BOSTON – The Bruins had been saying all along that their five game regular season struggle in April wasn’t going to bleed over into the playoffs.
They went out and proved in Game 1 against the Maple Leafs by scoring early and often against a sketchy Leafs defense and goaltending combo, and ended up with a convincing 5-1 win over Toronto at TD Garden to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
By the third period, the TD Garden faithful was chanting “Andersen” and mocking the Leafs goalie after he coughed up his fifth goal of the night.
The Bruins stormed into the game with all kinds of energy and passion, and it never really abated for more than a few minutes at the end of the first. Brad Marchand scored on the power play after a nifty Torey Krug rush to snap a 16-game scoreless playoff drought at TD Garden, and that ignited the Black and Gold at the game’s start.
It was one of three power play goals for the Black and Gold on the night as they throttled the Maple Leafs with their superior special teams play.
The Leafs stormed back in the second half of the first period with a Zach Hyman goal where he sped past David Krejci and Charlie McAvoy before depositing the puck past Tuukka Rask. The Bruins managed to hold on through the rest of a “meh” first period after Toronto’s goal, but got their groove back in the middle 20 minutes.
David Backes scored on a power play goal right in front of the net after outmuscling Ron Hainsey for the David Krejci centering pass, and then David Pastrnak smoked a wrist shot from the high slot past Andersen for an insurance marker. The Bruins extended that lead in the third period when playoff performer Sean Kuraly hammered home the rebound of a David Pastrnak rush that was initially stopped with a great Andersen glove save.
Boston Bruins
It went from competitive hockey game to laugher later in the third when Nazem Kadri was bounced from the game for a dirty charging hit on a vulnerable Tommy Wingels, and David Krejci banked one in off Andersen’s back on the ensuing power play.