Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ series-clinching, 5-1 win over the Maple Leafs in Game 7 of their playoff series, with BSJ insight and analysis:
Box Score
HEADLINES
Boston’s bottom-six steps up: Many of Bruce Cassidy’s preferred matchups remained the same for Boston’s do-or-die Game 7 bout at TD Garden — but the strategy was certainly flipped on its head. While Boston’s top trio of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Danton Heinen were once again deployed against John Tavares’ line, it became evident early on that Cassidy and the B’s were more than comfortable with simply keeping Toronto’s big guns off the board — as just 30 percent of Bergeron’s faceoffs came in the offensive zone.
It was a risky move to essentially negate any offensive firepower from Bergeron’s line by asking them to shut down a top-six line — a measure that only would have worked if Boston’s secondary scoring managed to break through.
Sure enough, they received the necessary lift in the form of Joakim Nordstrom and Marcus Johansson, who beat Frederik Andersen at 14:29 and 17:46, respectively, in the first period to gave Boston a lead that it would not relinquish.
In the 7:40 of 5v5 TOI in which Noel Acciari’s line was utilized, Boston held a 7-4 edge in shot attempts while, of course, finding the back of the net.
It might not have been the usual suspects, but it was quite the fitting result for the Bruins — who needed a full-team effort in order to punch their ticket to the next round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Next up, the Columbus Blue Jackets — with Game 1 set for Thursday at 7 p.m.
Tuukka Rask steals one: While the Bruins held a two-goal cushion going into the first intermission, the Leafs did not roll over for most of the night. Rather, they kept Boston on the ropes — especially during a second period in which Tavares put Toronto on the board and the visitors attempted 27 shots to Boston’s 13. But through it all, Rask stood tall and delivered his best performance of the postseason, turning aside 32 of the 33 shots that came his way en route to the Game 7 victory. With most of the criticism of Boston's play in the best-of-seven series centered on Boston’s up-and-down performance in the O-zone, Rask held his own against a potent Leafs forward corps — finishing the series with a .928 save percentage. Not too shabby.
Leafs defensive miscues finally arrive: Something had to give right? All series long, the Leafs’ defense has defied regular conventions — with the 20th-ranked defense in the regular season (3.04 GA/G) limiting the Bruins to just six total goals over the first three games that were played TD Garden. But on Tuesday, things finally unraveled — as miscues around Toronto’s net by Travis Dermott and Jake Gardiner directly led to Johansson and Nordstrom’s opening tallies. While Boston moves on to the next round, Toronto is set to face plenty of questions after once again not being able to get over the hump. Also, Mitch Marner is now due for a major pay raise.
THREE UP
Sean Kuraly: After shaking off some rust in Game 5, Kuraly was a force in the bottom-six for Boston over the last two games, culminating in what was a dominant showing on the big stage in Game 7. Along with his tally at 2:40 in the final stanza, Kuraly’s speed was utilized in the sequence leading to Nordstrom’s goal in the first, as he closed in on Travis Dermott on what seemed to be an easy clear for the Leafs — starting a heavy forechecking shift that eventually gave Boston a 1-0 lead.
Tuukka Rask: The Bruins were going to need a strong showing from Rask in net — and fair to say, he delivered with his 32-save performance. It appears that the light workload during the regular season paid off, as Rask seemed to get better and better as the series went on. A few early saves on Auston Matthews — inexplicably left alone in the slot — set the tone early.
Brandon Carlo: Seems like Carlo is getting used to this playoff thing, huh? The 22-year-old blueliner logged 24:04 of ice time in Tuesday win — with a pairing of him and Krug generated a CF% of 60.71, while the Bruins had a 13-6 advantage in shots during the 16:55 of 5v5 in which both were out on the ice.
THREE DOWN
Jake Gardiner: After closing out last year’s Game 7 loss at TD Garden with a **cleans glasses** minus-5 (!!) rating, things didn’t get much better this year for the Leafs' defenseman. Finishing as a minus-3 on Tuesday night, Gardiner’s turnover behind the Leafs’ net directly led to Johansson’s goal at 17:46 in the first.
Marcus Johansson scores off the assist from Jake Gardiner.
2-0 Bruins. pic.twitter.com/OxhyqePvHn
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) April 23, 2019
John Moore coughs up the puck and John Tavares makes the Bruins pay. 2-1 pic.twitter.com/WPs0sWALBN
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 24, 2019
Playoff Sean Kuraly is back.
3-1 Bruins. pic.twitter.com/BsiMbm9Wcn
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) April 24, 2019
Julian Edelman just made TD Garden lose it. pic.twitter.com/8AUkjX3xIo
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) April 23, 2019