Leafs deeper in hole after Bruins take Game 4 of series
Marchand and Rask lift Boston to 3-1 series lead over Toronto
TORONTO (CP) — Facing an opponent missing arguably its best player in front of a raucous home crowd, the Toronto Maple Leafs felt pretty good heading into Thursday.
Less than three hours later, they had been pushed to the playoff brink.
Brad Marchand scored the winner and Tuukka Rask made 31 saves as the Boston Bruins beat the Leafs 3-1 for a commanding 3-1 lead in their first-round series.
Boston was without No. 1 centre Patrice Bergeron, who was a late scratch with an upper-body injury, but it didn’t matter as the Bruins ground out a victory on a night where some of Toronto’s young stars failed to produce on the big stage.
“We were set up pretty good,” Leafs coach Mike Babcock lamented. “We didn’t take advantage. “That’s on us.” Torey Krug and Jake DeBrusk had the other goals for the Bruins, who can seal the Eastern Conference quarterfinal at home in Game 5 on Saturday. David Pastrnak added two assists.
Tomas Plekanec replied for the Leafs — with his first goal since being acquired at the trade deadline — while Frederik Andersen finished with 18 saves.
Toronto will look to bring the series back to Air Canada Centre on Monday with a win at TD Garden — a venue where the Leafs were outscored by a combined 12-4 in Games 1 and 2.
“We gave them opportunities and they didn’t miss,” Leafs forward Mitch Marner said of Thursday’s loss. “Now it’s do or die.”
Part of a top line with Marchand and Pastrnak that combined for 20 points in the Bruins’ two emphatic home victories, Bergeron was hurt in Monday’s 4-2 defeat and was forced to sit out.
Riley Nash had to take his spot between Marchand and Pastrnak.
“It doesn’t matter (if Bergeron’s out),” Marchand said. “You play the same way.”
Marchand snapped a 1-1 tie with 3:05 left in the second period after the Bruins were whistled for icing. 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 pinching 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 couple chances earlier in the period to push ahead — including a Marner breakaway that Rask turned aside with the blocker — but were unable to break through.
Boston stretched its lead to 3-1 at 4:17 of the third on another poor decision by Toronto at the offensive blue line. 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.
“Both their 2-on-1s . . . they buried,” said Babcock. “In the end, that’s the game.”
AHL defenceman of the year, Niku, could draw in for Jets tonight
WINNIPEG — Captain Blake Wheeler isn’t too worried if rookie defenceman Sami Niku fills a hole in the Winnipeg Jets’ depleted defence.
Niku was called up from the Manitoba Moose on Thursday, where he posted 54 points in 76 regular-season games and was named the American Hockey League’s defenceman of the year.
The 21-year-old from Finland could make his NHL playoff debut in tonight’s Game 5 against the Minnesota Wild as a replacement for suspended blueliner Josh Morrissey.
The Jets lead the best-of-seven series 3-1 and could win the Western Conference quarterfinal at home in front of 15,000 white-clad fans.
Niku made a great impression on Jets’ players in his first regular-season NHL game against the Montreal Canadiens on April 3.
“Sami Niku has played one game in the NHL and he scored one goal,” Wheeler said with a smile when asked what he expects if Niku plays.
The Jets were a loose bunch after practice Thursday, a day after Morrissey was given a one-game suspension for cross-checking Wild centre Eric Staal in the neck during the Jets’ 2-0 victory on Tuesday.
Winnipeg already lost defenceman Tyler Myers to a lower-body injury in Game 3. He didn’t skate Thursday and neither did injured Toby Enstrom and Dmitry Kulikov.