The leaders within the Boston Bruins team helped get the job done against the Toronto Maple Leafs
The Boston Bruins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 at the Air Canada Center in Toronto, Canada. This win stops the Bruins losing streak at five games, along with keeping the team in third place in the Atlantic division where they are only three points ahead of the wild card team.
The Bruins were led by their veteran leaders tonight with goals coming from Patrice Bergeron, as well as Bruins captain Zdeno Chara who snapped a 20 game goal drought.
"“We talk about our leadership being great leaders and strong, and they showed that tonight.”-Claude Julien“When you’re going through these kind of situations, those are the guys that get you out of it, and they did a great job of that.”-Claude Julien"
Matt Beleskey who scored the empty netter for the Bruins to make the score 3-1 made a key blocked shot late in the third, after the Maple Leafs pulled their goaltender and had a man advantage. Beleskey has looked good playing with the David Krejci line, all of his hard work has paid off, and he is starting to become a fan favorite based on his play style and work ethic.
"“At the end of it, you’re happy he’s the one who gets the empty-netter, because he deserved it.” Claude went on to highlight Beleskey’s “commitment to doing what needed to be done to help us win””-Claude Julian on Matt Beleskey"
Tonight’s game showcased a dominate Bruins team, as they looked similar to the games prior to the five game losing streak, and head coach Claude Julian agrees with that statement.
"“I knew we were a little bit tight in the first period. But when you are going through what we have been, it doesn’t just turn around like that,” Julien said. “I knew our intentions were good at the start of the game, but we were really tight. After the first, we talked about a couple of things that we needed to do if we were going to turn it around. We needed to play with more energy and more confidence and do the right things. It slowly came around and after a while you started to see our old team.”-Claude Julien"
It is key not to overact howver, as this is only one game, and after losing five straight games it is tough for a team to just flip the switch back on. A win is a win though, the Toronto Maple Leafs may be last in the eastern conference this season, but they have played very well of late winning 4 of of 6 games on this home-stand. The Bruins played a Maple Leafs team that has nothing to lose at this point in the season, and when Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock pulled his goaltender with over 3 minutes to go in the game only down by 1 goal, the Bruins held their own defensively.
Next: Zdeno Chara Says The Bruins Will Make The Playoffs
The fact that they were able to keep Toronto out of the Boston net during this time shows that the Bruins have grit and the capability to play in high pressure situations, which they will likely face if they advance into the playoffs. With six games left in the season they will face similar situations that they will need to hold up in. Every game going forward is a must win, and at the very least they have to get a point in every game. The schedule going forward is balanced and getting the points necessary to get a playoff berth is well within the Bruins reach. What they do after that is a mystery.