The Bruins were thoroughly tested in their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series, but they ultimately prevailed.
Boston looked well on its way to Round 2 when it won back-to-back games in Toronto and claimed a 3-1 lead in the rivals’ best-of-seven series. But the Maple Leafs responded with a pair of haymakers, setting up a do-or-die Game 7 on Saturday night at TD Garden.
It was only fitting the series finale went into overtime, where one goal was going to determine the final spot in the Eastern Conference semifinals. And it was claimed by the Bruins, who won their first postseason series since the 2020-21 campaign on the strength of David Pastrnak’s game-winning tally.
Boston was in a position to win largely due to Jeremy Swayman, who stood out with a 30-save performance. After Game 7, the Bruins goaltender revealed what head coach Jim Montgomery told the team after it survived and advanced.
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“I think the message was — he was really proud of the way that we handled the adversity and how it’s going to catapult us into this next round,” Swayman told reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “Going the distance is really important because we came closer as a team and we know what it’s like to be down in a series or just have adversity our way. That’s something we’re going to use to our advantage going forward. Now we’re on to the next page.”
The next page will feature a matchup with the Panthers, who edged out the Bruins by one point to claim the Atlantic Division the series. But after a gutsy series win — and a regular-season sweep of Florida — Boston should enter the second-round set with plenty of confidence.
Game 1 is set for Monday night at Amerant Bank Arena.
Featured image via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
