Leafs win over short-handed Bruins in tight affair
Highlights from the Leafs’ 4-2 win over the Bruins at home: Big night for Leafs defence
man— Travis Dermott notched his first goal of the season, and Igor Ozhiganov his career first goal, as the Leafs stopped a Boston team that was without superstars Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron. Josh Leivo had a power-play goal, while Zach Hyman finished things off with an empty-netter with 1:35 remaining in the game. David Pastrnak — a Leaf killer since last season — picked up a pair of goals for the visitors.
Offensive stars— This space is seemingly reserved for Mitch Marner, who had another splendidly creative night. Picked up two assists, and now leads the NHL in primary assists with 24. Marner marked his ninth multiassist game, also good for the NHL lead. He had 10 such games all of last season . . . Nazem Kadri had three great scoring chances in the first and hit a post on one of them. He was very dangerous in that opening frame.
Defensive stars—Freddie Anderson, as always, was very sharp when his team was pinned in its own zone. The Bruins fired the first 13 shots of the second period, and outshot the Leafs 17-9 overall in the middle frame. They managed one goal — a Pastrnak powerplay marker — a reflection of
how good Andersen was there . . . Andreas Johnsson had two very key shot blocks in the game.
Turning point— Leivo’s powerplay goal at 18:38 of the second period broke a 2-2 tie, setting up a tense third period where the Leafs held on for their 17th win over the season. Takeaways— David Pastrnak loves playing the Leafs — his two goals gave him 10 in 13 career games vs. Toronto; he also has 10 goals against Tampa in 17 games. If you count playoffs, it’s 15 goals in 20 games for Pastrnak vs. Toronto. Talking point— Ryan Fabro of Sportsnet 590 The Fan tweeted during the game that he got a text from a guy with a friend who is an Ontario Provincial Police officer at Pearson that said William Nylander flew into Toronto at 4 p.m. Monday. The problem with that tweet is that the OPP doesn’t work at Pearson airport, it’s under Peel Region police jurisdiction.
They said it—“If you (told) me when I was 15 that I was going to be playing for $6 million a year when I’m 22, I would not think you were saying the truth. It’s a dream come true. I could be playing in the Czech (Republic) for a couple hundred bucks a month. I’m happy.” — Pastrnak on signing his six-year, $40 million contract extension in 2017, and not holding out for restricted free agency (like Nylander has done).
Up Next: The Leafs hit home ice again Wednesday, when the San Jose Sharks visit Scotiabank Arena.