Leafs dump Bruins 4-3 at ACC,
If this was a warmup for a potential playoff encounter, then the Maple Leafs proved they’re ready for a grind-it-out affair with the Boston Bruins.
The teams traded goals and chances — and fought each other with hard forechecking — for almost three periods before Ron Hainsey’s slapshot with1:23 left in the game sent Toronto to a 4-3 win.
Playing without an injured Auston Matthews, Toronto proved battleworthy against a Bruins team that had won 16 of its last 21 games.
The Leafs won for the 14th time in 17 games — and tied a club record with their ninth straight home win — to vault past the Bruins by a point into second place in the Atlantic Division.
The teams could face each other in what would be an intense first-round battle. But they’re also chasing first in the division. The Leafs face the East-leading Lightning Monday in Tampa.
Leafs coach Mike Babcock shook things up a bit prior to the game — most notably, sliding William Nylander into Matthews’ vacant centre spot, and bringing Mitch Marner up to play the wing opposite Zach Hyman.
Marner wound up with a goal and three assists, while Nylander picked up a pair of assists in a solid first shot with the unit.
Marner, now with 51 points, also took over the team lead in scoring from Matthews.
After a pre-game vow to clamp down on their checking assignments and give the Bruins little room to operate, Boston sparkplug Brad Marchand was left alone — twice — in the first 15:02 of the opening period and popped in a pair of goals.
Nazem Kadri, Patrick Marleau and Leo Komarov saw a lot of Marchand. Babcock put Komarov back on the Kadri line for the specific purpose of matching up against Boston’s potent top unit, centred by Bergeron, which entered the game with 71 goals this season.
Kadri was particularly lax on Marchand’s second goal, failing to pick him up as he broke to the net off a pass from Bergeron.
Kadri responded at the other end of the ice, though, bagging a pair of power-play goals — both off feeds from Marner.
Matthews missed his first game since suffering a shoulder injury Thursday, and the latest update doesn’t suggest a quick recovery.
“He’s injured, he’s fine . . . he’s going to get better,” Babcock said at Saturday’s morning skate.
“We always tell you day-to-day. That usually means 10 (days) and then we go from there. As fast we can get him back and ready to play, and healthy, that’s what we’ll do. We’d like to have him back. He want to be back. So when he gets back, (medical staff ) will tell me.”
Josh Leivo drew back into the lineup with Matthews on the sidelines, marking his first game since the Leafs’ New Year’s Eve game in Las Vegas.