Another Game 7 matchup between Boston and Toronto, another victory for the Bruins.
Joakim Nordstrom and Sean Kuraly each had a goal and assist, while Tuukka Rask stopped 32 shots as the Bruins on Tuesday night beat the Maple Leafs 5-1 in Game 7 to wrap up their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.
Marcus Johansson added his first goal of the post-season for Boston and Charlie Coyle scored on an empty-netter late in the third.
Photo: Greg M. Cooper-USA Today
Patrice Bergeron also had a late goal.
It was the Bruins’ second straight Game 7 win over the Maple Leafs and third in three playoff matchups between the teams. Boston previously knocked Toronto out of the post-season with Game 7 victories last year and in 2013.
The Maple Leafs have now lost six straight road Game 7s.
The teams had alternated wins in this series until the Bruins won the past two games.
“I just think the last two games the character of this group shone,” Johansson said. “We earned our way to Game 7 in Toronto and to a win tonight. That’s a good feeling.”
Boston advance to the Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Columbus Blue Jackets, starting with Game 1 at home tonight.
Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said that his team benefited from contributions up and down their roster, but added that Rask might have come up the biggest.
“Generally speaking you need your goaltender to hold you in there,” Cassidy said. “He was outstanding.”
John Tavares had Toronto’s goal on an assist by Tyler Ennis. Frederik Andersen finished with 27 saves.
The Maple Leafs’ loss means there are no Canadian teams remaining in the playoffs. Calgary and Winnipeg previously lost their first-round series.
“It’s disappointing. I thought our series this year, compared to last year, we were a way better hockey club. In the end, we weren’t rewarded,” Toronto coach Mike Babcock said.
The Bruins led 2-1 after two periods and needed just 2 minutes, 40 seconds of the third to add to it.
Toronto got into Boston’s zone before the puck was poked out near the center of the ice and controlled by Kuraly. He promptly split between Tavares and Ron Hainsey, crossed in front of Morgan Rielly and fired a shot past Andersen to give the Bruins a two-goal edge.
Boston came up empty on multiple early attempts before their fourth line broke through with the game’s first goal.
Nordstrom found a small seam left open by Andersen and slipped the puck past him to put the Bruins up 1-0 with 5 minutes, 31 seconds left in the first period. Matt Grzelcyk and Kuraly got assists.
The team talked before the game about having a “shot-first mentality,” Nordstrom said, adding that he was the beneficiary of Kuraly pressing the front of the net.
“It ended up going in, so we’ll take it,” Nordstrom said.
A little more than two minutes later Toronto’s Jake Gardiner gave it away behind his own net after being forechecked by Karson Kuhlman. Johansson controlled the puck, spun in front and fired a quick shot just inside the left post to make it 2-0.
Toronto struck back at 3 minutes, 54 seconds of the second. Ennis jarred the puck loose with his forecheck on Grzelcyk. The puck found its way to Tavares, who punched through his second goal of the playoffs to pull the Maple Leafs to 2-1.
Toronto got a one-man advantage with 11 minutes, 38 seconds left in the second after Brandon Carlo was called for a cross-check on Andreas Johnsson. Boston’s defense stepped up, dodging eight Maple Leafs shot attempts to notch the penalty kill.
Tempers flared briefly just before the end of the period after Toronto were called for an offside, but a potential fight was quickly broken up.
It happened again in front of the Maple Leafs’ bench just after time expired in the second. Brad Marchand and Auston Matthews were in the middle of the scrum. It, too, was brief and ceased after only some mild shoving.
In the other NHL Stanley Cup playoff series, the San Jose Sharks defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 5-4 in overtime of Game 7 to advance to the next round.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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