Leafs uninspiring in Game 1 loss to Bruins
Never mind that the Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t have William Nylander in the first game of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Where were Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner at TD Garden in Boston against the Boston Bruins? Where was the solid goaltending that was being provided by Ilya Samsonov in the second half of the regular season?
The best-of-seven series couldn’t have started much worse for the Leafs on Saturday night, falling in Game 1 by a score of 5-1.
When Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman made a quick pad save on Nick Robertson 90 seconds after the opening faceoff, it served notice that the Boston starter was going to be in a groove.
Not so with Samsonov, who was stuck in rut at the other end. Moments after that Swayman save on Robertson, John Beecher scored on the Bruins’ first shot on goal, converting on a 2-on-1 with
Jesper Boqvist.
Yes, Joel Edmundson pinched and Ryan Reaves didn’t get back in recovery on the play, but right away, there’s a big save in the Bruins end and it’s not followed by one at the Leafs end.
And right away, the Leafs are down 1-0.
That’s not how confidence is built.
“There are little things inside the game that make the difference that give them the edge,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said to media in Boston. “They get a huge save early in the game at 0-0, and then shortly thereafter we make a mistake and give up a 2-on1. That’s the type of chance we didn’t get throughout the game.”
That was the lone Bruins goal in the first period. They also hit the iron behind Samsonov three times.
Rather than striking iron in the second period, the Bruins struck gold, scoring three goals to take a 4-0 lead into the second intermission.
The Leafs had a 4-on-3 power play for the first one minute 50 seconds of the middle period and could not score.
Brandon Carlo scored through a screen at 5:47 — on the Bruins’ first shot of the period.
Then Jake Debrusk went to work, scoring on a power play at 15:02 with Matthews in the box and again on a power play at 17:34 with Max Domi serving a minor for slashing Brad Marchand.
Strange, the Leafs somehow were unable to fix their woeful penalty kill between the regular-season finale in Tampa Bay on Wednesday and the post-season opener on Saturday.
The Leafs, who also didn’t have Bobby Mcmann (lower body), handed the Bruins five power plays in total. That’s just dumb.
All the while, Swayman was calmly turning aside the rare Grade-a chances the Leafs did get. Saves on Reaves and Tyler Bertuzzi before Debrusk’s pair were key.
The Leafs scored at 1:39 of the third when David Kampf ended Swayman’s shutout bid. Trent Frederic scored an empty-net goal for the Bruins.
Matthews had five shots on goal and hit the post. Marner had two shots on goal. Neither, obviously, was a difference-maker, an aspect that will have to change as the series progresses, and for the sake of the Leafs, it has to happen as soon as Game 2 on Monday in Boston.
“They’re a patient team and executed on the mistakes we made,” Matthews said. “We get a taste of what the series is all about. We have to elevate our game and get better.”
No matter which team was being picked to win this series, no one figured it would be anything but a lengthy set, likely to go at least six or seven games. That should still be the expectation, but for the Leafs to break even in Beantown, they will have to find another level that eluded them in Game 1.