Two years removed from their Stanley Cup victory, the Boston Bruins were trying to get back to a position to win it once again. They would finish second in the Atlantic Division in a shortened regular season due to the lockout.
In the first round, they faced a team they knew well in the Toronto Maple Leafs, who remained close in the standings for most of the season and finished only five points behind the Bruins. The series went very much like the regular season matchups, as the first two games, which were played in Boston, would be split with each team winning once.
However, the Bruins looked like they were going to take a commanding lead in the series with back-to-back road wins, which included a 4-3 overtime win in Game 4. They only needed to win one more game and had to like their chances returning to Boston.
The Maple Leafs had a different plan and would win the next two games by a final score of 2-1 in each game to force a Game 7.
Toronto Maple Leafs had all the momentum until the Boston Bruins stole it from them in the third period
The Bruins opened the scoring in the first period when Matt Bartkowski scored the first goal of the game. However, the Maple Leafs responded with a power play goal, and it would be tied at one goal apiece after the first period.
It seemed it was all Maple Leafs after that, and they were going to advance after scoring three straight goals to push their lead to 4-1 early in the third period. The Bruins cut the lead down to 4-2 midway through the third period when Nathan Horton scored a goal.
Toronto did a good job responding and weathering that storm until the final two minutes of regulation. The two-goal lead was not safe as Milan Lucic would score a goal, followed by Patrice Bergeron about 30 seconds later in the final minute of the third period.
The comeback was incredible, and the Bruins' fans were right back in the game, but Boston still had work to do if they wanted to advance. The same player who pushed it to overtime would push his team to the next round as Bergeron would score the goal in overtime with an assist from Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand.
It would help the Bruins go on a run to the Stanley Cup Final, and they would win eight of their next nine before meeting the Chicago Blackhawks in that last series. Unfortunately, the Bruins didn't achieve their ultimate goal, but that Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs holds a special place in the hearts of Boston Bruins fans.