Bruins Trolled by NHL Fans as Auston Matthews' GW Goal Leads Maple Leafs to G2 Win
Apr 23, 2024
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 22: Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) drives past Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Joel Edmundson (20) during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round playoffs between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 22, 2024, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs are evened up after Game Two.
The Leafs used a late goal to take the lead in the third period Monday night and beat the Bruins 3-2 in TD Garden.
Boston struck early with a goal in the first period, but Toronto quickly matched to make it 1-1. The even score didn't last long as David Pastrnak gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead late in the first period.
Boston held its lead for much of the second period before the Maple Leafs once again tied things up right before the end of the period on a goal from John Tavares.
In the 12th minute of the third period, Auston Matthews gave Toronto its first lead of the series, which they held onto through the final minutes.
After the loss, fans lamented the Bruins' sluggish third-period performance.
Now, the series will head to Toronto tied and the Maple Leafs looking to take a series lead. The Bruins were dominant in Game One, winning 5-1, and they'll need to make some adjustments to have another performance like that on Wednesday.
If not, Boston could be looking at a deficit to overcome.
Jeremy Swayman, Bruins Excite NHL Fans in Game 1 Win vs. Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs
Apr 21, 2024
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 20: Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman (1) stops Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares (91) on the power play during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round playoffs between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 20, 2024, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Boston Bruins needed to reverse momentum in Round 1 after a slump to end the season. Off the backs of Jake DeBrusk and Jeremy Swayman, the Bruins did just that.
Boston took a 4-0 lead after two periods and held strong, taking a 4-1 victory in order to take a 1-0 series lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Bruins looked like a team that could be ripe for the taking at the end of the regular season. Boston lost the final two games of the season, which caused it to drop from the Atlantic Division lead and find a matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The result of this is a series that was set to be emotionally charged from the start. Toronto has not defeated Boston in a playoff series since 1959, and notably has lost to Boston three times in the first round since 2012-13.
This resulted in 100 hits combined in the game, including a whopping 48 in the opening period.
All of those series went to seven games, but a win in the opening game would have been huge for Toronto as it could have allowed it to capitalize on a slumping rival. In the first few minutes, the Maple Leafs looked keen on doing that.
Toronto fired the first four shots on net, but Bruins rookie John Beecher rifled the first shot past Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov to take the lead.
Toronto would get one back in the third period, but a Trent Frederic empty-netter sealed the deal.
While the offensive output was notable, Swayman's play in the net was a huge reason why the Bruins were able to take this win. The 25-year-old made 35 saves, which was good for a .972 save percentage and a well-deserved hug from batterymate Linus Ullmark.
Jeremy Swayman 35 saves, Jake DeBrusk two power play goals, one monster hit by Pat Maroon ā¦ it all leads to a 5-1 Bruins victory in Game 1 over Toronto.
Long series and certainly some areas to improve on, but a good start for Boston.
Swayman's performance was masterful, but he may get a break before his next performance.
The Bruins entered the postseason with the strategy of continuing the goalie rotation from the regular season. That would likely signal Ullmark being in the net for Game 2. However, Swayman's dominance against the Leafs in 2023-24, combined with his stellar Game 1 performance, should make that decision a bit more challenging.
Regardless of who is in net, the Bruins will look to take a 2-0 lead Monday when it hosts Toronto at 7 P.M. ET.
NHL Playoff Picture 2024: Updated Standings as Bruins, More Clinch Postseason Berth
Mar 29, 2024
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MARCH 19: David Pastrnak #88 of the Boston Bruins celebrates his hat trick against the Ottawa Senators with teammate Danton Heinen #43 during the third period at the TD Garden on March 19, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Rich Gagnon/Getty Images)
After last year's disappointing first round playoff exit, the Boston Bruins are officially headed back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a chance to redeem themselves.
The Bruins clinched a playoff berth for the eighth straight season on Thursday courtesy of the Detroit Red Wings' 4-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Detroit's loss also had more postseason implications.
As a result, the Hurricanes clinched a playoff berth and the Florida Panthers punched their ticket to the postseason.
Carolina is back in the playoffs for the sixth straight year, and Florida returns to postseason action for the fourth straight season. The Panthers are aiming to get back to the Stanley Cup Final following last year's loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Columbus Blue Jackets: 23-28-12, 58 points (Eliminated from playoff contention)
Western Conference
Central Division
Dallas Stars: 45-19-9, 99 points
Colorado Avalanche: 46-21-5, 97 points
Winnipeg Jets: 44-22-6, 94 points
Pacific Division
Vancouver Canucks: 45-19-8, 98 points
Edmonton Oilers: 43-23-4, 90 points
Los Angeles Kings: 38-22-11, 87 points
Wild-Card Race
Nashville Predators: 43-25-4, 90 points
Vegas Golden Knights: 39-25-8, 86 points
St. Louis Blues: 38-30-4, 80 points
Minnesota Wild: 34-28-9, 77 points
Calgary Flames: 33-33-5, 71 points
Seattle Kraken: 29-29-13, 71 points
Arizona Coyotes: 30-37-5, 65 points
Anaheim Ducks: 24-44-4, 52 points (Eliminated from playoff contention)
Chicago Blackhawks: 21-47-5, 47 points (Eliminated from playoff contention)
San Jose Sharks: 16-47-8, 40 points (Eliminated from playoff contention)
While the Bruins are consistently among the NHL's top teams, the franchise hasn't won the Stanley Cup since 2011.
After putting together a historic 2022-23 season, Boston was considered the team to beat in last year's playoffs, but the Black and Gold ultimately fell to the Panthers in the first round.
The Bruins entered this season with a very different roster following the retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci and the departures of players like Dmitry Orlov and Tyler Bertuzzi, but they have arguably exceeded expectations thanks to players like Charlie Coyle, Trent Frederic and Danton Heinen.
Heinen, in particular, has been a pleasant surprise for the Bruins after he joined the team on a tryout agreement during training camp before signing a minimum deal at the start of the season.
The Bruins are still waiting on Patrick Maroon to make his highly-anticipated debut after being acquired at the trade deadline. Maroon is recovering from back surgery and should provide Boston some additional grit entering the postseason.
As for the Hurricanes, they haven't won a Stanley Cup since head coach Rod Brind'Amour captained the team to the title in 2006.
Carolina has been a Stanley Cup threat over the last several seasons but has never been able to get over the hump. The Canes fell to the Panthers in the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
The team is led by the likes of Sebastian Aho, Martin Necas and Seth Jarvis, but the addition of Jake Guentzel from the Pittsburgh Penguins at the trade deadline could prove to be a game-changer for the franchise in the playoffs.
The Panthers, meanwhile, have never won the Stanley Cup. They came close to winning the title last season but were taken down by Mark Stone and the Golden Knights.
Florida continues to be led by Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart and Aleksander Barkov. However, the franchise made some solid additions in Vladimir Tarasenko and Kyle Okposo to bolster the roster for what should be a deep playoff run.
The NHL offseason officially begins
following the completion of the Stanley Cup Final in June. This year,
the last possible date for the Cup Final is June 24.ā¦
NHL Rumors: Bruins 'Plotting Something Big' Ahead of 2024 Trade Deadline
Mar 7, 2024
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - FEBRUARY 10: The Boston Bruins logo is seen at center ice before the game between the Boston Bruins and the Washington Capitals at TD Garden on February 10, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
The Boston Bruins reportedly could make a significant splash ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline.
According to ESPN's Emily Kaplan, sources have indicated that the Bruins are "plotting something big" in an effort to cement themselves as Stanley Cup contenders.
Boston has the second-most points in the Eastern Conference with 87, but it has struggled since the All-Star break, going 5-4-6.
ESPN's Kevin Weekes reported Wednesday that he had heard the possibility of Boston being involved in a three-team trade with the Vancouver Canucks and Pittsburgh Penguins.
In that scenario, forward Jake Guentzel would go from the Penguins to the Canucks, forward Jake DeBrusk would go from the Bruins to the Penguins and forward Elias Lindholm would go from the Canucks to the Bruins.
Lindholm, 29, had a career-high 42 goals and 82 points two seasons ago with the Calgary Flames. Calgary traded him to Vancouver this season, and in 64 games split between the Flames and Canucks, the 2024 All-Star has recorded 13 goals and 25 assists for 38 points.
The 27-year-old DeBrusk has spent his entire seven-year NHL career in Boston, and he enjoyed a career year last season, finishing with 27 goals and 23 assists for 50 points.
In 62 games this season, DeBrusk has 14 goals and 15 assists for 29 points, which isn't far off from Lindholm's production.
Given that swapping DeBrusk for Lindholm would be a slight upgrade at best, it seems likely that whatever rumors Kaplan is hearing are related to additional moves.
Last season, the Bruins won the Presidents' Trophy with an NHL-record 65 wins and 135 points. Despite their dominance, they were active at the trade deadline, adding forward Tyler Bertuzzi and defenseman Dmitry Orlov.
The moves did not pay dividends, as Boston was shocked in the first round of the playoffs by the Florida Panthers, who went on to reach the Stanley Cup Final.
Boston is looking to avoid a similar fate this season, and given how the team has played lately, some trades may be necessary.
The Bruins lost their top two centers to retirement during the offseason in Patrice Bergeron and David KrejÄĆ, and it can be argued that they have not been adequately replaced.
Charlie Coyle, Pavel Zacha, Trent Frederic and Morgan Geekie have stepped up, and all of them are on pace for career years, but none are true No. 1 center material.
If the Bruins can find a way to acquire a top center to complement their top wingers in David PastrÅĆ”k and Brad Marchand, it could go a long way toward putting them in the championship mix.
The devil is in the details. Sometimes. Though the NHL's trade deadline headlines are made by high-profile players being shipped to bolster playoff runs, it'sā¦
The Boston Bruins sit second in the Eastern Conference and by all accounts are among the best teams in the NHL, legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. Yet,ā¦
It's good work if you can get it. Though even the lowest-paid full timer in the NHL makes a living most would envy, the other end of the spectrum is reservedā¦
With the NHL trade deadline approaching on March 8, business is starting to pick up. Not actual trades, but rather the discussion about potential deals. Andā¦
If recent franchise history is any indication, we should probably expect the Bostons Bruins to make some sort of moveāor series of movesāprior to the NHLā¦
