Down the Frozen River

Tag: Connor Clifton

  • Bruins force Game 7 with, 4-2, win in Toronto

    For the second time in as many years, the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs are going to a Game 7 at TD Garden after the Bruins defeated the Leafs, 4-2, on Sunday afternoon at Scotiabank Arena.

    Jake DeBrusk scored the defacto game-winning goal midway through the second period, while Tuukka Rask (3-3-0 record, 2.54 goals against average, .921 save percentage in six games this postseason) made 22 saves on 24 shots against (.917 SV%) in the win for Boston.

    Maple Leafs goaltender, Frederik Andersen (3-3-0, 2.70 GAA, .925 SV% in six games this postseason) stopped 37 out of 40 shots faced (.925 SV%) in the loss.

    The two franchises are just the third pair in NHL history to require a Game 7 in three consecutive head-to-head postseason matchups (2013 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal, 2018 First Round and 2019 First Round).

    Additionally, Bruins captain, Zdeno Chara, is set to take part in his 13th career Game 7 appearance, tying Scott Stevens for the most all-time.

    Boston has won the last five postseason series matchups against Toronto. The Maple Leafs last defeated the Bruins in the 1959 Stanley Cup Playoffs Semifinal– yes, back when the league had six economically stable franchises.

    Connor Clifton (upper body) and Kevan Miller (lower body) remained out of the lineup due to injury for Game 6, while Bruce Cassidy juggled his bottom-six forwards– inserting Karson Kuhlman on the third line right wing and moving Sean Kuraly to center on the fourth line, with Joakim Nordstrom back in the lineup on the left wing after being a healthy scratch for Game 5.

    Noel Acciari slid over to the right wing on the fourth line, with David Backes and Chris Wagner joining Paul Carey, Steven Kampfer and Dan Vladar as the healthy scratches for the Bruins in Game 6.

    Early in the first period, Chara sent the puck over the glass and out of play for an automatic delay of game minor penalty at 5:21.

    Toronto did not convert on the ensuing power play.

    Moments later, after the Maple Leafs kept the puck in the attacking zone on a turnover by the Bruins, Morgan Rielly (1) blasted a shot from the point past Rask as the Boston goaltender was screened by Leafs forward, Connor Brown, at 9:42 of the first period.

    William Nylander (2) and Patrick Marleau (2) tallied the assists on Rielly’s first goal of the postseason and Toronto led, 1-0.

    Less than a minute later, Tyler Ennis took a trip to the penalty box for holding at 10:25 of the first period.

    Almost a minute into the resulting skater advantage for Boston, Patrice Bergeron won a face-off to the right of Andersen and squibbed the puck over to Brad Marchand (3) for the shot on goal that deflected off of Toronto defender, Ron Hainsey, and slid through the five-hole of Andersen.

    Bergeron (2) had the only assist on Marchand’s power play goal at 11:23 of the first period and the game was tied, 1-1.

    While being brought down in the corner over a minute later, Nordstrom got a stick up high on Travis Dermott and was assessed a high-sticking infraction at 12:37.

    The B’s managed to kill off the penalty with ease and resumed even strength action without difficulty.

    About a minute after their power play, Toronto found themselves going down a skater thanks to Dermott’s tripping infraction against DeBrusk at 15:36.

    Late in the power play, Boston worked the puck around the horn and back across the ice to Torey Krug (1) for the one-timer rocket that beat Andersen for the game’s first lead change.

    The Bruins led, 2-1, with David Pastrnak (3) and Marchand (5) earning the assists on Krug’s power play goal at 17:02.

    After one period of play, Boston led, 2-1, on the scoreboard and, 14-6, in shots on goal. The B’s also led in hits (13-9) and face-off win percentage (57-44), while the Maple Leafs led in takeaways (4-3) and giveaways (5-4).

    Both clubs managed seven blocked shots aside entering the first intermission, while Toronto was 0/2 on the power play and Boston was 2/2 on the skater advantage heading into the middle frame.

    Almost midway through the second period, after a hairy couple of minutes in their own zone, the Bruins went back the other way on the attack with DeBrusk sending the puck across to David Krejci for the give-and-go back to DeBrusk (1) for the redirection into the twine.

    Krejci (2) and Pastrnak (4) notched the assists on DeBrusk’s goal at 7:57 of the second period and Boston led, 3-1.

    Almost a minute later, Charlie Coyle tripped up Frederik Gauthier at 8:47, but the Leafs were not able to capitalize on the ensuing power play opportunity.

    Through 40 minutes of play the Bruins led, 3-1, on the scoreboard and outshot the Maple Leafs, 2:1, with a, 30-15, advantage in shots on goal.

    Toronto maintained an advantage in blocked shots (17-11) and hits (29-22), while Boston led in face-off win% (58-43). Both teams amassed seven takeaways each and ten giveaways aside.

    The Leafs entered the third period 0/3 on the power play, while the B’s were 2/2 on the skater advantage.

    After returning to the ice for the final frame of regulation with an extra skip and a jump in their step, the Maple Leafs won a face-off in the offensive zone and worked the puck around to Auston Matthews (5) for the wrist shot goal– off the far post and in– to cut Boston’s lead to one-goal.

    Jake Gardiner (2) and Dermott (2) had the assists on Matthews’ goal at 4:15 of the third period and Toronto trailed, 3-2.

    Save after save was made all night by both goaltenders, leaving Maple Leafs head coach, Mike Babcock, with no choice but to pull his goaltender for an extra attacker.

    Perhaps, though, pulling Andersen with 2:04 remaining in regulation left too much time for those pesky, Big Bad Bruins.

    After jumping on a puck in his own zone, Marchand (4) worked it loose and fired away from the neutral zone to pocket the empty net goal to seal the deal on the, 4-2, victory for Boston at 18:06 of the third period.

    Chara (1) and Charlie McAvoy (2) tallied the assists on the goal as the B’s assured themselves of a Game 7 on Tuesday.

    Andersen vacated the crease once more with about 1:42 to go in the game, but Toronto could not find a way to score two quick goals to tie and force overtime.

    At the final horn, the Bruins had won, 4-2, and finished the afternoon leading in shots on goal (41-24) and face-off win% (52-48). The Maple Leafs wrapped up Sunday afternoon with the advantage in blocked shots (19-15), giveaways (19-16) and hits (40-34).

    There were no penalties called in the final frame, leaving Toronto 0/3 on the power play for the day and Boston, 2/2, on the skater advantage.

    For the third time in their last three series matchups against each other, Boston and Toronto will square off in a decisive Game 7 at TD Garden. Puck drop is expected a little after 7 p.m. on Tuesday and viewers in the United States can catch the action on NBCSN.

    Canadian residents can watch the game on CBC, SN or TVAS.

  • Leafs can advance in Game 6 after, 2-1, win in Boston

    For the first time since the 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Toronto Maple Leafs can advance to another round of postseason play after their, 2-1, victory on road ice against the Boston Bruins.

    The TD Garden crowd was silenced Friday night after the Leafs took the, 3-2, series lead with them out the “exit” doors.

    Frederik Andersen (3-2-0 record, 2.62 goals against average, .925 save percentage in five games played this postseason) made 28 saves on 29 shots against for a .966 SV% in the win for Toronto.

    Bruins goaltender, Tuukka Rask (2-3-0, 2.65 GAA, .922 SV% in five games played this postseason) stopped 25 out of 27 shots faced (.926 SV%) in the loss.

    Auston Matthews and Kasperi Kapanen had the goals for Toronto, while David Krejci scored the lone goal for the Bruins.

    Connor Clifton (upper body) and Kevan Miller (lower body) remain out of the lineup for the Bruins due to injury, while Sean Kuraly (fractured right hand) was back in action for Boston in Game 5 after missing the last 12 games.

    Kuraly was placed on the fourth line left wing with Noel Acciari at center and Chris Wagner on the opposite wing.

    B’s head coach, Bruce Cassidy, kept his lines the same otherwise, with Joakim Nordstrom joining Paul Carey, Steven Kampfer, Jakub Zboril, Dan Vladar and Karson Kuhlman as Boston’s healthy scratches on Friday.

    The first period started with a heavy defensive presence from both clubs as the players trailed up and down the ice.

    Toronto dominated the first half of the period, but missed wide of the net more than a few times before Boston started to kick into gear in the latter end of the opening frame.

    Late in the period, Zach Hyman tripped up Charlie McAvoy and sent the Bruins on their first power play of the night at 17:00 of the first period. The B’s did not convert on the resulting skater advantage.

    After one period of play, the score was tied, 0-0, while Toronto led in shots on goal, 7-6. The Maple Leafs also led in takeaways (10-5) and face-off win percentage (64-36), while the Bruins led in blocked shots (8-1), giveaways (5-2) and hits (14-11).

    Entering the first intermission, the Leafs had yet to see any time on the power play and Boston was 0/1.

    Early in the second period, Patrick Marleau hooked Krejci and was assessed a minor penalty at 4:13.

    The Bruins didn’t convert on the ensuing power play, but had another chance on the skater advantage when Mitch Marner sent the puck over the glass for the automatic delay of game penalty at 8:24 of the second period.

    Once again, Boston failed to capitalize on the power play for the third time of the night.

    There was no scoring in the second period, as the second intermission commenced with the score still tied, 0-0.

    Through 40 minutes of play, Toronto maintained the advantage in shots on goal (16-15) and takeaways (14-5), while the B’s led in blocked shots (10-2), giveaways (8-4) and face-off win% (57-43).

    Both teams had 21 hits aside through two periods, while the Maple Leafs had yet to see any time on the skater advantage.

    Boston was 0/3 on the power play entering the third period.

    Almost midway through the third period, the Bruins were caught with too many skaters on the ice and Boston was charged with a bench minor. Marcus Johansson served the penalty at 7:14 of the third period.

    Despite killing off the infraction, the B’s were caught up behind the pace of play and lagging in the aftereffects of the vulnerable minute.

    That’s when Toronto pounced.

    Jake Muzzin sent a pass across the ice to Matthews (4) for the one-timer past Rask at 11:33 of the third period to give the Leafs the lead, 1-0.

    Muzzin (2) and Kapanen (1) tallied the assists on the game’s first goal.

    The Bruins used their coach’s challenge arguing that Hyman had interfered with Rask in the crease prior to the shot on goal, thereby inhibiting Rask’s ability to play the puck and make a save across the crease.

    After review, had the call on the ice been reversed, it likely would’ve been the softest goaltender interference call in the history of the coach’s challenge.

    Regular season? You might get that one.

    In the playoffs? Not a chance. The absolute right call has to be made and it was made.

    As a result of losing the challenge, Boston lost their timeout. That would’ve come in handy later…

    A little over two minutes later, the Maple Leafs caught the Bruins on a rush the other way and waltzed into the attacking zone with the chance to convert on another one-timer– and convert they did.

    Kapanen (1) scored his first goal of the postseason and perhaps the most important goal of the series so far at 13:45 of the third period to give Toronto the two-goal lead.

    Andreas Johnsson (3) and Morgan Rielly (4) notched the assists on and the Leafs led, 2-0.

    Toronto scored two goals in a span of 2:12 and took a stronghold on the eventual outcome.

    With about 2:49 remaining in regulation, the Bruins pulled their goaltender for an extra attacker.

    Boston continued to hold onto the puck for too long trying to set up the “perfect” play, but caught a break after entering the zone and setting up Krejci (2) for a one-timer to cut the lead in half and make it a, 2-1, game.

    David Pastrnak (2) and Torey Krug (3) were credited with the assists on Krejci’s goal at 19:16 of the third period.

    After sending the goal through video review to confirm that the Bruins had not entered the zone offside, Boston pulled Rask again for an extra skater with about 30 seconds left in regulation.

    Hyman iced the puck for the Leads with 13.2 seconds to go.

    Boston couldn’t convert.

    Toronto iced the puck again with 1.2 seconds remaining.

    Boston couldn’t get a next to impossible shot into the back of the twine as time expired.

    At the sound of the final horn, Toronto had won, 2-1, and finished the night trailing in shots on goal, 29-27.

    The B’s finished Friday night with the advantage in blocked shots (13-9), giveaways (13-5), hits (29-26) and face-off win% (65-36), while both clubs failed to record a power play goal.

    Toronto went 0/1 on the skater advantage and Boston went 0/3.

    The Maple Leafs enter Game 6 back on home ice at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday with the chance to eliminate the Bruins and punch their ticket to the Second Round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

    Puck drop is set for 3 p.m. ET and viewers in the United States can tune in on NBC. Canadian residents can catch the action on CBC, SN or TVAS.

  • Bruins hold on for, 6-4, win in Game 4, tie series, 2-2

    Ten combined goals in 60 minutes of action tipped the way of the Boston Bruins, 6-4, over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 4 of their 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round matchup at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday.

    With the win for the Bruins, the series is now tied, 2-2.

    David Pastrnak had a pair of goals Boston, while Auston Matthews matched Pastrnak’s effort and had a pair of goals for Toronto.

    Tuukka Rask (2-2-0 record, 2.77 goals against average, .921 save percentage in four games this postseason) made 38 saves on 42 shots against (.905 SV%) in the win for the B’s.

    Maple Leafs goaltender, Frederik Andersen (2-2-0, 3.03 GAA, .917 SV% in four games this postseason) stopped 25 out of 30 shots faced (.833 SV%) in the loss.

    Bruins head coach, Bruce Cassidy, re-inserted John Moore and Marcus Johansson into his lineup after Moore (upper body) missed the first three games of the series and Johansson (illness) missed Games 2 and 3.

    Cassidy also juggled his lines, starting Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and Danton Heinen on the first line and dropped Pastrnak to the second line right wing with Jake DeBrusk at his usual spot at left wing and David Krejci in his usual role as the center.

    Johansson suited up on the left side of the third line with Charlie Coyle at center and David Backes on the right wing.

    The fourth line trio of Joakim Nordstrom, Noel Acciari and Chris Wagner was left alone, as were the top-four defenders.

    On the third defensive pairing, Matt Grzelcyk was partnered with Moore in Moore’s first game back from injury.

    As a result of the returning players to Boston’s lineup, forward Karson Kuhlman and defender Steven Kampfer joined Paul Carey, Jakub Zboril and Dan Vladar as the healthy scratches for the Bruins, while Sean Kuraly (fractured right hand), Connor Clifton (upper body) and Kevan Miller (lower body) remained out of the action.

    Early in the action, Connor Brown held Nordstrom and was assessed a minor infraction at 1:08 of the first period.

    Late on the ensuing power play, the B’s sent the puck around the horn as Charlie McAvoy (1) snuck into the slot to receive a pass and one-timed a shot past Andersen to give the Bruins the lead, 1-0.

    Coyle (1) and Grzelcyk (3) tallied the assists on McAvoy’s power play goal at 3:03 of the first period.

    Moments later, Marchand (2) capitalized on the momentum swing as Boston again maintained tremendous pressure in the offensive zone, yielding the two-goal lead from Marchand.

    McAvoy (1) and Heinen (2) notched the assists on the goal that made it, 2-0, for the Bruins at 6:38 of the first period as the B’s pocketed a pair of goals in a span of 3:35.

    Midway through the opening frame, Bergeron tied up Mitch Marner and was penalized for interference at 13:29.

    Boston managed to kill off their first shorthanded bid of the evening, but was not as successful in the vulnerable minute after McAvoy was also penalized for interference at 15:44.

    Just 11 seconds after making the kill on McAvoy’s minor infraction, the Bruins failed to clear the zone and the Maple Leafs pounced.

    Morgan Rielly fired a shot from the point that Zach Hyman (1) tipped past Rask and cut the lead in half, 2-1, as Toronto got on the scoreboard for the first time of the night at 17:55 of the first period.

    Rielly (2) and John Tavares (3) were credited with the assists on Hyman’s first goal of the postseason.

    Entering the first intermission, Boston led on the scoreboard, 2-1, and in shots on goal, 14-12.

    The Bruins also held the advantage in blocked shots (6-5), while the Maple Leafs led in takeaways (3-1), giveaways (4-3), hits (15-13) and face-off win percentage (53-47).

    Heading into the second period, Toronto was 0/2 on the power play and Boston was 1/1 on the skater advantage.

    Despite trailing by a goal at the end of the first period, Toronto emerged rejuvenated for the second period with a stretch pass off the boards that yielded a break-in for Matthews about a minute into the middle frame.

    Matthews (2) scored as the Bruins bungled a line change and tied the game, 2-2, at 1:07 of the second period.

    Andreas Johnsson (2) and Ron Hainsey (1) collected the primary and secondary assists, respectively, on the goal as the Leafs surged.

    A couple minutes later, Marchand entered the attacking zone for Boston with Pastrnak (1) speeding to the net to redirect the pass in front of the crease past Andersen– reminiscent of the days of Mark Recchi scoring grungy goals in an NHL rink– to give the Bruins the lead once again, 3-2, at 3:16 of the second period.

    The game was tied for a span of 2:09 before Boston pulled back into the lead.

    A little over a minute later, Matthews caught McAvoy with a high-stick in front of the Bruins net and was penalized at 4:37, yielding a Boston power play for the second time of the night.

    Less than 20 seconds into the resulting power play, Marchand worked a pass through the low slot for the one-timer goal from Pastrnak (2) as No. 88 for the black-and-gold acted as a bumper and gave Boston a two-goal lead, 4-2, at 4:51 of the second period.

    Marchand (4) had the only assist on the goal and collected the primary assist on back-to-back goals from Pastrnak for his third point of the game.

    Through 40 minutes of play, Boston led, 4-2, on the scoreboard.

    Toronto held the advantage in shots on goal (26-22) after two periods– including a, 14-8, advantage in the second period alone. The Maple Leafs also led in takeaways (6-2) and hits (30-24), while the Bruins led in blocked shots (20-8) and face-off win% (54-46) entering the second intermission.

    Both clubs had nine giveaways each as the Leafs were 0/2 and the B’s were 2/2 on the power play heading into the third period.

    Early in the third period, after keeping the puck in the zone, Zdeno Chara (1) rocketed a shot from the point that beat Andersen as Bergeron screened the Maple Leafs goaltender.

    Chara’s goal was unassisted at 5:39 of the third period and gave the Bruins a three-goal lead, 5-2.

    With the goal, Chara (42 years, 30 days), became the second-oldest defender in NHL history to score a goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, trailing Chris Chelios (45 years, 86 days) for the record.

    Midway through the period, McAvoy’s stick rode up Hyman’s shaft and caught the Maple Leafs forward in the face, yielding a high-sticking infraction and presenting Toronto with their third power play of the night at 11:42.

    Ten seconds into the ensuing skater advantage, after working the puck around the zone, Marner floated the puck through the low slot for the redirection from Matthews (3) past Rask for the power play goal and Matthews’ second goal of the game.

    Marner (2) and Rielly (3) tallied the assists as the Leafs pulled to within two-goals, 5-3, at 11:52 of the third period.

    With momentum on their side, Travis Dermott (1) unloaded a shot from the point past the Bruins goaltender to make it a one-goal game at 13:27.

    Jake Gardiner (1) and Brown (1) notched the assists as Boston’s lead was cut to one, 5-4, after Toronto scored a pair of goals in a span of 1:35.

    Maple Leafs head coach, Mike Babcock, pulled his goaltender for the extra attacker with 1:55 remaining in regulation.

    Despite every last effort by the Leafs, Boston held the line and mustered the puck out of the zone, including the final drive initiated by Krejci up to Nordstrom (1) for the empty net goal at 19:58 of the third period to put the game away, 6-4, on the road.

    Krejci (1) had the only assist on the goal– Nordstrom’s first career Stanley Cup Playoff goal.

    At the final horn, the Bruins had secured the victory, despite trailing in shots on goal, 42-31.

    Boston finished the night leading in blocked shots (25-12) and face-off win% (59-41), while Toronto led in giveaways (14-13) and hits (37-35).

    The Maple Leafs finished 1/3 on the power play on Wednesday and the B’s finished 2/2 on the skater advantage.

    With his ninth and tenth career postseason goals in 22 career Stanley Cup Playoff games (all with Boston), Pastrnak trails only Gregg Sheppard (14 games), Barry Pederson (15 games) and Derek Sanderson (19 games) for the fastest to reach 10 career postseason goals.

    The two clubs square off in Game 5 at TD Garden in Boston on Friday night with the series tied, 2-2. Viewers in the United States can tune in for puck drop at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN, while Canadian fans can catch the action on CBC, SN, or TVAS.

  • Maple Leafs edge out Bruins, 3-2, in Game 3

    Some nights it’s a 60-minute effort. Other nights all of the scoring occurs in the second period, en route to a, 3-2, victory by the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Boston Bruins at Scotiabank Arena in Game 3 of their 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round matchup.

    Oh and Toronto still produced a 60-minute effort.

    Frederik Andersen (2-1-0 record, 2.33 goals against average, .947 save percentage in three games played this postseason) made 34 saves on 36 shots faced (.944 SV%) in the win for Toronto.

    Bruins goaltender, Tuukka Rask (1-2-0, 2.36 GAA, .928 SV% in three games played this postseason) stopped 31 out of 34 shots faced (.912 SV%) in the loss.

    The Maple Leafs hold a, 2-1, series lead for the third time in the last 15 years. Toronto led the Ottawa Senators, 2-1, in the 2004 Eastern Conference Quaterfinals and the Washington Capitals, 2-1, in the 2017 First Round.

    After winning, 4-1, in Game 2 at TD Garden on Saturday, the Bruins tied the series, 1-1. Charlie Coyle, Brad Marchand, Danton Heinen and Patrice Bergeron had goals for Boston in Saturday night’s win.

    Toronto’s Nazem Kadri scored the only goal for the Leafs in Game 2, but was suspended for the remainder of the First Round for cross-checking Jake DeBrusk in the head.

    Heading into Game 3 on Monday, Bruce Cassidy indicated Torey Krug and DeBrusk would be good to go in Toronto (despite both players looking as though they would need to remain in concussion protocol– Krug left Saturday night’s action and DeBrusk looked “off” according to most beat reporters after the game).

    Steven Kampfer was inserted on the third defensive pairing with Connor Clifton (upper body) out of commission for Monday night as a result of an injury sustained in Game 2.

    As a result, Kampfer made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut for the first time after spending parts of seven seasons in the NHL. Originally drafted 93rd overall in the 2007 NHL Draft by the Anaheim Ducks, Kampfer was previously acquired by the Bruins and made his NHL debut in the 2010-11 season.

    After suiting up in 10 games for Boston in 2011-12, he was traded to the Minnesota Wild where he went on to play in 13 games before resurfacing at the NHL level with the Florida Panthers in the 2014-15 season.

    In 2016-17, Kampfer was traded from the Panthers to the New York Rangers, where he spent time as a depth defender until Sept. 11, 2018, when he was reacquired by the B’s in the Adam McQuaid trade.

    The 30-year-old blue liner has 13-19–32 totals in 201 career regular season games in the NHL.

    Joining Clifton in the press box at Scotiabank Arena on Monday were John Moore (upper body), Sean Kuraly (fractured right hand) and Dan Vladar (healthy scratch).

    Moore participated in morning skate in a full-contact jersey, but was not ready to return to game action.

    Kevan Miller (upper body) and Marcus Johansson (illness) did not travel with the club for Game 3, but Johansson may return for Game 4 and should likely join the team by Wednesday.

    Cassidy kept Marchand, Bergeron and David Pastrnak as his first line with DeBrusk, David Krejci and Karson Kuhlman filling out the remainder of his top-six forwards.

    With Johansson still out of the lineup, Heinen suited up to the left of Coyle with David Backes on the right wing of the third line and Joakim Nordstrom, Noel Acciari and Chris Wagner comprising of the fourth line trio.

    On defense, Zdeno Chara remained paired with Charlie McAvoy, while Krug and Brandon Carlo filled out the top-four blue liners.

    Matt Grzelcyk played alongside Kampfer on the third pairing.

    Late in the first period, Ron Hainsey was penalized for interference at 16:36, resulting in the first power play of the game for Boston.

    The Bruins did not convert on the ensuing skater advantage and took a penalty of their own at 19:21 of the first period, as McAvoy was assessed a holding the stick infraction against Frederik Gauthier.

    Toronto failed to capitalize on their first power play opportunity.

    Entering the first intermission, the score remained tied, 0-0, as Boston led in shots on goal, 15-10.

    The B’s also held the advantage in blocked shots (8-4), takeaways (2-1) and giveaways (4-2), while the Maple Leafs led in hits (19-16) and face-off win percentage (56-44).

    Both clubs were 0/1 on the power play heading into the second period.

    Early in the middle frame, the Leafs fired a shot on goal that squeaked through Rask and was left sitting in the crease behind the Boston goaltender, while Krug was out of position on defense.

    Trevor Moore (1) pounced on the loose puck and picked up his first career Stanley Cup Playoff goal to give Toronto the lead, 1-0, at 2:38 of the second period.

    Morgan Rielly (1) and Tyler Ennis (1) tabbed the assists on the goal.

    Despite allowing the game’s first goal, the Bruins rallied and tied the game 52 seconds later after working the puck down low, then back into the slot for DeBrusk to keep the play alive and generate a rebound.

    Upon finding the puck in the low slot, Krejci (1) pocketed it into the twine at 3:30 of the second period.

    DeBrusk (1) and Kuhlman (1) had the assists on the goal and the game was tied, 1-1. With the secondary assist on the goal, Kuhlman picked up the first career point in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

    Shortly thereafter, while attempting to clearJohn Tavares from the slot, McAvoy checked the Maple Leafs forward into his own goaltender– leaving Rask slow to get up, but the Bruins netminder did not come out of the game.

    Right at the midpoint of the period, Backes caught Kasperi Kapanen with a high-stick and served a two-minute minor in the penalty box at 10:00 of the second period.

    Toronto’s ensuing power play only needed 12 seconds to convert on the skater advantage as the Maple Leafs won the ensuing offensive zone face-off, sent the puck around the boards and quickly back through the slot from Andreas Johnsson to Auston Matthews (1) for the power play goal.

    Johnsson (1) and Mitch Marner (1) were credited with the assists on the goal at 10:12 and the Leafs led, 2-1.

    Moments later, Grzelcyk cut a rut to the sin bin for hooking Patrick Marleau at 15:59.

    Late on the resulting power play, Johnsson (1) sent a backhanded shot over Rask’s glove side after sneaking in on a loose puck while Kampfer left his post as the sole defender responsible for the front of Boston’s net while his partner was off fighting for the puck in the corner.

    Johnsson’s power play goal made it, 3-1, Toronto at 17:12 and was assisted by Tavares (2) and Matthews (1).

    Less than a minute later, Jake Muzzin was penalized for holding Heinen at 17:45 and the Bruins went on the power play.

    Boston was sure to convert on the resulting skater advantage, thanks to Coyle’s (2) effort on a rebound– with Andersen down and out of position– in the lot slot to cut the Maple Leafs lead to one-goal.

    Heinen (1) and Grzelcyk (2) notched the assists on Coyle’s power play goal– his second goal in two games– at 19:22 of the second period.

    Toronto led, 3-2, entering the second intermission as both teams were even in shots on goal, 26-26.

    The Maple Leafs held the advantage in shots on goal in the second period alone (16-11), as well as the lead in hits (34-27) and face-off win% (60-40) through two periods of action.

    After 40 minutes of play, Boston led in blocked shots (10-6) and giveaways (6-5), while both teams had three takeaways aside.

    The Leafs were 2/3 on the power play and the B’s were 1/2 on the skater advantage heading into the final frame of regulation.

    There were no goals scored in the third period, but Nikita Zaitsev sent the puck over the glass and out of play for an automatic delay of game penalty at 5:01.

    Boston did not convert on the ensuing power play.

    With about 90 seconds remaining in regulation, Cassidy pulled his goaltender for the extra attacker and even used his only timeout after a stoppage with 65 seconds remaining on the clock.

    The Bruins were not able to utilize their skater advantage and tie the game as Toronto ate up every chance Boston put forward and time expired in the action.

    At the sound of the final horn on Monday, the Maple Leafs had won, 3-2, and finished the night leading in blocked shots (16-14), hits (42-33) and face-off win% (56-44). Toronto went 2/3 on the power play.

    Across the sheet of ice at Scotiabank Arena, the Bruins wrapped up Monday night’s action leading in shots on goal (36-34) and giveaways (14-11) and finished 1/3 on the power play.

    Toronto leads the series, 2-1, heading into Game 4 at home on Wednesday, while Boston fell to 0-2-0 when trailing after two periods this postseason.

    Puck drop on Wednesday is scheduled for a little after 7:00 p.m. ET and viewers in the United States can tune into the action on NBCSN, while Canadian viewers can tune to CBC or TVAS.

  • Maple Leafs jump out to, 1-0, series lead in Boston

    Mitch Marner had a pair of goals in the Toronto Maple Leafs’, 4-1, victory over the Boston Bruins at TD Garden in Game 1 of their 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round matchup on Thursday.

    Frederik Andersen (1-0-0 record, 1.00 goals against average, .974 save percentage in one game played this postseason) made 37 saves on 38 shots against in the win for Maple Leafs.

    Bruins goaltender, Tuukka Rask (0-1-0, 3.05 GAA, .906 SV% in one GP this postseason) stopped 29 out of 32 shots faced in the loss.

    Toronto leads the series, 1-0, and is 1-0 this postseason, while Boston is 0-1.

    The two clubs are meeting in the playoffs for the 3rd time since 2013, Bruins prevailing in seven games in 2013 and 2018 over the Leafs.

    Boston re-assigned Anton Blidh, Trent Frederic, Jeremy Lauzon and Zach Senyshyn to the Providence Bruins (AHL) on Sunday ahead of their 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round matchup after utilizing the group of forwards to rest their veteran players for the series against the Leafs.

    Sean Kuraly (fractured right hand) and John Moore (upper body) remain day-to-day, but continue to skate on their own after practice. Kevan Miller (lower body) remains unavailable and inactive.

    Bruce Cassidy revealed his lines for the B’s ahead of Thursday’s game, leaving Karson Kuhlman on the second line right wing with Jake DeBrusk and David Krejci, while moving Danton Heinen to the third line with Marcus Johansson and Charlie Coyle.

    Cassidy also kept Joakim Nordstrom, Noel Acciari and Chris Wagner together on his fourth line, while scratching David Backes.

    On defense, with Miller and Moore out of the lineup, Cassidy inserted Connor Clifton on the right side of the third pair with Matt Grzelcyk.

    Steven Kampfer was the only defender that was a healthy scratch for the B’s.

    Midway through the opening frame, William Nylander caught Clifton with a high-stick and was assessed a two-minute minor penalty at 8:55 of the first period.

    Less than a minute into the ensuing power play, Boston worked the puck around the offensive zone as Brad Marchand connected with Patrice Bergeron (1) to give the Bruins the lead, 1-0, at 9:31 of the first period.

    Marchand (1) and Torey Krug (1) collected the assists on Bergeron’s power play goal as Marchand faked a shot and slid a pass across the ice to a wide-open Bergeron, forcing Andersen to play catch up.

    With the goal, the current longest-tenured alternate captain in the NHL (Bergeron) now has four goals and eight assists (12 points) in his last eight playoff games against Toronto.

    Late in the period, Marner (1) tied the game, 1-1, as the Maple Leafs pounced on an erratic face-off in the attacking zone, first tipping the puck off the near post, then banking it off a body in front of the Bruins net and into the twine.

    Jake Muzzin (1) and John Tavares (1) were credited with the primary and secondary assists, respectively, at 16:44.

    After 20 minutes of play, the score was tied, 1-1, with the Maple Leafs leading in shots on goal (10-8), as well as takeaways (7-5), giveaways (6-5), hits (17-14) and face-off win percentage (58-42).

    Boston led in blocked shots (4-2) and was 1/1 on the power play entering the first intermission. Toronto had yet to see any time on the skater advantage heading into the second period.

    Early in the middle frame, Kasperi Kapanen caught DeBrusk with a high-stick and took a trip to the penalty box with a minor penalty at 2:16 of the second period.

    The B’s failed to convert on the resulting skater advantage and allowed a shorthanded breakaway that nearly resulted in a goal for Marner.

    Instead, DeBrusk tripped Marner as the Leafs winger reached the crease and rewarded Marner with a penalty shot at 2:47.

    Marner (2) scored his second goal of the game– a shorthanded penalty shot goal– after getting Rask to commit to the poke check, pulling the puck around the Boston netminder and pocketing it into the mostly open twine.

    No. 16 in blue-and-white became just the 5th player in NHL history to score a shorthanded penalty shot goal in the playoffs and the first Toronto player to convert on the penalty shot since Mats Sundin did so against the Buffalo Sabres in Game 4 of the 1999 Eastern Conference Final on May 29, 1999.

    Late in the period, Nylander (1) scored off the paddle of Rask’s stick and through the Bruins goaltender’s five-hole after receiving a stretch pass from Nazem Kadri and breaking into the zone all alone.

    Kadri (1) and Patrick Marleau (1) notched the assists on Nylander’s goal and the Maple Leafs led, 3-1, at 18:25.

    Through two periods of play, Toronto led, 3-1, on the scoreboard and in blocked shots (8-7), takeaways (12-6), giveaways (9-5) and hits (25-21).

    Boston led in shots on goal (29-24– including a, 21-14, advantage in the second period alone) and face-off win% (52-48) entering the third period.

    The B’s were also 1/2 on the power play after 40 minutes of action.

    Midway through the final frame, Zdeno Chara was penalized for interference against Marleau to the displeasure of the Boston crowd– despite the obvious infraction– at 11:45 of the third period.

    Toronto did not convert on their only power play opportunity of the night.

    With 2:37 remaining in regulation, Cassidy pulled his goaltender for an extra attacker. About a minute later, after a stoppage in play, Cassidy used his timeout to draw up a plan to score at least one goal and cut into Toronto’s two-goal lead.

    Things didn’t go as planned for the Bruins.

    After winning a face-off in the neutral zone, Boston bungled a pass that was quickly intercepted by Tavares (1) as the Leafs center went on to bury the puck in the empty goal frame, icing the win, 4-1, for Toronto at 18:41 of the third period.

    Tavares’ first postseason goal as a Maple Leaf was unassisted.

    At the final horn, Toronto took the, 1-0, series lead with a, 4-1, victory on road ice, despite finishing the night trailing in shots on goal, 38-33.

    The Maple Leafs finished Thursday night leading in blocked shots (14-11), giveaways (12-7) and hits (33-31), while both teams were 50-50 in face-off win%.

    Boston went 1/2 on the power play and Toronto went 0/1 on the skater advantage.

    In their four regular season meetings, the team that scored the game’s first goal went on to win all four games. On Thursday, the team that scored the game’s first goal lost.

    Welcome to the postseason. It’s a whole new [hockey] game.

    Game 2 is Saturday night at TD Garden with puck drop expected shortly after 8 p.m. ET. Viewers can tune into NBC, CBC or TVAS.

  • Bolts tie 1995-96 Red Wings, win, 6-3, in Boston

    The Tampa Bay Lightning tied an NHL record for the most wins in a season (62, set by the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings) with their, 6-3, victory over the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Saturday afternoon.

    Legendary Red Wings captain and former Lightning General Manager, Steve Yzerman can technically lay claim to being part of both seasons, as he was responsible for the makeup of Tampa’s roster before current Bolts GM Julien BriseBois took over prior to the start of the 2018-19 regular season (Yzerman stepped down citing a desire to spend more time with family).

    Edward Pasquale (2-1-0 record, 3.96 goals against average, .882 save percentage in three games played) made 30 saves on 33 shots against for a .909 SV% in the win for the Lightning.

    Tuukka Rask (27-13-5, 2.48 GAA, .912 SV% in 46 GP) stopped 16 out of 21 shots faced in the loss for the B’s.

    Boston fell to 49-24-9 (107 points) on the season, but already clinched 2nd place in the Atlantic Division prior to Saturday’s loss.

    Tampa improved to 62-16-4 (128 points) and finished 1st in the Atlantic Division (as well as the entire NHL, finishing with the 4th most points in league history).

    Bruce Cassidy rested some players on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild and did so once again against the Lightning on Saturday, sitting Brandon Carlo, Patrice Bergeron, Torey Krug, Noel Acciari, Brad Marchand, while Chris Wagner (lower body), John Moore (upper body), Sean Kuraly (fractured right hand) and Kevan Miller (lower body) missed Saturday’s action due to injury.

    Moore and Kuraly are likely to miss Game 1 of Boston’s First Round matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but will otherwise be considered day-to-day.

    Miller is expected to participate in full practice on Monday.

    With all the scratches for Saturday, Anton Blidh and Jeremy Lauzon were recalled from the Providence Bruins (AHL) ahead of Saturday’s matinee.

    Cassidy kept Jake DeBrusk, David Krejci and David Pastrnak as his top line with Marcus Johansson, Charlie Coyle— suiting up in his 500th career NHL game– and Zach Senyshyn rounding out his top-six forwards.

    Blidh skated on the left wing of the third line, centered by Trent Frederic with David Backes at right wing.

    Danton Heinen, Joakim Nordstrom and Karson Kuhlman filled out the fourth line for Boston.

    On defense, Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy returned as the first defensive pair after both defenders got the night off in Minnesota.

    Matt Grzelcyk and Connor Clifton made up the second pair on the blue line and Lauzon suited up alongside Steven Kampfer.

    Prior to puck drop, the Bruins honored several of their players with end of season awards.

    DeBrusk was named the 2018-19 Eddie Shore Award winner, presented by the “Gallery Gods” for exceptional hustle and determination.

    Marchand was named the 2018-19 Elizabeth Dufresne Award winner, determined by the Boston Chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association for outstanding performance during home games.

    Chara won the 2018-19 John P. Bucyk Award, chosen by John Bucyk himself for the greatest off-ice charitable contributions during the season.

    Finally, Pastrnak (Third Star), Bergeron (Second Star) and Marchand (First Star) took home the end of season Bruins Three Stars (top performers at home games in 2018-19), chosen by 98.5 The Sports Hub– the flagship radio station of Boston Bruins radio broadcasts.

    In addition to the season awards, Rask was honored for breaking the Bruins franchise record for most wins by a goaltender on Feb. 3rd in Washington and presented with a painting. He has 265 career NHL wins in 495 career appearances (all with Boston).

    Krejci (20) opened the scoring at 14:38 of the first period after batting a loose puck out of the air and into the twine to give the Bruins a, 1-0, lead.

    How did it happen?

    McAvoy tried to work a pass over to Krejci on a two-on-one, but Braydon Coburn denied the passing lane, yielding a rebound off his body back to McAvoy for the forward progression towards the goal, whereby Krejci swatted the puck out of the air and into the net behind Pasquale.

    Krejci’s goal was assisted by McAvoy (21) and Pastrnak (42). The goal also gave Boston their fifth 20-goal scorer this season (Pastrnak, 38, Marchand, 36, Bergeron, 32, DeBrusk, 27 and Krejci, 20).

    Late in the period, Heinen (11) sent a wrist shot past Pasquale while Kuhlman was screening the Lightning goaltender to make it, 2-0, Bruins at 19:40.

    Kampfer (3) recorded the only assist on the goal.

    Entering the first intermission, Boston led on the scoreboard, 2-0, and in shots on goal, 11-7. The B’s also led in blocked shots (6-4), takeaways (6-4) and hits (10-9), while the Bolts led in giveaways (4-3) and face-off win percentage (83-17).

    Neither team had yet to see any action on the skater advantage entering the second period.

    Early in the second period, Nordstrom slashed Steven Stamkos and sent the Lightning on the game’s first power play of the afternoon at 2:48.

    In the waning seconds of the power play, Erik Cernak (5) cut the lead in half, 2-1, with a power play goal at 4:41 of the second period.

    J.T. Miller (33) and Yanni Gourde (26) tallied the assists and Tampa started swinging momentum in their favor.

    Coburn later high-sticked Nordstrom at 12:44 and presented the Bruins with their first power play of the day, but things did not go well on the skater advantage.

    For the (league leading) 15th time this season, Boston allowed a shorthanded goal against after Stamkos (45) scooped up the puck and broke into the Lightning’s offensive zone on his own and beat Rask through the five-hole to tie the game, 2-2, at 12:52.

    Worse, the Bruins butchered an attempt to clear the puck out of their own zone moments later and Anthony Cirelli (19) let go of a shot from the face-off circle that deflected off of Heinen’s stick past the Boston netminder.

    Miller (34) and Coburn (19) had the assists on Cirelli’s goal at 16:59 and Tampa led, 3-2, for the first time of the afternoon.

    Boston challenged the call on the ice for goaltender interference, as Alex Killorn had briefly ventured into Rask’s crease, but the call on the ice was not overturned as Killorn did not inhibit Rask’s ability to make a save.

    Cassidy lost his timeout as a result of the failed challenge and the score remained, 3-2, for the Lightning.

    After Mathieu Joseph delivered a hit on Krejci late in the period, Pastrnak took exception to Joseph’s efforts and offered to exchange fisticuffs.

    Instead, Pastrnak received a two-minute minor for roughing at 17:47. Tampa did not convert on the ensuing power play.

    Through 40 minutes of play, the Lightning led, 3-2, on the scoreboard and, 18-17, in shots on goal (including an, 11-6, advantage in the second period alone).

    Boston held onto the advantage in blocked shots (8-5) and takeaways (7-6), while Tampa led in giveaways (8-5), hits (22-18) and face-off win% (68-32) after two periods.

    The Bolts were 1/2 on the power play and the B’s were 0/1 heading into the third period.

    Less than a minute into the third period, Nikita Kucherov (41) wrong-footed Rask and scored on the backhand after breaking through Boston’s defense.

    Ryan McDonagh (37) had the only assist on Kucherov’s goal 53 seconds into the third period and the Lightning led, 4-2.

    With the goal, Kucherov tied, Alexander Mogilny for the most points in a season by a Russian born player (set in 1992-93). He would later add another point in the form of an assist to set the new record for the most points (128) by a Russian born player in a single season.

    Tyler Johnson tripped Clifton at 5:12 and the Bruins went on the power play for their second time of the afternoon. Tampa’s penalty kill matched Boston’s power play efforts and the B’s were not able to capitalize on the skater advantage.

    After Clifton delivered a clean hip-check on Joseph, Joseph retaliated and initiated a scrum in front of the benches about a minute later, resulting in matching minor penalties for cross-checking at 13:04 by Backes (against McDonagh) and Joseph (against Clifton).

    Cernak and Frederic each received a ten-minute misconduct and were sent to their respective dressing rooms early.

    While even strength at 4-on-4, Grzelcyk (3) sent a one-timer top-shelf past Pasquale to bring the Bruins to within one-goal at 14:03 of the third period.

    Pastrnak (43) and Krejci (53) recorded the assists and Boston trailed, 4-3.

    With the secondary assist on Grzelcyk’s goal, Krejci tied a career-high in points (73) set in 2008-09.

    Just 13 seconds after Grzelcyk pulled his team to within one, Coburn (4) floated a shot glove side from the blue line past Rask to make it, 5-3, Lightning at 14:16.

    Cirelli (20) and Girardi (12) tallied the assists on the goal.

    With 2:56 remaining in regulation, Cassidy pulled his goaltender for an extra attacker, but it was to no avail.

    Johnson (29) collected the empty net goal for the Bolts at 18:34 and made it an insurmountable, 6-3, lead for the Lightning.

    Ondrej Palat (26) and Kucherov (87) had the assists on Johnson’s goal and Kucherov set the all-time record for points in a season by a Russian born player (41-87–128 totals).

    At the final horn, the President’s Trophy winning, Tampa Bay Lightning finished the 2nd place in the Atlantic Division, Boston Bruins, 6-3, at TD Garden.

    Boston finished the afternoon leading in shots on goal (33-22– including a, 16-4, advantage in the third period alone) and blocked shots (9-8), while Tampa ended the afternoon leading in takeaways (10-9), giveaways (14-8), hits (27-25) and face-off win% (64-36).

    The Bolts finished Saturday afternoon 1/3 on the power play and the B’s went 0/2.

    The Bruins fell to 34-7-5 when scoring first this season and 2-1-0 in the month of April, while only losing ten games in regulation since Jan. 1st.

  • Lightning at Bruins Preview: 4/6/2019

    The Boston Bruins (49-23-9, 107 points, 2nd in the Atlantic Division) close out their 2018-19 regular season on home ice at TD Garden against the Tampa Bay Lightning (61-16-4, 126 points, 1st in the Atlantic Division) Saturday afternoon.

    Boston is looking to even the season series (1-2-0) against the Lightning after losing, 3-2, in Tampa on Dec. 6th, winning, 4-1, in Boston on Feb. 28th and allowing three unanswered goals in the third period of March 25th’s, 5-4, loss at Amalie Arena.

    The Bolts are seeking to tie an NHL record set by the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings for most wins in a season (62), while the B’s are looking to finish the season with at least 50 wins in consecutive seasons since they did so from 1970-71 to 1973-74.

    Bruins head coach, Bruce Cassidy, told reporters prior to Saturday’s matinee meeting with Tampa that none of his players willingly wanted to come out of the lineup in Thursday night’s, 3-0, shutout of the Minnesota Wild or Saturday.

    Having already clinched home ice in the First Round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Cassidy will role with Jake DeBrusk, David Krejci and David Pastrnak on his first line, while Marcus Johansson, Charlie Coyle and Zach Senyshyn will fill out the rest of the top-six forwards.

    Anton Blidh and Jeremy Lauzon were recalled from the Providence Bruins (AHL) ahead of Saturday’s game and will suit up for Boston while some of the veterans get the afternoon off.

    Blidh will be the third line left wing with Trent Frederic at center and David Backes on the right wing and Lauzon will be paired with Steven Kampfer on the third defensive pairing.

    Danton Heinen, Joakim Nordstrom and Karson Kuhlman will comprise the fourth line against the Lightning.

    Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy return to the action after resting on Thursday. They will be the first defensive pairing, but likely not see much ice time, while Matt Grzelcyk and Connor Clifton anchor the second pair on the blue line for Boston.

    Chris Wagner (lower body), Brandon Carlo (healthy scratch), John Moore (upper body), Patrice Bergeron (healthy scratch), Torey Krug (healthy scratch), Sean Kuraly (fractured right hand), Noel Acciari (healthy scratch), Brad Marchand (healthy scratch) and Kevan Miller (lower body) will all be out against the Bolts.

    Kuraly skated on his own at TD Garden on Saturday morning and Miller is expected to participate at full practice on Monday.

    Tuukka Rask (27-12-5 record, 2.42 goals against average, .915 save percentage in 45 games played) will get the final start of the regular season for Boston.

    Tampa head coach, Jon Cooper, is without the services of Louis Domingue (lower body, day-to-day) and Victor Hedman (upper body, day-to-day) against the Bruins.

    Edward Pasquale (1-1-0, 4.43 GAA, .870 SV% in two games played) will tend the net for the Lightning.

  • Halak leads Bruins to, 3-0, shutout over Wild

    Joakim Nordstrom scored the eventual game-winning goal in the second period en route to the Boston Bruins’, 3-0, shutout of the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday.

    Jaroslav Halak (22-11-4 record, 2.34 goals against average, .922 save percentage in 40 games played) made 26 saves on 26 shots against for his 5th shutout of the season (37th of his career) in the win for Boston.

    Meanwhile, Wild goaltender, Alex Stalock (6-7-3, 2.99 GAA, .896 SV% in 20 GP) stopped 32 out of 34 shots faced for a .941 SV% in the loss.

    The Bruins improved to 49-23-9 (107 points) on the season and have already clinched 2nd place in the Atlantic Division. The Wild fell to 37-35-9 (83 points) and remain 6th in the Central Division– already eliminated from postseason contention.

    Boston improved to 20-15-6 on the road this season and 28-9-5 since Jan. 1st with the win.

    With two games left in the regular season entering Thursday and a First Round matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs to prepare for, Bruins head coach, Bruce Cassidy rested Zdeno Chara, Brad Marchand, David Krejci and Charlie McAvoy and sat them out of the lineup.

    Chris Wagner (lower body) also missed Thursday night’s action, while John Moore (upper body) and Sean Kuraly (fractured right hand) remain week-to-week.

    Zach Senyshyn and Trent Frederic were recalled on emergency basis from the Providence Bruins (AHL) on Wednesday.

    Senyshyn made his NHL debut for the B’s Thursday night and was placed on the second line right wing with Marcus Johansson and Charlie Coyle.

    Cassidy left Jake DeBrusk, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak as his first line, but did not play them much.

    Meanwhile, Danton Heinen returned from an illness on Tuesday and took the ice on the third line left wing with Frederic down the middle and Karson Kuhlman on the right side.

    Nordstrom, Noel Acciari and David Backes remained the usual suspects on the fourth line.

    With Chara and McAvoy out of the lineup, Cassidy slid every defender on the depth chart up a pairing.

    Torey Krug and Brandon Carlo were the first pair, Matt Grzelcyk and Kevan Miller were the second pair and Steven Kampfer suited up alongside Connor Clifton as the latter two defenders returned to the lineup after serving as healthy scratches on Tuesday in Columbus.

    There were no penalties and there was no scoring in the first period as Senyshyn became the 7th Bruin to make his NHL debut this season and Cassidy kicked off his 300th game as an NHL head coach.

    After one period, Minnesota held the advantage in shots on goal (9-8), blocked shots (5-4), takeaways (2-1), giveaways (3-0) and hits (7-4), while Boston led in face-off win percentage (53-47).

    Both clubs had yet to see time on the skater advantage entering the first intermission.

    The B’s had an injury scare 20 seconds into the 2nd period as Miller collided with Jordan Greenway and slid into the lower portion of the boards without being able to brace for impact. Miller left the game briefly to return later in the period, but did not return for the third period.

    Cassidy indicated Miller has a lower body injury, but should be good to go on Saturday.

    Midway through the period, Grzelcyk fired a shot that caromed off the end boards as Acciari worked the puck from the rebound to Nordstrom in front of the goal.

    Nordstrom (7) fired a shot past Stalock and the Bruins led, 1-0, at 8:21 of the second period.

    Acciari (8) and Grzelcyk (15) tallied the assists on the goal.

    Late in the period, Luke Kunin cross checked Clifton and was assessed a minor penalty at 14:54. Boston did not convert on the ensuing power play.

    Through 40 minutes of play, the Bruins led, 1-0, on the scoreboard and, 26-18, in shots on goal (including an, 18-9, advantage in the second period alone).

    The Wild led in blocked shots (13-4), takeaways (7-5), giveaways (4-1) and hits (13-8) after two periods, while Boston continued to lead in face-off win% (52-48).

    Minnesota had yet to see any time on the power play, but Boston was 0/1 entering the third period.

    Kunin exchanged pleasantries early in the third period with Carlo and the two received matching roughing minors at 1:58.

    Almost four minute later, Clifton was penalized for interference at 5:44 of the third period and the Wild went on the power play for their first time of the night.

    Minnesota failed to capitalized on their only skater advantage opportunity of the game.

    Midway through the final frame of regulation, Brad Hunt picked up an interference minor and the B’s went back on the power play at 11:30. Boston’s power play was unsuccessful.

    Moments later, after DeBrusk brought the puck deep into the offensive zone, No. 74 in black and gold flipped the rubber biscuit through the slot on a backhand pass to Pastrnak (38) for the two-goal lead.

    DeBrusk (15) and Carlo (8) notched the assists on Pastrnak’s goal at 17:15 and the Bruins led, 2-0.

    With almost two minutes remaining in regulation, Bruce Boudreau pulled his goaltender for an extra attacker as the Wild tried to even things up in their final home game of the season.

    Things did not go as planned.

    Less than a minute after Pastrnak’s goal, Senyshyn (1) received a pass from Johansson and buried the puck on the empty net to make it an insurmountable three-goal lead at 17:51.

    Johansson (17) and Kampfer (2) were credited with the assists as the Bruins led, 3-0, in Kampfer’s 200th career NHL game.

    At the final horn, Boston won the game, 3-0, and finished the night leading in shots on goal (35-26) and face-off win% (54-46). Minnesota wrapped up their last home game of the 2018-19 season leading in blocked shots (15-14), giveaways (7-3) and hits (18-13).

    The B’s were 0/2 on the power play and the Wild finished Thursday night 0/1 on the skater advantage.

    The Bruins finish the 2018-19 regular season at home on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

    Boston will host the Maple Leafs in the First Round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs for Games 1 and 2 (5 and 7, if necessary).

  • Bruins at Wild Preview: 4/4/2019

    For the last time in the regular season, the Boston Bruins (48-23-9, 105 points, 2nd in the Atlantic Division) enter a matchup as the road team as they take on the Minnesota Wild (37-34-9, 83 points, 6th in the Central Division) at Xcel Energy Center Thursday night.

    The Bruins have lost nine games in regulation since Jan. 1st and are 19-15-6 on the road this season, coming off a, 6-2, victory in Columbus on Tuesday.

    Boston wraps up their three-game road trip (1-1-0) against the Wild before heading home for a Saturday afternoon matinee battle with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

    The Bruins beat Minnesota, 4-0, on Jan. 8th at TD Garden earlier this season.

    Bruce Cassidy indicated to reporters that the B’s will rest Zdeno Chara, David Krejci, Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy ahead of their First Round matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

    As such, Chara, Krejci, Marchand and McAvoy join Chris Wagner (lower body), Sean Kuraly (fractured right hand) and John Moore (upper body) out of the lineup against Minnesota on Thursday.

    Trent Frederic and Zach Senyshyn were recalled on emergency basis on Wednesday with the expectation that both would be ready to go against the Wild.

    Senyshyn, in fact, will be making his NHL debut for the Bruins since being drafted 15th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. The 22-year-old winger has 14-10–24 totals in 62 games with the Providence Bruins (AHL).

    In addition to Frederic and Senyshyn being inserted into the lineup, Danton Heinen will return to action after missing Tuesday’s game against the Blue Jackets due to illness.

    Cassidy is expected to roll with Jake DeBrusk, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak on his first line, with Marcus Johansson, Charlie Coyle and Senyshyn filling out his top-six forwards.

    Heinen, Frederic and Karson Kuhlman took part in the optional skate on the third line prior to Thursday night’s matchup with Joakim Nordstrom, Noel Acciari and David Backes as the usual trio on the fourth line.

    Torey Krug and Brandon Carlo will anchor the first defensive pairing with Matt Grzelcyk and Kevan Miller filling out the second pair.

    Connor Clifton and Steven Kampfer return to the lineup on the third defensive pair after being healthy scratches with Chara and McAvoy resting.

    No Bruins player will have played in all 82 regular season games this season with Krejci out of the lineup on Thursday.

    Jaroslav Halak (21-11-4 record, 2.40 goals against average, .920 save percentage in 39 games played) will get the nod in the crease against the Wild, while Tuukka Rask gets the night off.

    Rask will not get to 30 wins this season– ending his streak of five consecutive seasons with 30-plus wins, a franchise record– for the first time since the lockout shortened, 48-game, 2012-13 season (Rask had 19 wins in 36 games played).

    He has 27 wins in 45 appearances this season.

    Coyle suits up for Boston Thursday night in his first visit Minnesota with his new team since being acquired by the Bruins on Feb. 20th.

    Originally drafted 28th overall in the 2010 NHL Draft by the San Jose Sharks, Coyle never played for the Sharks and was traded to the Wild with Devin Setoguchi and San Jose’s 2011 1st round pick (Zack Phillips) at the 2011 NHL Draft in exchange for Brent Burns and Minnesota’s 2012 2nd round pick (later traded to the Tampa Bay, then flipped to the Nashville Predators– Pontus Aberg).

    Coyle amassed 91-151–242 totals in 479 career games with the Wild.

    Ryan Donato and a conditional 2019 5th round pick were sent from Boston to Minnesota in exchange for Coyle back in February, which means Thursday night is also the first time Donato will go against his former club.

    The 22-year-old forward made his NHL debut on March 19, 2018 for the Bruins and scored his first career goal and recorded 1-2–3 totals in his first career game in a, 5-4, overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

    Donato had 11 goals and seven assists (18 points) in 46 career games with Boston prior to being traded to the Wild.

    He has 4-12–16 totals in 20 games since the trade.

    Minnesota has sold out 228 consecutive regular season games at Xcel Energey Center and wraps up their 2018-19 season at home on Thursday.

    The Wild suffered a, 5-1, loss to the Winnipeg Jets at home on Tuesday and wrap up their season on the road against the Dallas Stars on Saturday.

    They are 14-6-3 all-time against the Bruins with a 6-2-3 record on home ice in that span.

    Alex Stalock (6-6-3, 3.05 GAA, .893 SV% in 19 GP) will get the start for the Wild, while Devan Dubnyk is expected to serve as Thursday’s backup goaltender.

    The Wild have already been eliminated from postseason contention and missed the playoffs for the first time in the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter Era.

    Parise and Suter signed matching 13-year, $98 million contracts with Minnesota on July 4, 2012.

  • Marchand reaches century mark in B’s, 6-2, win

    The Boston Bruins silenced the cannon at Nationwide Arena with a, 6-2, win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.

    Tuukka Rask (27-12-5 record, 2.42 goals against average, .915 save percentage in 45 games played) made 32 saves on 34 shots against for a .915 SV% in the win for the Bruins.

    Blue Jackets goaltender, Sergei Bobrovsky (36-24-1, 2.59 GAA, .913 SV% in 61 GP) stopped 19 out of 23 shots faced for a .913 SV% before being replaced by Joonas Korpiaslo (9-7-3, 3.00 GAA, .895 SV% in 26 GP) after allowing four unanswered goals.

    Korpisalo made three saves on five shots against for no decision in relief of Bobrovsky.

    Boston improved to 48-23-9 (105 points) on the season and clinched 2nd place in the Atlantic Division, while Columbus fell to 45-31-4 (94 points) on the season and 5th in the Metropolitan Division.

    The Bruins also improved to 19-15-6 on the road this season.

    Bruce Cassidy made one adjustment to his lineup heading into Tuesday night’s action as Danton Heinen (illness) was not ready to go. Instead, Chris Wagner slid in on the third line right wing while Marcus Johansson remained on the left wing of Charlie Coyle.

    Connor Clifton joined Steven Kampfer as Boston’s only healthy scratches, while John Moore (upper body) and Sean Kuraly (fractured right hand) remain week-to-week.

    Almost two minutes into the action, Jake DeBrusk (26) flung the puck off the top of the net– yes, the top of the net– and hit the rear crossbar before the puck bounced back towards Bobrovsky, off the Blue Jackets goaltender’s back and into the twine to give the Bruins the lead, 1-0.

    David Krejci (51) and Torey Krug (46) had the assists on DeBrusk’s goal at 1:58 of the first period.

    With the primary assist on the goal, Krejci tied his career-high in assists (51) and points (70) set in the 2008-09 season. Krug also set a career-high in assists (46) with the secondary assist on the goal.

    Late in the period, Coyle generated a rebound off Bobrovsky that Johansson (13) buried to give Boston a two-goal lead. Coyle (22) and Wagner (7) tallied the assists on Johansson’s first goal as a Bruin to make it, 2-0, Boston at 17:27 of the first period.

    After one period, the B’s led, 2-0, on the scoreboard and, 11-8, in shots on goal. Boston also led in blocked shots (5-0) and face-off win percentage (52-48), while Columbus led in takeaways (1-0) and hits (9-6).

    Both teams had one giveaway each and neither team had seen any time on the skater advantage.

    Midway through the second period, Kevan Miller was penalized for boarding Oliver Bjorkstrand at 9:59.

    Columbus’ first power play of the night was shortlived as Alexander Wennberg tripped Zdeno Chara at 10:12 of the second period.

    Both teams spent the next 1:48 at 4-on-4 before the Bruins had a brief abbreviated power play. Neither team converted on the special teams action.

    Late in the middle frame, Brad Marchand (36) made it, 3-0, for the Bruins with an unassisted effort as he followed up and never relented on the play at 15:14.

    Just 46 seconds later, DeBrusk (27) added his second goal of the night on a breakaway at 16:00 of the second period.

    Karson Kuhlman (2) and Krejci (52) tallied the assists on DeBrusk’s goal, leaving Krejci with new career-highs in assists (52) and points (71).

    After DeBrusk made it, 4-0, for Boston, Blue Jackets head coach, John Tortorella, pulled Bobrovsky in place of Korpisalo.

    Through 40 minutes of play, the Bruins led, 4-0, on the scoreboard and, 24-17, in shots on goal. The B’s also led in blocked shots (10-4), while Columbus led in takeaways (2-1), giveaways (3-1), hits (16-13) and face-off win% (51-49).

    Both teams were 0/1 on the power play entering the third period.

    David Pastrnak (37) made it a five-goal lead for Boston 34 seconds into the third period after Patrice Bergeron sent him in the offensive zone with speed.

    Bergeron (47) and Marchand (64) had the assists on the goal and the Bruins led, 5-0. Marchand’s secondary assist was his 100th point of the season, making him the first Bruin since Joe Thornton to reach the 100-point mark (Thornton notched 100 points in 2002-03 for Boston).

    No. 63 for the black and gold also became the 10th player in franchise history to amass 100 points or more in a season.

    He followed up his historical marker with an interference penalty against former Bruin, Riley Nash, at 4:13 of the third period.

    Columbus capitalized on the power play when Bjorkstrand (22) unloaded a shot from the face-off circle to the left of Rask as Nick Foligno screened the Boston goaltender.

    Seth Jones (37) and Josh Anderson (20) notched the assists at 5:51 of the third period and the Bruins led, 5-1.

    Less than a minute later, Charlie McAvoy caught Anderson with a high-stick and drew some blood at 6:24, yielding a four-minute double-minor penalty.

    Boston killed off the first half of the double-minor with ease, but Matt Duchene (31) snagged a power play goal at 9:14 with a shot from close range as Rask dove across the crease behind the play.

    Artemi Panarin (57) and Cam Atkinson (28) had the assists on Duchene’s goal and the Bruins led, 5-2.

    About a minute later, Kuhlman (3) pounced on an odd puck bounce and answered back in a hurry after DeBrusk whiffed on a one-timer and pocketed the puck in the twine behind Korpisalo while the Columbus netminder was out of position.

    DeBrusk (14) and Krug (47) had the assists on Kuhlman’s goal at 10:28 of the third period and Boston led, 6-2.

    At the sound of the final horn, the Bruins had won, 6-2, and awaited the eventual Carolina Hurricanes’, 4-1, victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Toronto to clinch home ice in the First Round matchup with the Leafs.

    Boston finished the night leading in blocked shots (17-5), while Columbus ended Tuesday night’s action with the advantage in shots on goal (34-28), giveaways (5-2), hits (22-17) and face-off win% (54-46).

    The Blue Jackets went 2/4 on the power play on the night, while the Bruins went 0/1.

    With the win, the B’s improved to 33-6-5 when scoring first this season and 30-3-3 when leading after two periods.

    The Bruins are now 1-1-0 on their three-game road trip.

    Boston visits the Minnesota Wild on Thursday in their last road game of the regular season before hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday to close out the regular season at home.