Bruins gain home-ice advantage
Boston draws on veteran strength for Game 4 win
Auston Matthews tried to get the Maple Leafs back in the game. So did Travis Dermott.
But the young and still learning Leafs saw a third-period rally fall short, while the Boston Bruins drew on their veteran strength for a 6-4 win in Game 4 of their best-of-seven playoff series on Wednesday night.
It was Bruins captain Zdeno Chara who scored what stood up as the winner early in the third period, though Matthews — with his second of the night — and Dermott — with his first of the playoffs — brought the Scotiabank Arena crowd to its feet in hopes that the Leafs could rally in a game where they trailed 2-0 and 5-2.
“The message was just: Keep battling and find a way,” said Matthews, in the playoffs for the third time in three years in the league. “There’s no quit in this locker room. We had our chances.
“Nobody was hanging their head. We believed we could battle back. We did, but we just came up short.”
Game 5 goes Friday in Boston, with the series tied 2-2. Game 6, now a necessity, will be Sunday at Scotiabank Arena.
“Going back there, we can definitely take a bead off this game and know we were close to coming back, even though we were down by a few,” said Dermott, in the second NHL playoff series of his young career. “You try to learn from every experience you have throughout the series.
“I think now if we’re down by a couple, we’ll believe in ourselves even more, that we can come back and battle back through anything.”
With the road win, the Bruins have home-ice advantage again.
Boston coach Bruce Cassidy switched things up to start, breaking up the top line that had been having trouble against a Leafs defence that had been tougher than he expected through three games.
David Pastrnak was moved off the unit, replaced by the grittier Danton Heinen.
They were put back together for stretches, though, with Pastrnak responding ultimately with two goals in the second period — one on the power play, one at even strength — as the Bruins proved the more opportunistic team on the night.
Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy also scored and most of Boston’s big guns got on the scoresheet. Joakim Nordstrom scored the empty-netter.
“They’re gamers,” Cassidy said of the Bruins core that includes Chara, Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. “They were in the hallway before the game talking about certain plays. Those guys are dialed in. They’re pros. They’re top-end players. They’re Stanley Cup champions. Those are not guys you worry about to often.” Zach Hyman had the other Leaf goal in a tightly called contest, with three ticky-tacky interference calls in the first period.
This ended up working in Boston’s favour, with the Bruins’ power play more effective. They scored on their first two extra-man chances, while the Leafs went 1-for-3.
The Leafs are still on a learning curve — learning on the fly, to be sure, in the high-stakes playoffs.
“Once you’re a veteran-laden team, you just know how to do it,” Leafs coach Mike Babcock said prior to the game. “We’ve got to find a way to learn how to do it.”
Matthews is flanked most nights by Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi Kapanen, who only just spent their first full seasons in the NHL.
“They’re just trying to find their way,” Babcock said of Matthews’ wingers.
“They’ve both come into the playoffs, I think, and gone 20 games without it going great for them, so they’re trying to learn their way. Normally, what happens is, you’re on the third or fourth line and you’re working. They happen to be playing with another young player who’s trying to figure his way out.”
Dermott is another Leaf who was in the AHL last season. In addition to the NHL learning curve, Wednesday was just his fifth game back from a shoulder injury.
“I was in the NHL playoffs last year for (one series),” Dermott said. “You kind of get a little taste then, but I think this one’s kind of been more about me getting back and me feeling good, and me trying to get back to my game as quickly as possible.
“I came back just a few games before. I had to get back to 100 per cent mentally and physically. I think I’m still not quite there. That’s all I’m worried about right now, trying to make sure I’m 100 per cent and getting my game locked down.”
Dermott’s playing partner is usually Jake Gardiner — a veteran to be sure, but just four games back from a back injury.
“Obviously, health is an issue,” Babcock said.
“Now, they’re still good players. Are they playing at the level they’re both capable of when they’re healthy? Probably not, but they’re still good players. We’ll take whatever they’ve got to offer.”