Bruins teach Leafs playoff lesson in Game 1
BOSTON — David Pastrnak had a goal and two assists as the Boston Bruins thumped the Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-1, in Game 1 of their first-round National Hockey League playoff series Thursday night.
Brad Marchand and David
Krejci, with a goal and an assist each, and David Backes and Sean Kuraly rounded out the scoring for Boston, which got 26 saves from Tuukka Rask. Torey Krug added two assists. Zach Hyman replied for Toronto, while Frederik Andersen made 35 stops.
Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarter-final goes Saturday night at TD Garden before the series switches to Air Canada Centre on Monday.
The Leafs talked at length ahead of Thursday’s game about how containing the line of Marchand, Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron — a trio that combined for 99 goals in the regular season and is stellar in all three zones — would be crucial. They have plenty of work to do in that department after a six-point performance in Game 1 that also saw Marchand, Bergeron and their teammates take the body to the young Leafs at almost every opportunity.
Toronto’s Nazem Kadri took exception to an elbow to Mitch Marner from Tommy Wingels in the third period and replied by taking a run at the Bruins forward. He earned a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct.
Boston limited space in the neutral zone at even strength as Auston Matthews, Marner and William Nylander struggled to find room to operate. Toronto’s power play went 0 for 3. Boston scored three powerplay goals.