Marchand stars again, Swayman is solid as Bruins push frustrated Leafs to the brink

TORONTO – Brad Marchand became the Bruins’ all-time leading scorer in the playoffs and added an assist as Boston stifled the team. toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 on Saturday to take a 3-1 lead in the teams’ first-round playoff series.

James van Riemsdyk and David Pastrnak scored the other goals for Boston, which can close out the best-of-seven series Tuesday at home in Game 5. Jeremy Swayman made 25 saves.

Mitch Marner responded for toronto. Ilya Samsonov stopped 14 of 17 shots in 40 minutes of action. Joseph Woll played the third and finished with five saves. Leafs star Auston Matthews, who missed practice Friday, played two periods but did not come out for the third.

The sixth game, if necessary, would be done again. toronto Thursday.

Leafs winger William Nylander made his 2024 playoff debut after missing the first three games with an undisclosed injury.

Swayman, who also played Games 1 and 3, started over Linus Ullmark as the Bruins deviated from their crease rotation that had seen goaltenders rotate starts since February.

torontowhich won a postseason series for the first time since 2004 last spring, failed to connect on two power plays in the first period (fell to 1 for 13 in the series) with the crowd buzzing before the visitors moved on.

Leafs tough guy Ryan Reaves had the puck in the defensive zone, but Bruins rookie defenseman Mason Lohrei knocked it off his stick. Van Riemsdyk, who played in toronto From 2013 to 2018, he made the mistake and waited for Samsonov to score his first goal of the series at 15:09.

toronto Winger Max Domi took a penalty seven minutes into the second, and Boston’s red-hot power play took advantage with its sixth goal in four games as Marchand scored his second of the playoffs, and 56th of his postseason. race to pass Cam Neely for first place in franchise history, at 8:20.

The goal was also Marchand’s 12th goal of the playoffs at the Air Canada Centre/Scotiabank Arena to tie Bryan Trottier for the most by a visiting player in an opposing arena in NHL history. Trottier scored 12 goals in the postseason at the Capital Center in Washington.

Frustration began to creep into the Leafs bench as the period wore on, with Matthews and Mitch Marner getting into a lively discussion. William Nylander was caught on camera muttering to himself before Marner punched his mitt.

The Bruins, who led toronto in seven games in the first round of the 2013, 2018 and 2019 playoffs, ended things with 41.6 seconds left in the period in another series of Leafs miscues that led to a 2-on-0 in which Marchand fed Pastrnak for his second.

Fans were encouraged to make noise after some criticism about the atmosphere in Game 3, but they channeled that energy into a loud chorus of boos as the clock ticked toward intermission.

The Leafs made the goalie change and were without Matthews when toronto Defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin hit Swayman’s crossbar three minutes into the third.

Marner finally got the home team on the board when he slid his first of the playoffs past Swayman at 5:42.

The Bruins goalie then denied Joel Edmundson two successive chances with the Leafs’ pressure.

toronto got another power play with less than six minutes left in regulation, but barely gained control in the offensive zone to fall to 1 for 15 in the series.

The boos returned in the final minute to send the Leafs, who now need three straight wins against a team that has won 10 of the last 11 head-to-head meetings, to keep their season alive.

AN HONORED LEGEND

The Leafs paid tribute to the late player Bob Cole (the famous broadcaster was the voice of hockey for generations of Canadian fans) with a video montage of some of his memorable calls before puck drop. Cole died Wednesday at age 90.

DAD STRENGTH

With two days off between Games 3 and 4, Lyubushkin flew to California to be with his wife after the birth of the couple’s daughter.

Acquired from the Anaheim Ducks in February, the Russian defenseman missed practice on Friday but returned to the court. toronto hours later.

“You feel a different energy,” Lyubushkin said of returning to playoff action. “It’s a good emotion.”

McMANN IMPROVING

Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said winger Bobby McMann, out with a lower-body injury since the end of the regular season on April 13, is expected to return to skating soon.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2024.