Despite taking an early first period, the Toronto Maple Leafs lost the first game of the series 4-1 to the Boston Bruins.
The Maple Leafs got the lead early in the game, after Boston’s Patrice Bergeron was sent to the penalty box for tripping. Cody Franson tracked the puck down behind the goal-line and passed it out front to James van Reimsdyk, who scored on a backhand shot.
The Boston Bruins seized control of the game, ending the first period with a 2-1 lead over Toronto, with goals from Wade Redden and Nathan Horton.
“We come out we score a big power play goal early, and they come back and score one and we kind’ve sit back,” said Captain Dion Phaneuf to reporters after the game. “They obviously kept coming and took the game over.”
“We gave up too much.”
The second period was no kinder to the Leafs. Franson blocked a shot with his foot and was unable to finish the game, reducing the Leafs to five defencemen, as well as removing an important part of the first power-play unit.
According to Jonas Siegel, beat reporter for TSN Radio 1050, both Franson and Mike Kostka received injuries in the game last night. Franson has a bruised foot and Kostka, who broke a bone in his finger, is out as well. These injuries could open up positions for Jake Gardiner and Ryan O’Byrne.
(Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
To round out the second, Boston’s David Krejci beat James Reimer with a wrist shot, and Johnny Boychuk slapped one in from the blue-line, giving the Bruins a 4-1 at the end of the second.
The Bruins outshot Toronto 40-20, with Reimer making 36 saves for a .900 save percentage. This continues the worrying trend of Toronto constantly being outshot.
The Leafs did well in the face-off dot, winning 29 face-offs to the Bruins’ 25, but it was one of the only areas the Leafs performed well.
“I thought we self-destructed,” said Randy Carlyle, coach of the Maple Leafs. “We just stopped.”
Carlyle went on to say “we didn’t play strong enough and we didn’t win enough one-on-one battles, we didn’t do enough with the puck to create anything.”
“We just constantly turned the puck over”
“We turned the puck over too much,” said Franson. “When you don’t manage the puck well against a team like that, it’s when they bite you.”
The Maple Leafs will now go back to the drawing board and try to figure out how they can improve their play and avoid getting down 2-0.
“I think if we play better defensively and then our offence will come,” said Phil Kessel after the game to reporters. “Like you said we can’t turn over pucks like that and we’ve got to be better.”
The Maple Leafs will need to find their game if they want to avoid being swept by the Bruins, and one way they could do that would be improving their breakouts. The Leafs had too many turnovers resulting from bad passes and a hard fore-check.
With both Franson and Kostka hurt, it could be a chance for Gardiner to step up and show what he can do. In the Leafs only regular reason win over Boston Gardiner played 20:47 and finished the game +2. Gardiner’s quick skating, as well as his break-out pass, will be a crucial for a Leafs victory this Saturday.
The next game in the series will be broadcast this Saturday, May 4th at 7 p.m. The Bruins currently lead the series 1-0.
Nick Fearns
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