Final: Bruins fall to Maple Leafs 3-2 in Game 3; Toronto takes 2-1 series lead
BOSTON, MA – APRIL 13: Danton Heinen of the Boston Bruins celebrates after scoring in the second period of a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
From the NHL Newswire at 985TheSportsHub.com.
The Bruins fell 3-2 to the Maple Leafs on Monday, as Toronto regained control of the series with a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven. Auston Matthews and Andreas Johnsson each had a goal and an assist, while all five goals between the two teams came in the second period.
David Krejci scored his first goal of the playoffs for the Bruins. Charlie Coyle also scored, finding the net for the second straight game as one of the Bruins’ best, most consistent players in the series so far.
The B’s out-shot the Leafs 36-34 in the game. Frederik Andersen was just a little bit better in goal than Tuukka Rask, as neither goalie had a regrettable game. Andersen made a clutch sprawling save on a David Krejci scoring chance late in the third period.
Here’s a recap of our live updates from Game 3. Check back for Game 4 on Wednesday.
Recap: Third Period
— 1:05: Net is empty. David Krejci’s shot attempt deflected up into the netting.
— 3:32: David Pastrnak, who has struggled all night, turns it over on a pass attempt in the offensive zone. Leafs take it all the way to the other end, but Tuukka Rask makes the stop.
— 4:30: Bruins have shown more urgency in recent minutes, generating a handful of chances. Andersen has been there to stop them all though.
— 8:57: Zach Hyman had a scoring chance as he rushed in on Tuukka Rask with a half-step on Patrice Bergeron. Rask sprawls left-to-right to stop the bid and keep the Bruins’ deficit at one.
— 10:33: Jake DeBrusk got a shot off from a weird angle, but it took a tricky bounce off Frederik Andersen’s pads and he’s able to keep it from fluttering into the net.
— 12:49: Leafs successfully kill the penalty. Charlie Coyle got a scoring chance going the other way, but Frederik Andersen made the save.
— 13:18: The Bruins have had their chances on this power play, but no clean shots. David Krejci circled back and tried for a clean zone entry, but got his individual rush broken up. Still 19 seconds left.
— 14:59: Nikita Zaitsev is whistled for delay of game after lofting the puck over the glass. Pressure from the Bruins’ top two lines in the Leafs’ zone precipitated the mistake by Zaitsev, and now they’ll have a power play.
— 19:02: NBC Sports TV commentators note that the crowd in Toronto is noticeably quieter than the Bruins faithful were in the first two games of the series in Boston.
Recap: Second Period
— 0:37: Huge power play goal for Charlie Coyle. The Weymouth native corrals the loose puck on a rebound and wrists it past Frederik Andersen to make it 3-2 Leafs. If this is how the period ends, that could be a momentum-shifter for the B’s.
— 2:15: The Bruins get a chance to get the Johnsson goal back. Jake Muzzin is called for holding.
— 2:48: Andreas Johnsson makes it 3-1 Leafs. John Tavares made a nifty backhand pass through his legs while pinned against the boards to Johnsson, who deked and lifted it over Tuukka Rask’s left shoulder.
— 4:01: Matt Grzelcyk is called for hooking. Leafs to the power play again. They scored 12 seconds in last time.
— 9:48: Auston Matthews is indeed playing in this series. Matthews gets enough open space in the low dot, Andreas Johnsson makes a nice cross-ice feed, and Matthews hammers home a power play goal to put the Leafs back up one.
— 12:02 Charlie McAvoy blocks a shot in the defensive end. Brad Marchand gets a nifty zone entry and David Krejci transitions in, keeping solid pressure on Andersen.
— 14:56: Tuukka Rask stayed down on the ice for several seconds after appearing to get banged up. Charlie McAvoy hit John Tavares in front and the collision knocked Rask back into the post. He got back up and stayed in the game.
— 16:29: David Krejci has arrived. The Bruins center knocks a fluttering puck from a Jake DeBrusk shot into the net to make it 1-1. Bruins answer the Leafs just 52 seconds later.
— 17:22: Leafs are on the board first. Trevor Moore taps in the rebound after a shot deflected off Rask’s pad. It’s 1-0 Leafs on the 33rd shot of the night from either team.
— 18:34: Bruins successfully kill the penalty off, despite three shots for the Maple Leafs. Rask stopped them all.
— 19:04: Twenty-six seconds left on the penalty kill for the Bruins to start the period. Tuukka Rask saved a Mitch Marner slap shot.
Recap: First Period
— First Period Thoughts: The Bruins will have to kill 1:22 of penalty time to start the second period, but they escaped the first without allowing a goal. So did the Maple Leafs, in a back-and-forth period in terms of possession. But strong goaltending at each end of the ice has kept this game scoreless…The B’s out-chanced the Leafs 11-8 in the frame, including 4 high-danger chances per Natural Stat Trick, gaining more momentum as the period went along. The Leafs mostly controlled things in the first 10 minutes, but now have to hope that their failure to cash in early doesn’t come back to bite them…
The line of Danton Heinen, Charlie Coyle, and David Backes are off to a fine start. Good zone entries and pressure, and Backes ended up drawing an interference penalty…Toronto is content to go back to the matchup that owned Game 1, putting John Tavares’ line on the ice as much as possible with Patrice Bergeron. The matchup has looked relatively even so far, but the Bruins allowed only four total shot attempts with the Begeron line on the ice. — Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
— 0:38: Now, a power play for the Maple Leafs. Charlie McAvoy is called for holding Andreas Johnsson’s stick.
— 1:24: Bruins finish their power play without a shot on goal. Leafs successfully kill it off with a number of clears and a wide shot by David Pastrnak. A mostly quiet man advantage for the B’s.
— 3:24: Bruins head to the power play. Ron Hainsey whistled for interference against David Backes.
— 5:17: The Bruins have started to dictate the game more as the period has gone along. Toronto has a 16-15 edge in shot attempts, but Boston has hit 10 shots on goal to their 7. The B’s also have three high-danger scoring chances to the Leafs’ zero (Natural Stat Trick). Both goalies have been strong to start.
— 10:39: Frederik Andersen makes a great stand against the Bruins’ best shift so far. First he stops David Pastrnak point-blank, then snags a pair of Charlie McAvoy shots from the top of the blue line. He gloved the second one to freeze the puck.
— 12:39: The Leafs have strung together some quality shifts, hemming the Bruins in their own end. Jake Gardiner had a quality scoring chance. Tuukka Rask had to make a couple of timely saves. Both teams playing with speed and energy so far, but Toronto has had a slight edge based on possession. Shots on goal are 5-3 Leafs.
— 17:29: The Leafs are going back to their Game 1 matchups with the chance at last change. The Patrice Bergeron line will again be matched up against the John Tavares line.
— Official Bruins lineup:
Our Game 3 lineup is set.#NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/CTZxaCTAz0
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 15, 2019
Game 3 Previews:
— Jake DeBrusk is Public Enemy No. 1 in Toronto
— Can Bruins’ plans for (bruising) success work in Toronto?
Pregame Updates:
— Nazem Kadri suspended for the rest of the first round for cross-checking Jake DeBrusk
— Leafs move William Nylander to center with suspension likely for Nazem Kadri
— Torey Krug, Jake DeBrusk both expected to play for Bruins in Game 3 (Updated)
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