Bruins drop Game 5 to Maple Leafs in overtime

Instead of capitalizing on a golden opportunity to close out the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Boston Bruins came up short in Game 5 on Tuesday night at TD Garden, dropping a 2-1 decision in overtime.

For much of the action, the goaltenders were the stars of the show. Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman stopped 31-of-33 Leafs shots in the defeat (.939). Meanwhile, the Leafs' Joseph Woll put together a 27-of-28 performance (.964), including a clutch save on the Bruins' Charlie Coyle in overtime, shortly before the Leafs' Matthew Knies potted the game-winner.

The Bruins were fortunate to escape the first period with just a 1-1 tie. The Maple Leafs out-shot them 12-2 in the opening 20 minutes, and also won a staggering 16-of-20 faceoffs (80%). Toronto drew first blood after sustained offensive pressure resulted in two early icings by the Bruins, then a goal by defenseman Jake McCabe from the point.

Boston's Trent Frederic later tied it 1-1 after a hard forecheck by linemate Jesper Boqvist forced an errant pass by Toronto's Simon Benoit, and a fortuitous bounce to Frederic in the slot for the finish.

Swayman continued to keep the Bruins in the game during another hairy stretch in the second period, most notably with this stop on Morgan Rielly:

The teams continued to battle to a stalemate for the rest of regulation. Over the final two periods, at 5-on-5, the Bruins out-shot the Maple Leafs 19-14 and had a 10-3 edge in high-danger chances.

Just 2:26 into the overtime, Knies scored the game-winner for Toronto, burying a rebound on the doorstep while uncovered to give the Leafs a massive road win without superstar Auston Matthews.

Not long before that, Woll came up with his biggest save of the game when he stoned Coyle on a golden high-danger opportunity.

The series now shifts back to Toronto for Game 6 on Thursday night. The official start time is yet to be determined.

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Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Check out all of Matt's content.

In an upcoming offseason full of pending free agents, Don Sweeney and the Bruins will have three more names added to the unrestricted free agent pile, this time by way of the 'Group 6' market.

And there's representation across the board, really, with forward Oskar Steen, defenseman Reilly Walsh, and goaltender Kyle Keyser all expected to hit the open market as Group 6 UFAs for the Bruins.

Of that group, the 26-year-old Steen is the most notable name, as he has appeared in 60 NHL games for the Bruins over the last four NHL seasons, and has been in Providence since the 2019-20 season.

A 5-foot-9 wing, Steen made a career-high 34 appearances for the Bruins this past regular season, and though he established career-highs in hits (79) and blocks (19), he also scored just one goal and zero assists over that 34-game run.

And when the Bruins placed Steen on waivers back in February, the numbers were indeed brutal. One of 580 NHL players to play at least 30 games at the time he was placed on waivers, Steen’s single point over that 34-game NHL run in 2023-24 ranked dead last among that group of 580. At that time, Steen was also one of just two forwards (and just four players in total) in the NHL this season to play at least 300 five-on-five minutes and not record multiple points.

When in Providence this season, Steen (as always) put up respectable numbers, with 12 goals and 16 points in 25 AHL contests. Steen has recorded 53 goals and 116 points in 221 games over five AHL seasons.

On the backend, defenseman Reilly Walsh is staring down a potential jump into unrestricted free agency following a season that featured nine goals and 28 points in 60 games for AHL Providence. Walsh's 28 points were tops among all P-Bruins defensemen, but his minus-17 rating was the worst on the team.

A native of North Falmouth, Mass., Walsh was acquired in a one-for-one trade with the Devils, with minor-league forward Shane Bowers sent New Jersey's way in the deal.

The 25-year-old Walsh has posted 32 goals and 127 points in 234 career AHL games.

In goal, meanwhile, Kyle Keyser's time with the Bruins is almost certainly coming to an end given his Group 6 status, his rough year in the minors, and the Bruins' recent other moves in goal.

Called into action for five games with Providence this year, the 25-year-old Keyser posted a 1-2-2 record, along with a 3.45 goals against average and an .873 save percentage. It wasn't much better down in ECHL Maine, either, with a 5-8-2 record and .868 save percentage in 16 appearances for the Mariners.

As noted, the Bruins have already made a move for the future in goal, with Notre Dame's Ryan Bischel signed to a contract following a strong career with the Fighting Irish, and it's also possible that 2022 sixth-round pick Reid Dyck jumps into the pro ranks after a strong season with WHL Swift Current.

The Bruins have also already re-upped AHL netminder Michael DiPietro on a one-year deal, too.