Brad Marchand, Bruins Hyped By NHL Fans for Taking 3-1 Series Lead Over Maple Leafs
April 28, 2024
The Boston Bruins have once again put the Maple Leafs on the brink of first-round elimination.
After ousting Toronto from the playoffs in the first round in 2018 and 2019, Boston is one game away from repeating the feat after cruising to a 3-1 Game 4 victory Saturday night in Toronto.
The Bruins will now head back to TD Garden with a 3-1 first-round series advantage.
Brad Marchand led his team to the win by scoring the 56th playoff goal of his career on a second-period power play.
The tally led him to pass Hall of Famer Cam Neely for the all-time Bruins lead in playoff scoring.
NHL Public Relations @PR_NHLBrad Marchand has surpassed Cam Neely (55) for the most playoff goals in <a href="https://twitter.com/NHLBruins?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NHLBruins</a> history and has helped his club skate to a 3-0 lead. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StanleyCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StanleyCup</a><br><br>Watch the third period on <a href="https://twitter.com/TBSNetwork?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TBSNetwork</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsonMax?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SportsonMax</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/Sportsnet?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Sportsnet</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/TVASports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TVASports</a>, CBC now.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NHLStats?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NHLStats</a>: <a href="https://t.co/3GyAl55rVP">https://t.co/3GyAl55rVP</a> <a href="https://t.co/tM0nrQVXqI">pic.twitter.com/tM0nrQVXqI</a>
David Pastrnak and James van Riemsdyk also scored in the Bruins' victory, while Jeremy Swayman turned aside 24 of 25 shots faced.
Michael Sullivan @_MikeSullivanJeremy Swayman this postseason:<br><br>• 3-0<br>• 1.33 Goals Against Average<br>• .956 Save Percentage<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NHLBruins?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NHLBruins</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/BruinSomethin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BruinSomethin</a> <a href="https://t.co/W3hdcpbsrS">pic.twitter.com/W3hdcpbsrS</a>
Marchand's franchise-record tally marked the sixth power-play goal of the series for Boston.
Special teams have been a different maker for the Bruins, who scored once on three power-play opportunities Saturday and were perfect on three penalty kills.
Toronto meanwhile registered no shots on a power play granted with fewer than five minutes left on the clock.
Leafs stars Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander appeared visibly frustrated as Toronto fell into a three-goal deficit in the second period:
Leafs players weren't the only ones frustrated by Saturday night's result:
Anthony Petrielli @APetrielliSitting in the arena with a full view of the ice, it's very clear that the Leafs refuse to properly dump pucks in and forecheck. The Bruins are just hanging in the neutral zone waiting for mistakes because they know the Leafs won't adjust and their special teams are terrible.
After starting goaltender Ilya Samsonov was pulled following the second period, and Joseph Woll took over in net.
Athough the Leafs were missing Matthews, who did not return to the bench for the start of the third period, Marner scored early in the final frame to bring some life to Scotiabank Arena.
The Bruins responded by stifling the Leafs' offense and preventing the comeback from gaining momentum.
After claiming both games in Toronto, the Bruins are now one win from advancing to the second round for the first time since 2021.
A fourth victory would mark Boston's successful recovery from being upset in the 2023 first round following a record-breaking Presidents' Trophy regular season.
Toronto has appeared in eight straight postseasons in the Matthews era, during which they have earned at least 40 regular-season wins six times.
The team has only advanced past the first round once in 2023, in a run that ended with a five-game second-round loss to the Florida Panthers.
The Leafs now need a Game 5 win in Boston on Tuesday in order to keep their playoff hopes alive.