Bruins 7, Leafs 4: On to Round Two

Patrice Bergeron was the coolest damn cucumber Wednesday morning. Where David Backes described playing in Game 7 as "60 minutes of overtime," and Torey Krug gave the obligatory "I dreamed of this when I was a boy" response, Bergeron said it felt like Game 1.

He had played in nine of them, with two game-winners on that resume, so it wasn't a surprise when the Bruins' first lead of the game almost looked like his third.

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What a play from Kevan Miller. pic.twitter.com/LuXRXqS2B5

— Marina Molnar (@mkmolnar) April 26, 2018

That first period of Game 7 sort of gifted us a mini recap of the Bruins' whole season.

Jake DeBrusk has earned it all and then some. If his playoff glory has seemed happy-go-lucky in any sense, maybe you weren't paying attention to every puck battle won, every forecheck, all the effort on the shifts the rest of his team might've thrown away.

He's done what's asked of him, and Frederik Andersen had been struggling with chances closer to the net, so tonight DeBrusk was parked in front of the net:

David Pastrnak finds Jake DeBrusk in behind Andersen, tie game 1-1 #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/xlCJGinoer

— Marina Molnar (@mkmolnar) April 25, 2018

Cassidy -- once again -- proved worthy of his Jack Adams nomination when he put Danton Heinen back in the lineup after scratching him Game 6. His 2-2 equalizer was another tale of the season:

Jack Edwards calls Danton Heinen's game tying goal #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/boPCUH7Xtc

— Marina Molnar (@mkmolnar) April 26, 2018

So DeBrusk gave it his all, Bergeron stepped up, and Cassidy looked smart. It was the one glaring deviation from the regular season that was looking like it might end this playoff run, though. The Bruins were either exhausted...or struggling to play hurt. None of it was a great look for the defense or Tuukka Rask.

One of several times Brad Marchand messed up on defense allowed Kasperi Kapanen's 4,000th breakaway of the series to give the Leafs a 4-3 lead...while shorthanded.

Here's the best angle of Kasperi Kapanen posterizing Brad Marchand and Tuukka Rask for a go-ahead shorthanded goal in Game 7 pic.twitter.com/w8OUgvIGsm

— Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) April 26, 2018

To match that "something's gotta give tone," Torey Krug's 4,000th shot -- a blast from the point right off a faceoff -- tied it back up 1:10 into the third:

TIE GAME TOREY KRUG! 4-4 #NHLBRUINS pic.twitter.com/oYUCLfgG3K

— Marina Molnar (@mkmolnar) April 26, 2018

Known playoff hero Marchand would have to pass the torch tonight. Marchand was the last playoff rookie to score twice in a Game 7 -- the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. Second-effort DeBrusk would do it again for the game-winner. And they'd better be blasting some Frank Sinatra in that locker room, because Christ, did he do it his way:

HAVE A NIGHT JAKE pic.twitter.com/9pjWDPos91

— Marina Molnar (@mkmolnar) April 26, 2018

Maybe that inspired Marchand, because he put in the work for David Pastrnak to seal this one:

Great hustle play by Marchand to help Pastrnak make it 6-4 pic.twitter.com/nxHmYTczrV

— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 26, 2018

Let's be real: Pastrnak was not going to walk into TD Garden wearing his top hat and walk out empty-handed.

Then Marchand finished this off with an empty-netter of his own. 7-4. Round one won.

Terrible bouts of defense, including Tuukka Rask allowing two goals on two shots in the opening of a weak second period, are all concerns. But for now, just let yourself get excited.

The Bruins are on to Round Two.