The goal horn blared at Air Canada Centre, and the fans erupted in a sea of blue and white. Flags flew, lights flashed, and a new series was born.
Coming into the game down 0-2 to the Bruins, the Leafs were in an all but must-win situation. It wasn’t an elimination game, but everyone knows that going down 0-3 is a death wish in the NHL Playoffs (no, I don’t want to hear about the 2010 Flyers). In their first playoff game on home ice, the Leafs showed out in force. They looked faster, crisper, and far more engaged than they had in Games 1 and 2.
Between the pipes, Freddy Andersen outplayed Tuukka Rask in Game 3 after being seriously outmatched in his prior two showings. Auston Matthews finally found the scoresheet with a dart from the left circle, beating Tuukka short side on a shot that few in the league are capable of making. The Bruins offense, most notably the first line, was unable to capitalize on its plethora of opportunities to put the puck in the back of the net--Andersen certainly deserves credit for stopping 40 of 42 shots, but Boston rang iron several times, and Andersen’s biggest save came on a shot when Pastrnak had the entire net to shoot at but happened to put it right where Andersen’s paddle was desperately flung.
Ultimately, the B’s missed a prime chance to step on Toronto’s throat, which makes Game 4 all the more important. Auston Matthews seems to have found his stride, and the Game 3 victory puts wind in the sails of not only Leafs players but also the fans who figure to pack Air Canada Centre on Thursday night. I expect Boston to brave a Toronto storm for the first few minutes of Game 4, and Tuukka needs to step up to quiet the crowd.
If the Bruins can weather Toronto’s surge, I expect they’ll win Thursday’s matchup as well as the series. Another point of emphasis should be Boston’s awareness of what’s going on behind them. Several times (including on Patrick Marleau’s first tally), Toronto wingers curled behind the Bruins defense, taking passes from the Leafs d-men and springing odd-man rushes. Sure, this is partially a product of Toronto’s exceptional speed, but Boston did a far better job in Games 1 and 2 of preventing passes to wingers who fled the zone.
On Thursday night, the Bruins need to be more defensively aware and offensively poised. But more than anything, Boston better show up with physicality, nastiness, and the willingness to bang bodies. If they do that, Toronto will balk; the Leafs simply don’t have the guts, size, or strength to go toe-to-toe with the likes of David Backes, Zdeno Chara, and Kevan Miller.
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