Playoff hockey made its long-awaited return to TD Garden on Saturday night, and for a bunch of gold towel-waving psychos, it did not disappoint, as the Bruins kicked off their 2024 postseason with a 5-1 win over the Maple Leafs.
Boston’s win over Toronto came with just about every box checked for the B’s, too. Their power play cashed in for two goals, their penalty kill had some tone-setting kills, and the physicality was there from start to finish. A coach will always nitpick his team (that’s what makes him a coach), but it was enough to leave Jim Montgomery more than pleased with his team’s first impression when it comes to the lessons learned from last year’s first-round flop.
“I really liked our team discipline,” Montgomery said after the win. “I liked our execution. I like the emotion we played with. And I thought the physicality of our group was very evident.”
Third Star: Brandon Carlo
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 20: Brandon Carlo #25 of the Boston Bruins skates by the bench to celebrate with his teammates after scoring a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the second period in Game One of the First Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on April 20, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)
Bruins defensive-zone stalwart Brandon Carlo will tell you himself, defense is the name of his game. Any offense that comes out of that defense is just a bonus. But there’s something about the the sight of a Maple Leafs sweater that turns the 6-foot-5 blue liner into the Black and Gold’s modern day Bobby Orr.
Brandon Carlo hammers home Jake DeBrusk's feed from behind the net.
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) April 21, 2024
2-0 Boston. pic.twitter.com/gBoNo2iUecOn the board with Boston’s second goal of the evening in what finished as a five-goal night for Boston, Carlo’s tally through Ilya Samsonov was his second goal and fourth point in five games against the Leafs this season.
Brandon Carlo against the Leafs this year (including playoffs): Two goals and four points in five games.
— Ty Anderson (@_TyAnderson) April 21, 2024
Brandon Carlo against everybody else this year: Three goals and 11 points in 72 games.The Bruins also gave Carlo and Hampus Lindholm the Auston Matthews assignment for the majority of the evening, and though Matthews got his looks and while the Bruins got some good looks, they were able to hold Matthews and his line off the board. Which is always a plus for any team going up against the 69-goal scorer.
Second Star: Jeremy Swayman
Jan 15, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) puts on his mask during the second period against the New Jersey Devils at TD Garden. (Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports)
The Bruins knew what they were going to do in goal for Game 1 long before Jeremy Swayman led the team out for pregame warmups at 7:36 p.m. on Saturday night. They just didn’t feel like telling any of us.
In fact, their non-answers on the subject hit a new height on Saturday morning, as Montgomery told the assembled media that the goalie who got the call in net for the Bruins in Game 1 would be wearing goalie pads.
Swayman indeed wore goalie pads, he indeed got the call in Game 1 (the first Game 1 appearance of his NHL career), and he absolutely dazzled in what was a 35-save victory in the Boston cage.
And though the Bruins gave Swayman some early support by way of Johnny Beecher’s goal on Boston’s first shot of the night, this was a game that required some big saves from Swayman early, as the Maple Leafs were able to generate some quality looks from the high-danger areas of the ice. Swayman was noticeably strong when it came to tracking the puck in this game, and came through with countless ‘good freezes’ to stall would-be momentum for Toronto.
Some of Swayman’s best work came during what was a successful 4-on-3 penalty kill for the Bruins, where the Bruins were forced to hold the Leafs at bay for a 1:50 stretch with both Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm in the box.
First Star: Jake DeBrusk
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 20: Jake DeBrusk #74 of the Boston Bruins reacts after a goal was scored by teammate Brandon Carlo #25 (not in photo) during the second period against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game One of the First Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on April 20, 2024. (Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)
Hitting the old ‘restart’ button is nothing new for the Bruins’ Jake DeBrusk.
He’s been white hot. And he’s been ice cold. And after what was a definite cold spell to end his regular season, DeBrusk kicked his postseason off with a white-hot bang Saturday night, with two goals and an assist in the Game 1 victory.
The three-point outing was DeBrusk’s first night of at least three points since a four-point effort against the Sabres back on Mar. 19, 2023, and it was the first three-point game of DeBrusk’s playoff career.
DeBrusk: “I didn’t like my season. Pretty disappointed. But now we’re chasing the ultimate goal. I just think it’s a matter of playing the right way. This time of year is all about staying even keeled.”
— Ty Anderson (@_TyAnderson) April 21, 2024
He was asked about his goal this postseason: “To win.”‘Playoff Jake’ seems to be back in business for the Bruins, too, with eight goals and 13 points in his last 15 playoff games dating back to 2022. His 15 points are tied for the 40th-most among all playoff forwards over that stretch.
