Tuukka Rask, Bruins pick up a character win in Toronto

The Boston Bruins were without their best player and outplayed through two periods tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Still, they managed to come out of Toronto with a 3-1 lead in Game 4 and the series.

Despite Boston Bruins defenseman Torey Krug scoring in the first minute of this game, the Toronto Maple Leafs came out strong early, looking as good as they have all series. Yes, the Leafs won Game 3 on Monday, but the Bruins also missed about five open net chances in that one and the Leafs looked more like they were holding on for dear life than holding on to a lead.

Tonight’s game started out differently. Perhaps it was the energy from the home crowd, or the Bruins being demoralized after losing Bergeron to an upper body injury before the game, but the Leafs came to play fast and hard tonight. They were in the attacking zone for most of the first two periods, looking faster and more physical than the Bruins.

Tuukka Rask was the saving grace for Boston tonight. Much like Andersen kept a handful of goals out of the net in Game 3, Rask kept this game from being a blowout in the early going. Rask even corrected his own mistakes in this one with a Tim Thomas-esque save:

One player that no one can seem to slow down is Brad Marchand. Marchand played his usual game tonight, creating chances when it looked as though there were none. Marchand’s goal in the second period came right after a long shift in which he just about scored with a beautiful spin move. I mean, come on. This is insane:

Marchand would go on to score his goal on that same shift, shortly after the spin move. Pastrnak picked up an assist on the play (his second of the night) giving him a ridiculous 11 points in the series. Jake DeBrusk was also great in this one, bringing a blast of energy on every shift. He finished with a goal and seven hits.

It was the Maple Leafs defense that cost them this one, making mistakes and creating two-on-ones for the Boston Bruins that lead to the second and third Boston goals. The Leafs d-men got caught on two pinches, followed by poor defensive efforts on both Bruins breakaways.

The Bruins had a handful of their own problems on defense through the early portion of the game as well. On some shifts, Zdeno Chara looked his age before he buckled down in the third and Charlie McAvoy had his hands full with physical play from several Leafs players. Thankfully, Rask was there to clean up any mistakes.

https://twitter.com/NHL/status/987126261779718144

There’s something about this Bruins team and the “never-say-die” attitude that they’ve played with all season that sets them up for a nice run in these playoffs. Ask any Bruins fan if they were worried upon hearing the news about Bergeron and they will tell you, while it is definitely worrisome for Patrice, it will not extinguish this team.

The Bruins have been playing without key players all season long, including a month-long stretch without Bergeron in March. During that time, Riley Nash stepped in and each player on the top line went over a point-per-game until Bergeron returned. These Bruins don’t lack depth.

If there was a bright spot for the Leafs tonight it is that their forwards, Mitch Marner in particular, played great. Marner was all over the puck on both ends of the ice. Rask stole this game from the Leafs, but they should look to Marner to keep this young squad alive in what will be an exciting Game 5. Auston Matthews continues to be a nonfactor in the series.

The Bruins looked like the better team when it mattered tonight in Toronto and are now heading back with to Boston with a 3-1 series lead and a pocket full of confidence. They will look to close out the series at home on Saturday. Don’t expect a slow start on Saturday, as the Bruins faithful will be firing up this squad in hopes of moving on to the next round.

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