First Period

Boston comes out hitting, which I hear means you aren't playing your own game and is bad.

Best play early on is Jake McCabe jumping up to keep the offense alive and getting a good shot off too.

David Pastrnak with a reverse hit on John Tavares the crowd seemed to not understand. They acted like it was a hit on their guy.

I don't see a shot there for Bertuzzi, but everyone else seems to.

Jake McCabe does a Domi-level stupid thing, and here I am on top of that agreeing with Craig Simpson about how bad this is. How can one guy set up the best play of the game so far and also do this? He contains multitudes, I guess.

And of course.

1-0 Bruins

Terrible PK. Watch Timothy Liljegren see the open guy behind him and then get shoved out of position by his man at the net, he has no one. It's a five on three. Not to mention the clear that isn't there which was a partnership in fucking up by Liljegren and David Kämpf.

And here I am agreeing with Simpson again! You can't do this!

You can do this:

Tie Game!!

Domi with the goal after Auston Matthews hits the post. Domi being hard at the net made that possible off the rebound.

Boston takes another penalty when they can't handle the pressure of John Tavares.

This is not the world's best power play from the top unit. The second unit is not a lot better. Better luck next time, guys.

Ilya Samsonov likes a little drama, so I'm totally calm here that he took a puck to the head and falls over like he's in pain with 13.9 seconds left in the period.

Okay then. Samsonov stays in, Toronto makes a multitude of mistakes and Boston has the lead.

2-1 Boston

Hey guys, maybe don't leave Pastrnak wide open.

Thoughts

Look at this:

The all-situations is as good for the Leafs.

And they found a way to beat themselves. Bad penalty, bad coverage, no one knowing what their job is on the PK. Bing, bang, boom. Oh, and David Pastrnak has a cloaking device now.

Second Period

McCabe, of the multitudes, makes a good play to break up a rush against.

Samsonov has to make a big save on the next rush chance.

Matthews has to go retrieve the puck himself after Domi sends it into the corner. He looks up wondering why he's doing the grunt work, and Bertuzzi slides in finally.

Leafs have nothing at all going on in the first half of the second.

Leafs call a too-many-men penalty on the Bruins, and the ref agrees. A power play like Saturday's might actually score unlike their earlier try.

A much more dangerous power play with a rush against, and a great save by Linus Ullmark on Järnkrok. They actually review it because he may have his glove over the line, but the call on the ice stands.

John Tavares draws a penalty, so the power play is back again.

Bertuzzi may have scored. Or not. The stick was high, but how high? Great pass from Mitch Marner, though. Call on the ice was a good goal, but the review overturns it for a high stick.

JT! Captain goal, no doubt.

Tie Game!

Thoughts

Boston did a very good job of keeping the Leafs busy doing nothing in that period until that power play.

Mitch Marner and John Tavares who didn't show up and are paid heaps of money, were matched by Jim Montgomery with his top line. And they got rolled. Until that power play.

Which is why the offensive chances seem to always involve the Matthews line or the fourth line. Or the power play.

Third Period

Samsonov with a big save on his big rebound is the exciting part of what looks like a Boston power play to open the period. (It's not a power play.)

Leafs get their own back with a similar flurry, which is very reassuring.

Reaves takes a holding call with some dumb stuff near the benches, and the Bruins get a too many men penalty because the replacement for the guy Reaves had a hold of jumped out on the ice. Four-on-four.

The teams seem fairly evenly matched, but there is a point were watching the Leafs need three tries to get across the red line makes you think that all other issues aside, this is the big one.

And then on try three, Nick Robertson is robbed by Ullmark.

Bruins now officially playing with five defenders as Andrew Peake is out of the game.

Yes! Beautiful.

3-2 Leafs

The fourth line with a fantastic shift, and you know if Nylander was in this game, he'd have been snuck out there.

A scrum ensues after Charlie Coyle cross checks Lyubushkin who goes a little doolally about the whole thing. Too much emo, guys. Bertuzzi goes off for a slash on Marchand. He falls like snow in December, nice and easy.

Bruins are now emo about the reffing of the emo. But they get a power play out of it.

PK this like it's an important playoff game, Leafs. They do! Good job, guys.

Now do that for four minutes. Spoiler: they do.

Bruins try to pull Ullmark just as they ice the puck.

One minute. Leafs stuck in their own zone. Huge scrum with Matthews and Rielly guarding the net, Samsonov backwards, no one knows where the puck is.

It turns out Matthews tucked the puck away for safe-keeping.

Pastrnak with a hard shot that Samsonov saves – no rebound. Good job, Sammy.

Kämpf misses the open net, but he kills a lot of seconds. Good job!

Leafs WIN!

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