the postseason with the series split at 8-8. The last time the sides faced each other in the Stanley Cup playoffs was in the 2018-19 season when the B's beat the Leafs in seven games in the first round.
Game 1 kicks off Saturday at TD Garden. NESN will carry the local broadcast with the matchup broadcasted nationally on TBS. Head coach Jim Montgomery kept his plans for the goalie rotation close to his chest after the Bruins' regular-season finale Tuesday, but general manager Don Sweeney pointed out that there is a plan for Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman. Derek Forbort and Justin Brazeau are working their way back from injury, but they are not expected to suit up at the start of the seven-game series.
Here's the full first-round schedule for the Bruins-Maple Leafs series. All games will be broadcast on NESN. The times listed are Eastern.
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Game 1 at TD Garden: Saturday at 8 p.m.
Game 2: at TD Garden: Monday at 7 p.m.
Game 3 at Scotiabank Arena: Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Game 4 at Scotiabank Arena: Saturday, April 27 at 8 p.m.
Game 5 (if necessary) at TD Garden: Tuesday, April 30, TBD
Game 6 (if necessary) at Scotiabank Arena: Thursday, May 2, TBD
Game 7 (if necessary) at TD Garden: Saturday, May 4, TBD
Featured image via Brian Fluharty/USA TODAY Sports Images
