FINAL SCORE: Maple Leafs 3, Bruins 2
IN BRIEF: The Bruins' special teams and their lack of competitiveness kept them from reclaiming home ice in their Game 3 loss in Toronto.
BRUINS-MAPLE LEAFS SERIES: Maple Leafs lead 2-1
FROM JOE HAGGERTY:
The Bruins special teams have been bad at both ends in Game 3. They’ve allowed a couple of PP goals in the second period and their top power play has looked anemic in a couple of possessions to this point. It just goes hand-in-hand with Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak once again looking ordinary in this one and not really showing that dominant puck possession game that we’ve seen out of them against the Maple Leafs in the past. Bergeron and Marchand were on ice as the penalty killing duo for two Leafs PP goals in the second period, and that top power play unit hasn’t had any offensive juice despite a number of chances in this game. It’s sure beginning to look like the Leafs have figured out a way to slow them down defensively this time around with Jake Muzzin and Nikita Zaitsev doing a job on them.
Big PP goal by Charlie Coyle at the end of the second period when he collected a loose puck around the Toronto net after a Matt Grzelcyk shot went long off the end boards. That’s two goals in three playoff games for the Bruins after really struggling to find the offensive range for the Black and Gold during the regular season after his trade to Boston. You could argue that Coyle has been Boston’s best forward to this point in the series, which means that some other players need to start stepping up.
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The Bruins aren’t playing with the same competitive fire that we saw on Saturday night in Boston. The Leafs are out-hitting them and outplaying them in the physical game, winning the special teams battle and generally look more energetic through the first two periods. It’s a shame the Bruins aren’t building on what they did in Game 2 in their own building, but it’s also to their credit that it’s just a one-goal game entering the final 20 minutes. The Leafs are once again using their speed and attack to make the Bruins look sloppy at both ends, and like they’re a step behind most of the time.
HIGHLIGHTS
MARCHAND LOOKING LOCKED IN EARLY
MOORE BREAKS SCORELESS TIE
KREJCI TIES IT AT 1-1
RASK SHAKEN UP AFTER TAVARES IS PUSHED INTO HIM: STAYS IN THE GAME
LEAFS RECLAIM THE LEAD
JOHNSSON EXTENDS TORONTO'S LEAD
COYLE MAKES IT 3-2
UP NEXT
Game 4 @ Maple Leafs, Wednesday, 7 p.m. (NBCS)
Game 5 vs Maple Leafs, Friday, TBD
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