Bruins fend off Leafs without Bergeron
TORONTO — Brad Marchand scored the go-ahead goal in the second period and Tuukka Rask made 31 saves as the Boston Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 on Thursday to grab a commanding 3-1 lead in their first-round playoff series.
Torey Krug and Jake DeBrusk had the other goals for the Bruins, who can wrap up the Eastern Conference quarterfinal when they host Game 5 on Saturday at Boston’s TD Garden. David Pastrnak added two assists.
Game 6, if necessary, would be played Monday back at Air Canada Centre.
Tomas Plekanec replied for the Leafs — with his first goal since being acquired at the trade deadline — while Frederik Andersen finished with 18 saves.
Patrice Bergeron, part of a top line that combined for 20 points in the Bruins’ two emphatic home victories to open the series, was a surprise late scratch with an upperbody injury. Riley Nash had to take his spot between Marchand and Pastrnak.
Marchand snapped a 1-1 tie for Boston with 3:05 left in the second after the Bruins were whistled for icing. Leafs head coach Mike Babcock put his top line, centered by Auston Matthews, out hoping to pounce on a tired group, but Nash won the draw to Adam McQuaid, whose clearing attempt up the boards skipped past Toronto defenceman Jake Gardiner.
Pastrnak moved in on a 2-on-1 with Marchand, faking a shot to draw the overaggressive Nikita Zaitsev to him before feeding his linemate with a slick pass for a wide-open net.
The Leafs had a number of chances earlier in the period to push ahead — including a Mitch Marner breakaway off a stretch pass from Morgan Rielly that Rask turned aside with the blocker — but were unable to get one by Rask.
Boston then made it 3-1 at 4:17 of the third on another bad Toronto pinch. David Krejci blocked Travis Dermott’s shot and raced the other way on a 2-on-1 before finding DeBrusk, who beat a helpless Andersen after Roman Polak failed to block the pass across.
The speedy Leafs found their legs and space through the neutral zone in their 4-2 victory in Game 3 on Monday, but found it tough to find room against the Bruins again.
Pastrnak now has 11 points in the series (four goals, seven assists), while Marchand has seven (two goals, five assists).