I don’t know how many robberies were committed in Toronto on Monday night but there were none bigger than the theft that occurred at Air Canada Centre.
With some better officiating and just an ounce of puck luck, the Boston Bruins would’ve headed back to their hotel with a comfortable 3-0 lead in the series. But, hockey can be the cruelest of games at times and the B’s sit with a slender 2-1 lead. You have to wonder whether David Pastrnak broke a mirror on his way to the ACC to explain the sheer amount of bad luck he had. Because we know that it wasn’t an overly taped stick.
Rinse and Repeat
Same approach, this time there will be a different result. Monday night was a horror show from a Bruins perspective. The Leafs blue line are having fits with the Bruins top line, and rightly so. Boston are a better team than the Leafs but a 2-1 series with Game 4 in Toronto should make fans sweat a little. An early goal for Toronto will get this nervous and expectant crowd onside. It’s up to the Bruins to shut them up quickly.
Back To Grzness For The Bruins
Matt Grzelcyk should return to the lineup this evening but has been slated as a game-time decision by Bruce Cassidy. Grzelcyk is such an important facet to this Bruins defensive core. In the regular season he marginally ranked behind Charlie McAvoy as the second best defenseman in terms of Corsi.
A much better puck mover than Nick Holden, which will allow the Bruins to counterpunch this young Maple Leafs team who lack structure at times.
Lines
Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – David Pastrnak
Jake DeBrusk – David Krejci – Rick Nash
Danton Heinen – Riley Nash – David Backes
Tim Schaller – Sean Kuraly – Noel Acciari
Zdeno Chara – Charlie McAvoy
Matt Grzelcyk/Nick Holden – Adam McQuaid
Predictions
Tough one but when is it easy to call a hockey game let alone a rival playoff series?
Next: Delay of Game Should be Challengeable
Boston rally from an early scare an put their foot on the throttle, winning 6-2 to take her back home to TD Garden to finish the job.