FINAL: Bruins 4 , Maple Leafs 3 (OT) - Marchand scores in OT to be the hero

The Bruins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 in overtime in a wild one on Saturday night. Brad Marchand scored the game winning goal with 7.2 seconds remaining in overtime. 

Toronto had a lot of chances in the first period, but the B's went into the first intermission up 1-0 thanks to a goal from David Pastrnak. 

The second period saw Kevin Shattenkirk record his first goal with the Bruins at the 7:31 mark. Austin Matthews responded at the 12:06 mark to cut the lead in half to 2-1. All in all, Boston looked to be in a good spot and would be faced with a tough third period against a good Toronto squad.

The third period started with Max Domi scoring 2:11 into the third to tie the game, 2-2. Trent Frederic had a nice tip-in at the 13:10 mark which gave Boston a 3-2 lead. The B's struggled to close out the game as they failed to clear the puck which led to Austin Matthews tying the game with 4.8 seconds remaining in regulation. 

The Bruins did a better job in overtime controlling the puck and getting shots on goal and chances at the net. Brad Marchand scored off a turnover and rebound with 7.2 seconds remaining to end the game. 

Linus Ullmark finished with 37 saves on the night in net. 

The Bruins will be back in action Sunday night in a back-to-back at TD Garden to face the Columbus Blue Jackets with face off set for 7p.m. 

BIG TAKEAWAYS:

• Brad Marchand is the hero tongiht after the talk coming in of his collision on November 2nd with Timothy Liljegren.
• Kevin Shattenkirk records his first goal with Boston. 
• B's continue to struggle closing out games when the opponent has an extra skater on the ice. 

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WHO: Bruins (15-4-3) at Maple Leafs (12-6-3)
WHEN: 7p.m. 
WHERE: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto. 
TV: NESN
RADIO: 98.5-FM The Sports Hub
LIVE BOX SCORE
ROSTERS

PREDICTED LINES

BOSTON

 Marchand –  Coyle –  Heinen
 DeBrusk –  Zacha –  Pastrnak
 Van Riemsdyk –  Poitras –  Frederic
 Lauko –  Geekie –  Steen

 Lindholm –  McAvoy
Grzelcyk –  Carlo
Forbort –  Shattenkirk

 Ullmark
 Swyaman

MAPLE LEAFS

Knies - Matthews - Nylander
 Bertuzzi - Tavares - Marner
 Robertson - Domi - Jarnkrok
 Gregor - Kampf - Reaves

 Rielly - Brodie
 Lagesson - McCabe
 Benoit - Timmins
 Lajoie

 Woll 
 Jones

PREGAME NOTES

The Bruins face the Toronto Maple Leafs north of the border tonight at 7p.m. in an Original Six matchup. Boston won 3-2 in a shootout back at TD Garden the last time these teams met  back on November 2nd. 

Jim Montgomery told reporters this morning that Oskar Steen will return to the lineup after sitting out the previous five games as a healthy scratch. That will leave Johnny Beecher out of the lineup for the first time this season, as Morgan Geekie moves from wing to center the fourth line. “We don’t feel like [Beecher] has been on top of the game like he was for the first 22 games,” said Montgomery. “We just want him to watch and learn and grow and get ready to go back in," Montgomery continued.  Montgomery also hinted that you may see some combination changes with the Boston defense pairs. 

The B's face a Toronto team that took exception to a collision between Brad Marchand and Timothy Liljegren during their last meeting in Boston. “They usually are a competitive team that plays fast and plays their game,” said Marchand. “That’s one of those things that happens quick in the moment. Their coach is being emotional and trying to get them to be there for one another and compete. That’s what good teams do. They do that," Marchand continued. The Maple Leafs enter action tonight on a two-game winning streak, most recently defeating the Seattle Kraken 4-3 on Thursday night. 

Austin Matthews leads Toronto in goals this season (14) and William Nylander leads the club in points on the year (28). The Maple Leafs are playing in their third game of a three-game home stand where they have gone 2-0-0. Toronto has a 7-4-0 record at Scotiabank Arena this season, recording a win in four consecutive games played at home. Noah Gregor will be playing in 200th career game tonight for Toronto.