Bruins Wrap: Boston Keeps Rivalry With Maple Leafs One-Sided

BOSTON — The Boston Bruins continued to treat the Toronto Maple Leafs like a little brother as they earned a hard-fought 4-3 overtime win in the Original Six matchup Saturday night at TD Garden. It was the eighth straight regular-season win over Toronto for Boston.

The victory also snapped a three-game losing skid for the Bruins and improved their record to 4-4-1 while the Maple Leafs fell to 4-4-1.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Bruins were in a funk as of late and the Maple Leafs were the perfect opponent to get them out of it.

While the Bruins continued their success against their rival, it wasn’t easy for Boston to top Toronto once again. The Bruins overcame two one-goal deficits and took the lead in the second period when they scored two goals just 36 seconds apart. They also had to bounce back from allowing the tying score late in the third period.

There were still hiccups for the Bruins, like taking four penalties and failing to capitalize on a four-minute power-play opportunity. But Boston displayed both energy and grit before prevailing in the extra frame.

That should make Bruins fans happy that they could scrap their way to a win. And even though it wasn’t perfect, it was a good step in the right direction.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Brad Marchand played the hero for the Bruins. He jammed a puck into the back of the net in overtime to lift Boston to a win 2:22 into the extra frame. It was his first goal of the season as David Pastrnak notched an assist on the play.

— Mark Kastelic made sure the fourth line once again played a big factor as he netted a key goal with 6:46 left in the second period. Kastelic was aided by a terrific feed from Johnny Beecher on the play. It was Kastelic’s third goal of the campaign.

— Mitch Marner had a hand in all three of Toronto’s goals. He notched three assists, including setting up Auston Matthews for the game-tying goal with 1:17 left in regulation.

UP NEXT
The Bruins close out their three-game homestand Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers, who are in last place in the Eastern Conference. Puck drop from TD Garden is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. You can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.