The Bruins kept the clamps on the Toronto Maple Leafs' power play through the first two games of the Eastern Conference first round, but Toronto's man-advantage tilted the series in the Maple Leafs' favor on Monday.
Toronto went 2-for-3 on the power play, including Auston Matthews' first goal of the series, in a 3-2 win that gave the Maple Leafs a 2-1 series leading heading into Game 4 on Wednesday.
Matthews also assisted on Andreas Johnsson's power-play goal, Matthews' first two points of the series.
While Matthews was breaking out of his offensive slump, the Bruins' top line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak was kept off the score sheet while mostly matched up against John Taveras' line with Mitch Marner and Zach Hyman.
Bergeron's line combined for seven shots on net, three each by Bergeron and Pastrnak, one by Marchand. The Bruins only managed 10 shots on net in the third period, despite having an extra attacker with Tuukka Rask on the bench the final 90 seconds.
The Maple Leafs took the lead at 2:38 of the second period on a goal by fourth-liner Trevor Moore.
Moore! Moore! Moore!How do you like it? How do you like it?#LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/0ulJBtPQGs
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 16, 2019David Krejci then tied it up 1-1 at 3:30.
DeBrusk being a monster pic.twitter.com/gWDppez3NV
— Bruins Stats (@bruins_stats) April 16, 2019The Bruins nearly had a catastrophe when Rask made one of his 31 saves in the game on Tavares aa 5:04 before Tavares was pushed into Rask by Charlie McAvoy.
Tuukka mouthed that he wrenched his back pic.twitter.com/BS56lPjnew
— Bruins Stats (@bruins_stats) April 16, 2019Rask was checked by Boston trainer Don Del Negro and stayed in the game.
After a cross-checking penalty on David Backes, the Maple Leafs took the lead again on a power-play goal by \ Matthews at 10:12, after Mitch Marner stole Bergeron's clear attempt, and Andreas Johnsson set up Matthews. It was Matthews' first point of the series.
A quick rip and @AM34 is feeling it! #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/jYFSEzbONi
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 16, 2019A Matt Grzelcyk hooking penalty gave the Maple Leafs another power play, and they cashed in off the stick of Andreas Johnsson at 17:12.
Roof daddy! A brilliant backhand by Johnsson. #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/eXsZALPLkq
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 16, 2019But Charlie Coyle capitalized on Jake Muzzin's holding penalty by scoring the Bruins' first power-play goal of the night with 37.3 left in the second period, cutting Toronto's lead to 3-2.
Charlie Coyle late in the powerplay takes the rebound off the endboards and buries it to cut the Leafs lead back to 1https://t.co/MOdRm0EhJb
— Stanley Cup of Chowder (@cupofchowdah) April 16, 2019The Bruins outshot the Maple Leafs 15-10 in the first period, with David Pastrnak getting the best scoring chance. But Andersen stopped his point-blank attempt with his left pad at 9:11.
Slamming the door.15 saves for Freddie in the first. #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/h6hhd1sXCX
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 15, 2019Boston also missed a chance to score when defenseman Brandon Carlo rang the post at 14:00.
Ping pic.twitter.com/oNB1DmHxB8
— Bruins Stats (@bruins_stats) April 15, 2019The Big Bad Blog is presented by:
