BSJ Game Report: Bruins 4, Maple Leafs 1 -- Continuing to climb

On the eve of Super Bowl LII between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles, it was an exciting atmosphere with an Original Six matchup at TD Garden.

In what could be a first-round playoff series, the Boston Bruins finished with a 4-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. There were plenty of fans sporting Patriots gear, while Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, Torey Krug and Tim Schaller (empty-net) scored the goals for the Bruins.

After having its 18-game point streak snapped on Tuesday, Boston has won two in a row. Tuukka Rask was outstanding once again and finished with 23 saves.

Everything else you need to know from the Bruins' win in quickie form, with BSJ insight and analysis. 

HEADLINES



Milestone: Bruins captain Zdeno Chara played his 1,400th career NHL game. It's incredible that the 40-year-old defenseman is still averaging nearly 24 minutes of ice time per game and he's showing zero signs of slowing down. It also helps that he's playing for a contract extension. Is he the same player he once was? No. But, he's still considered one of the best shutdown defenders in the game. Fun fact: The other seven defensemen on the Bruins' roster -- Brandon Carlo, Torey Krug, Matt Grzelcyk, Adam McQuaid, Charlie McAvoy, Kevan Miller and Paul Postma -- have a combined total of 1,477 NHL games played.

"It’s a special, special moment, a special night," Chara said. "Over the course of 20-plus years, I’ve been very lucky that I had really good teammates that I could always rely on, and this group is very special. We have many players with so many great personalities that I feel very fortunate to have the teammates that I have. So, it’s a special team."

Welcome back: It was good to see McAvoy back in the lineup after missing four games due to a procedure to repair an abnormal heart rhythm on Jan. 22. He was back with Chara as the top defensive pairing.

"You want to see where you’re at physically and mentally when you don’t play in a couple games," McAvoy said. "You miss out and you want to come back and get back into it and the game speed, and decision making. And overall it was a good game and when you come out on top against a division rival like that it's awesome. We’re really happy in here."

Streaking: Tuukka Rask extended his career-best point streak to 20 games with an 18-0-2 record in this span. It’s the fourth-longest streak by a goalie in franchise history behind Gerry Cheevers (32 games in 1971-72), Pete Peters (31 games in 1982-83) and Frank Brimsek (23 games in 1940-41).

TURNING POINT

The Bruins were holding a 2-1 lead with 6:13 remaining in the second period when the Maple Leafs' James van Riemsdyk had a partial breakaway. Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid, in an all-out backcheck, got within a stride, dove and poke checked the puck away to stifle the quality scoring chance for Toronto.

"Adam is all about details. It’s all about little things that doesn’t always go up on the score sheet obviously," Bergeron said. "But we notice and we know how important he is to this team and you know, just the demeanor that he has on the ice. He’s always going to be the first one who steps up for any teammate. It’s great to have him on our team. He’s playing tremendous hockey since he – well all year – but since he got back even more so."

THREE UP 

Frank Vatrano: Since returning to the lineup on Jan. 25, he's been struggling and getting into penalty trouble. Against the Maple Leafs, he drew a timely interference penalty late in the second period and the Bruins capitalized with a power-play goal for a 3-1 lead.

Austin Czarnik: Recalled from Providence on an emergency basis on Saturday morning, the nifty forward was solid in his fourth-line role, but proved crucial on the power play as he assisted on Torey Krug's goal at 16:47 of the second period to give the Bruins a 3-1 lead. He played with Vatrano and Sean Kuraly.

"He was good," Cassidy said. "Lots of energy, on the puck, made a play on the power play which we’re used to seeing him make. So, I thought that whole line did their job pretty well, other than maybe the shift with a minute to go where they got hemmed in their own end a bit, but no complaints, and that’s what we need."

Powerful: The Bruins entered this game after going 1-for-5 on the power play in the previous two games. Boston went 0-for-4 against the Ducks, before going 1-for-1 versus the Blues. Against the Maple Leafs, the Bruins scored a pair of power-play goals.

ONE DOWN

Brandon Carlo: He's been called for some tough penalties this season, but his interference call at 6:53 of the first period was a bad one. He wasn't even close to the play when he dropped a Toronto forechecker at the defensive-zone blue line. It was dad timing, especially with the Bruins holding a one-goal lead. Toronto capitalized on the power play with the help of some puck luck when McAvoy inadvertently redirected the puck past Rask as the Maple Leafs tied it at 1-1.

NOT ON THE SCORE SHEET

Early in the third period, with the Maple Leafs on the power play, McQuaid took a puck off the ribs when he blocked a Tyler Bozak shot. McQuaid remained on the ice for a moment, got to his feet and finished killing the penalty. A trainer tended to him on the bench and it was evident he was in some discomfort. He never missed a shift.

McQuaid missed 36 games this season after breaking his leg blocking a shot on Oct. 16. Still, he has no problem putting his body in harm's way every game if needed.

"There might be some hesitancy to put yourself in harm’s way, but not at all. That’s Adam," said Cassidy. "He’s a solider for us. He hasn’t played a lot of hockey this year, so he’s still shaking off some of the rust with the puck making plays, but he did a heck of a job for us in those areas of the game that we expect from him."

SAVE OF THE GAME

With the Bruins holding a 1-0 lead in the first period, the Maple Leafs' Kasperi Kapanen had a partial breakaway, but Rask turned it away to secure the one-goal advantage only two minutes after Boston had scored. Rask made a few big saves, but the timing of this one proved crucial.

UP NEXT

The Bruins begin a two-game, back-to-back road trip on Tuesday in Detroit against the Red Wings, and follow it up on Wednesday in New York versus the Rangers. The Bruins' Brad Marchand will complete his five-game suspension and return to the lineup against the Rangers.