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Bruins Postgame: Bruins Answer The Bell; Beat Leafs 4-1

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2 months ago

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Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins finally answered the bell in arguably their best effort of the 2023-24 season, a 4-1 win over the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Monday night.

Not since their 4-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Feb. 8 have the Bruins played a complete game like they did on Tuesday night. They will be tired heading into their game against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night, but they will be in a much better place mentally than before Monday night.

Here’s your Boston Hockey Now Bruins Postgame:

CLUTCH: As mentioned above, this was the best team effort for the Boston Bruins in just under a month. Therefore, we’re not limiting this to one player here. There’s an array of players who could be considered clutch in this game but we will limit it to four.

Jeremy Swayman – The Bruins netminder continued to do his job as he made 30 saves or more for the fifth straight game, stopping 32 of 33 Maple Leafs shots.

 

 

Is it fair to ask if he is becoming the official 1A goalie for the Boston Bruins? I think so.

David Pastrnak – Make no mistake, David Pastrnak has alleviated the fact that the Bruins do not have an elite play-making center. The insane playmaker he has evolved into this season has been the definition of clutch for a team that lost Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci to retirement. The Bruins leader in goals (38), assists (52), and points with 90 had three helpers, including this thread-the-needle beauty to Morgan Geekie to put the Bruins up 1-0 9:43 into the first period.

 

 

Pavel Zacha: Zacha was a game-time decision and made it clear he was ready to go. Zacha hadn’t scored a goal since that aforementioned win over the Vancouver Canucks on Feb. 8, but in this game, he was suddenly feeling it around the net. Zacha put the Bruins up 2-0 with a powerplay goal 12:42 into the first period and gave them a 4-1 lead 10:35 into the first period.

 

 

Jake DeBrusk – The most snakebitten player for the Bruins this season has been winger Jake DeBrusk. DeBrusk entered this game on a six-game goalless streak and was mired in NHL trade rumors. Finally, though, his hard work paid off, and DeBrusk finished with a goal and an assist, as well as four hits.

 

 

DOGHOUSE: It’s almost gotten to the point where the Toronto Maple Leafs should pull a Pedro Martinez and say the Bruins ‘Are My Daddy.’

The Bruins came into this game reeling and ripe for the picking if the Maple Leafs ever decided to stop playing pond hockey. That didn’t happen, though, and just like that, they were down 2-0 after the first period and 3-0 entering the final frame. ????

Their first two wins over the Maple Leafs required extra time, but as they always seem to do, Toronto choked. With their win on Monday night, the Bruins are now 3-0-0 against their rivals.

BANGER: Both the Bruins and the Maple Leafs were laying the body down as the Leafs and Bruins combined for 106 hits.

UNSUNG HERO: If not for a suffocating penalty kill for the Bruins on a Kevin Shattenkirk high-sticking call at 6:25 of the first period, this game could’ve gone in a different direction. The Bruins clearly fed off that kill as Geekie scored 1:18 after Shattenkirk exited the penalty box. The Bruins also killed off two more potential momentum-changing powerplays for the Maple Leafs and clearly frustrated their opponent.

NEXT UP: After returning home to their own early Tuesday morning, the Bruins welcome a well-rested Connor McDavid and Edmonton Oilers squad thinking of revenge for a 6-5 overtime loss to the Bruins on Feb. 21. They then host the Maple Leafs in a rematch on Thursday night.

Boston Bruins Lineup

Forwards

Brad Marchand – Charlie Coyle – Jake DeBrusk

Danton Heinen – Pavel Zacha – David Pastrnak

James van Riemsdyk – Morgan Geekie – Trent Frederic

Jakub Lauko – Jesper Boqvist – Justin Brazeau

Defensemen

Matt Grzelcyk – Charlie McAvoy

Mason Lohrei – Brandon Carlo

Parker Wotherspoon – Kevin Shattenkirk

Goalies

Jeremy Swayman

Linus Ullmark

 

 

 

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