Pastrnak scores in OT to give Bruins Game 7 win over Leafs
David Pastrnak scored the game-winning goal in overtime, as the Boston Bruins secured a Game 7 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs to clinch their best-of-seven playoff series by a 2-1 final. The B’s have advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
The teams battled to a scoreless stalemate in period 1, with the Bruins holding an 11-9 edge in shots on goal. They also had a 4-2 edge in high-danger scoring chances. Both goaltenders, Swayman and the Leafs’ Ilya Samsonov, were sharp early on.
Toronto started to gain a little more momentum offensively in the second period, while Boston often looked hesitant to shoot the puck when given the opportunity. That was reflected in the Maple Leafs’ 13-7 edge in shots on goal during the middle 20 minutes.
After a penalty-free first period, the officials called three in the second, two for Toronto and one for Boston. The teams combined to go 0-for-3, keeping the game scoreless at the second intermission.
It was about midway through the third period that the dam finally broke. It came off a turnover by Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo, who lost his skates along the boards and gave the puck to Tyler Bertuzzi, then Auston Matthews made a heads-up feed to William Nylander for the open look and the easy goal to make it 1-0 Leafs.
Incredibly, after a tight, scoreless game for about 50 minutes, the Bruins were able to answer just 1:21 later. It came from an unlikely source, defenseman Hampus Lindholm, who floated a wrister into the top short-side corner for his first playoff goal as a Bruin.
The Bruins had a close call in the final seconds of regulation, as a Leafs pass attempt deflected off the skate of B’s defenseman Parker Wotherspoon, but Swayman made the save. Leafs forward Pontus Holmberg was waiting for a one-timer on the other side, so Wotherspoon’s skate may have actually saved a goal.
Then, finally, mercifully, Pastrnak became the playoff hero for the Bruins as he gathered a bouncing puck and backhanded it over Samsonov’s shoulder, lifting the B’s to the series win and practically crumbling TD Garden.
The Bruins will face last year’s playoff nemesis, the Florida Panthers, in the second round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Game 1 is set for Monday, May 6.