The Boston Bruins had been haunted (once more) by a recurring theme that’s anchored the staff all through the season: penalty self-discipline.
Boston’s scoreless first interval was adopted by a nightmarish second interval as penalties, once more, anchored the Bruins. The Toronto Maple Leafs, then again, who hadn’t defeated Boston in regular-season play in two years, had been ready. Toronto scored twice within the second interval, each instances on energy play alternatives, which alone proved to be greater than sufficient to place away the Bruins in Tuesday night time’s 4-0 Maple Leafs victory at Scotiabank Enviornment.
With out context, a 4-0 defeat looks as if a hopeless blowout contest, however that’s not how Boston interpreted its fourth highway defeat of the 12 months which dropped the Bruins to 6-7-1 general this season.
“(It was) very winnable,” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery stated, as seen on NESN’s postgame protection. “There’s loads of issues that we’re seeing that the staff goes in the best path. We don’t just like the rating and clearly, we have to proceed to enhance, however we do see components of our recreation coming. Our defensive construction is getting higher. We gotta proceed to simply develop our offense.”
Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman allowed simply two (energy play) targets by way of the primary two durations, leaving a last interval of play for the offense to muster up a comeback bid. That by no means got here. In actual fact, even with six energy play alternatives to make the most of, Boston’s offense made as a lot noise as a cricket, making Toronto’s job at defending a possible 2-0 lead immensely simpler en path to the end line.
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That turned problematic.
Boston’s offensive hunch, too, haunted the Black and Gold and swung each and all momentum Toronto’s method.
The Maple Leafs scored twice extra within the third interval, together with a 3rd time from the facility play, permitting Toronto to complete off the Bruins with a 42.9 success share spawning from Boston’s miscues. It’s not a recent situation however the Bruins nonetheless have to make the mandatory changes to forestall self-inflicted slip-ups from figuring out whether or not or not they’re despatched to the loss column.
“We had an excellent weekend shifting ahead over to Toronto — that’s at all times good video games,” David Pastrnak advised reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame protection. “Like I stated, the 5-on-5 was there immediately. You’ll be able to positively see the intense facet and clearly, we’ve got loads to be taught. We’re a youthful group and the errors are there so clearly we’re gonna have to return to Boston and watch what we’re doing, and get higher.”
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Listed below are extra notes from Tuesday night time’s Bruins-Maple Leafs matchup:
— Boston was penalized eight instances, opening the door for a complete of seven energy play alternatives given to Toronto on a silver platter. That was the overwhelming margin that decided the final word end result.
“You’ll be able to’t take that many penalties,” Montgomery defined, per NESN. “However we had simply as many energy performs. So it was simply a kind of video games the place we simply weren’t as efficient as them within the particular groups.”
— Toronto goaltender Anthony Stolarz was dynamite and utterly stumped Boston’s offense. Stolarz was spotless, saving 29 Bruins pictures on objective, including to the frustrations coming from Boston’s facet.
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“He appeared to see the puck very well tonight,” Montgomery stated, per NESN. “There was loads of pucks that had been going by way of site visitors. From the bench, we didn’t suppose he noticed it and the very last thing you already know a leg or an arm or a blocker would come round and knock it away.”
— The Bruins have been shut out thrice this season.
— Boston endured its first common season loss to Toronto since Nov. 5, 2022.
— The Bruins will return to motion, and residential, on Thursday night time to host the Calgary Flames at TD Backyard. Puck drop is ready for 7 p.m. ET, and you’ll catch the sport, plus an hour of pregame protection, stay on NESN.
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