BOSTON -- The Bruins' dominance of the Leafs this season reached epic proportions on their sixth and final meeting.
The Bruins poured in four goals to get things started in the first period and just kept right on sprinting to an 8-0 blowout TKO Monday night.
The Bruins put together a perfect 6-0-0 record against Toronto, outscoring them by a ridiculous 36-10 margin. And on Monday they beat the Leafs literally as well as figuratively, with Gregory Campbell and an uppercut-throwing Milan Lucic winning fights during the victory.
Boston's players have too much class to actually call the Maple Leafs out for a lack of heart, but admitted that Toronto has caught them at the absolute wrong time.
"It seems like everything has kind of gone right since we've played them," said Lucic. "Looking at all the games that we've played them so far this year, they've all been pretty big games . . . especially in our eyes. So we've been a pretty good team when it comes to rising to the occasion. The occasions have been big in all the meetings this year.
"Fortunately for us we've been able to bring out 'A' game every time against them."
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What probably confounds the Leafs even more is the tale of Tyler Seguin and Phil Kessel from this season. Kessel had a single goal in six games against the Bruins this years and was a minus-11. Seguin, on the other hand, picked up a pair of points Monday night and finished off the season series against the Leafs with 7 goals and 4 assists.
Lucic (12 points), Seguin, David Krejci and Zdeno Chara all ended up with double-digit point totals against the Leafs this year. If you can't stop Boston's biggest and baddest players, then you've got little shot at success.
Meanwhile the 13 shots on net allowed by Boston's defense Monday was the lowest amount in nearly 10 years.
"I don't know. I have never seen anything like that," said shell-shocked Leafs goalie James Reimer, who was pulled after allowing the first four goals. "There have obviously been teams that you have seen in the past that are good . . . and match up well. But I'm not sure why one team has an advantage."
Here's why: One team won the Stanley Cup last year and has gone 23-5-5 over the last five plus years in their head-to-head matchups. The other is the Maple Leafs.
It's pretty simple, and the lesson was laid plain once more Monday night.