(Photo Credit: Frank Gunn/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

By: Andrew Bluestein | Follow Me On Twitter / X @adbblue

The Boston Bruins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 Monday night at Scotiabank Arena. It marked the third win in three games against the Leafs this season. It’s exactly what the Doctor ordered after coming off their worst performance of the season, losing 5-1 to the New York Islanders on Saturday night. 

Jeremy Swayman was solid between the pipes and picked up his team when they needed it. The Bruins played a solid game overall with very few mistakes, and they finally closed out a game with authority, which we have not seen at all as of late.

First Period

Right out of the gate, the Bruins had a golden opportunity with Pavel Zacha on a breakaway, but Joseph Woll denied him. Neither team was able to accumulate any offensive zone time in the first half of the opening period. Toronto was given the night’s first power play, with Kevin Shattenkirk going off for high sticking. Boston killed it off and generated two solid shorthanded chances from Jake DeBrusk, but he couldn’t finish. The Black and Gold built some momentum and struck first with a beautiful goal from Morgan Geekie.

That gave them a 1-0 lead. The Bruins kept the pressure on Toronto, and they received their first power play of the night. They extended their lead to 2-0 on a gorgeous shot by Zacha from the hash marks. Toronto finally produced a few quality chances, but Swayman shut the door. With 37 seconds left, Brandon Carlo was called for high sticking, giving Toronto their second power play. Boston had the edge in shots 13-10, and Swayman stopped every puck he saw. 

Second Period

The Leafs started the period with 1:23 left on the Carlo penalty at the end of the first, but the Bruins killed it off. Following that, there was some good back-and-forth action, with both teams exchanging chances but coming up empty. Jake DeBrusk potted his first goal in six games with an absolute snipe, top corner off the rush, which gave Boston a 3-0 lead.

The Bruins played with solid layers, limiting the Leafs from being able to work the puck to the front of the net, and when they did, Swayman stood tall. Toronto then got their third power play of the game, and it looked as if they had gotten on the board with the puck on the goal line, but Carlo was there to keep it out.

Swayman then made a couple of more dazzling stops on the Leafs man advantage, and Boston killed off the penalty. Just after it expired, the Bruins went to the power play after Matthew Knies hooked Charlie McAvoy. They couldn’t capitalize, but they had some really good puck movement and a bunch of good looks. Toronto had the shots on goal advantage in the middle frame 14-7. 

Third Period

The Bruins had a good opportunity at the start of the third with Brad Marchand feeding Charlie Coyle in front, but he didn’t get enough wood on it. The Leafs finally got on the board a little less than four minutes into the period when John Tavares beat Swayman top shelf to make it a 3-1 game. Toronto then had another great opportunity right after the goal with Auston Matthews on the doorstep, but the play was blown dead for being played with a high stick.

James van Riemsdyk answered, winning a race, and got in alone on Woll, but he made the save. The Black and Gold regained their three-goal lead on Zacha’s second of the night when he jammed home a David Pastrnak feed from behind the net. The goal made it a 4-1 game. The Bruins dominated the possession from that point on and put their foot on Toronto’s throat. With 1:34 to go, Matt Grzelcyk was called for tripping, but it made no difference. Boston held their ground, and time expired, sealing the victory.

Up Next

Next, the Bruins will host the Edmonton Oilers on the second night of a back-to-back. It will be a 7:30 puck drop at TD Garden and mark the second of two games between the teams this season. The Bruins won the first matchup 6-5 in overtime