The Bruins officially have a first-round opponent
For the fourth time since 2013, and for the first time in five years, it will be the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs renewing their rivalry in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Entering Tuesday night with a chance to play either the Maple Leafs or the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston’s 3-1 loss to the Senators coupled with Florida’s win over the Leafs down in Sunrise completed a last-moment switch for the Bruins and Panthers, with Florida bumping the Bruins out of first place in the Atlantic Division.
Boston’s date with Auston Matthews and the Leafs comes on the heels of a regular season series that the Bruins swept by a 4-0-0 mark. The Bruins outscored the Leafs 15-7 over that four-game series, and have actually won seven straight meetings against Toronto dating back to last season, with the Black and Gold’s last loss to the Maple Leafs coming back on Nov. 4, 2022.
Speaking after the loss to the Senators, with the B’s locker room open before the Leafs-Panthers game went final, the Bruins admitted that they didn’t have a preference when it came to their first-round opponent.
“It doesn’t matter who it is throughout the entire playoffs,” Bruins captain Brad Marchand said when asked if the Bruins had a preference when it came to the Bolts or Leafs. “Everybody is good, everybody is in the playoffs for a reason. You saw it tonight: Doesn’t matter who you play, any team can win if you’re not prepared to play. And that’s the same with the playoffs.
“Both teams are very good. It’s not like you look at either of them and think it’s gonna an easy matchup.”
The Bruins are looking to advance out of the first round for the first time since 2021, while the Leafs are entering the playoffs with their first-round drought finally behind them after winning last year’s first-round series against the Lightning before falling to the Panthers in the second round of postseason play.
Game 1 is set for Saturday, while Game 2 is likely to be on Monday night, according to multiple sources.
