Live-Blog: Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
First Period
Boston Bruins PBR-line came out ready to play as Reilly Smith generated the first shot on goal and Patrice Bergeron tried to bank in a rebound, ringing the post less than 30 seconds into the game. They contributed to half of the shots in the opening five minutes as the Bruins hold a 4-1 shot advantage.
As the Bruins killed off a cross-checking penalty to Dougie Hamilton that was served at 11:47 and Rask made a nice toe-to-toe save on Morgan Rielly, they gave up a goal in the vulnerable minute to Leafs’ Komarov. In his first game back he was left wide open in the slot and was able to bury a low shot past Tuukka for a quick 1-0 Toronto lead. The goal showed a lapse in judgement with the Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller who should have kept tabs on the forward.
As the clock ticked away seconds the Bruins seemingly lost momentum, allowing a lot of unnecessary turnovers. The Leafs goal took a toll on the Bruins who came out roaring with momentum at the get-go. At the 3:41 marker new line combination Phil Kessel, Daniel Winnik and Nazem Kadri teamed up on a net drive. As Kadri placed the puck in front of a wheeling Winnik the puck glanced off of his skate and past Rask. The goal immediately was waved off on the ice and went under review for a noticeable kicking motion. Upon review the ruling on the ice stood, leaving the score 1-0 in favor of Toronto, a good call by the on-ice referees for a change, the Bruins catching a break.
David Krejci, Seth Griffith and Milan Lucic teamed up for one of the best chances at the tail end of the first period, but as the rebound goes wide Hamilton was unable to keep the puck in play. Kessel was able to read the play and get a breakaway opportunity which Rask saved. Zdeno Chara put a little too much effort on the backcheck against Kessel, earning the former Bruin a penalty shot which he came in on Rask wide and then missed as Rask standing tall and patient in between the pipes, a nice confidence booster for the Bruins.
With 40 seconds remaining in the period Polak got called for interference taking down Brad Marchand. The call provided the Bruins with their first power play of the night with Patrice Bergeron, Carl Soderberg and Loui Eriksson generating a flurry of chances up until the siren.
First Period Summary:
The Bruins came out of the locker room with integrity, determination and grit. THey showcased a strong forecheck that quickly got away from them, resulting in a momentum swing. As the period neared the halfway mark the Bruins were welcoming the Leafs into their defensive end. A lapse in defensive judgement allowed Komarov to be wide open in the slot following a decent penalty kill that drained the Bruins and gave the Leafs their one-goal advantage. Tuukka Rask was able to re-instate some confidence in the B’s as he stoned Phil Kessel on a breakaway and then forced him to take a wide shot on his penalty shot, keeping the score at 1.
Next: Second Period: Bruins vs. Maple Leafs