After beating the Toronto Maple Leafs three times in the first four games to take a 3-1 first-round series lead, the Boston Bruins are on the verge of choking.
The Bruins have lost back-to-back games against the Leafs as Toronto hosted and defeated Boston 2-1, on Thursday, May 2, sending the series to a deciding Game 7 scheduled for May 4 at TD Garden.
Boston head coach Jim Montgomery took no time in calling out the player who, in his eyes, needs to level up ahead of the final game of the series in two days if the Bruins want to advance to the second round instead of collapsing for the second year in a row.
“Pasta needs to step up.”
Jim Montgomery on Pastrnak needing to come through in big time moments. pic.twitter.com/dF5Vv2JuNz
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 3, 2024
“Your best players need to be your best players this time of year,” Montgomery told reporters in his postgame press conference on May 2. “They need to come through with some big-time plays in big-time moments. [Brad] Marchand has done this throughout the series. [David Pastrnak] needs to step up.”
Pastrnak felt the heat coming from his coach on Thursday having produced 4 points (2 goals) through six first-round games against Toronto.
Marchand, the other player mentioned by coach Montgomery, has 8 points including 3 goals and 5 assists through Game 6, doubling the outcomes put up by Pastrnak.
Boston Bruins Collapsed With 3-1 Lead Last Season
The Bruins are not new to this situation.
Last year, coming off a franchise-best regular season in which they won the Presidents’ Trophy as the team with the most points (135) in the NHL, Boston entered the playoffs in a matchup against the No. 8 Florida Panthers… and surrendered a 3-1 lead falling to their opponents in seven games.
Montgomery was asked about last year’s collapse and how this series was getting dangerously close to turning into another nightmare for the Bruins.
Jim Montgomery, on whether the #bruins are feeling any of the negative affects of blowing a 3-1 series lead last spring: “We talked about it yesterday and we’ve moved on because we’ve grown from it.”
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 2, 2024
“We talked about it yesterday and we’ve moved on because we’ve grown from it,” Montgomery told reporters before Game 6 with Boston still up 3-2 in the first-round series, via The Athletic’s Chris Johnston.
Matthew Knies spins and hits Nylander who scores on the breakaway to give the Leafs a 2-0 lead pic.twitter.com/fy9bRhVfKW
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) May 3, 2024
On Thursday, May 2, it was Leafs forward William Nylander who broke out of a 13-game goalscoring drought to score twice against the Bruins and bring Toronto back to life in a series that looked nothing but lost at the start of the week.
Boston’s Morgan Geekie scored the only goal for the Bruins in Game 6, one that served his team no purpose other than taking a clean sheet off Leafs goalie Joseph Woll.
“We’re not living in the past,” Montgomery said after the Game 6 loss. “We’re not living the future. We’re living in the present. We’re not happy with our game. We’ll get ready for Game 7 starting tomorrow.”
Leafs Hurting Bruins Without 69-Goal Scorer Auston Matthews
Not only did Nylander score a brace to tie the series at 3-3 entering Game 7 while breaking a 13-game skid in which he had scored no goals, but the Leafs were also playing without their best player for the second consecutive game on Thursday.
After leaving Game 4 with an illness and missing Game 5 on Tuesday, Leafs center and 69-goal scorer Auston Matthews was ruled out for Game 6 by Toronto.
That wasn’t a problem for the Leafs in their last two games, however, as they went on to beat Boston in back-to-back contests with goals scored by star forward Nylander, as well as unexpected goalscorers Jake McCabe and Matthew Knies.
Willy Styles!
Nylander floats one on net and hits McAvoy and beats Swayman for the 1-0 lead!
1-0 #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/BT6F7I9ZRr
— The Hockey Writers (@TheHockeyWriter) May 3, 2024
According to The Hockey Writers’ Jim Bay, the Maple Leafs own an all-time record of 40-22 when scoring first in potential elimination games, while the Bruins are 15-45 when allowing the first goal with a chance to clinch a series, including Game 6 played on May 2.
“It’s unacceptable, our start, again,” Montgomery said. “We have to find a way to start on time. Toronto, they’re starting on time. They’re getting the advantage, they’re getting the momentum. But it shouldn’t take that long [for us].”
The Bruins opened the score in games 1, 2, and 4, all of them wins, but they allowed Toronto to score the first goal in games 3, 5, and 6, which Boston ended up losing every time.
Boston will host Game 7 on Saturday, May 5, as the Bruins entered the playoffs with a higher seed than Toronto by finishing second in the Atlantic Division to the Leafs’ third-place finish, thus earning home-ice advantage.
