Series Talk: ECQF: Boston Bruins vs Toronto Maple Leafs (BOS Leads 3-1)

[Nothingbutglass]

Why are you bringing up pace when there is 1 game left?

 

[Mick Riddleton]

Boston mailed it in the last two games. They really wanted this matchup.

Toronto has no chance. Nothing.

The likely answer was that they played not to get hurt, a lesson learned from last year. The last game of that year Bergeron played when he was supposed to sit. He wanted to perform in front of his dying father in Montreal. Pezzetta injured him; this also happened to Ullmark the last week with a double groin pull. Add in injuries to Krecji, McAvoy and Lindholm, who apparently broke a bone in his foot.

 

[torontoblood]

Is it slaying a demon once our whole core minus Marchand retires? I dunno. Pretty small demon.

McAvoy, pasta, debrusk, coyle, grzelyck, heinen and Marchand were all on the last bruins teams who eliminated the leafs in the first round in back to back years (2018 and 2019)

So yeah even if Bergeron, Lucic, seidenberg, Seguin, chara and krejci are retired and gone, a lot of the bruins players who eliminated the leafs in back to back years during the late 2010s are still playing for Boston today. So if the leafs beat the bruins next week, the demon or dragon will be still slayed.

 

[Dowisetrepla]

No idea what will happen. Don’t trust either of these two teams

 

[TheDoldrums]

hard to trust the Leafs goaltending. I think Toronto has the better skaters but idk how you can have confidence in Samsonov/Woll rn. Woll was great at the start of the year but has been bad since he got injured. Samsonov has been a roller coaster this season and has had a couple bad starts in a row. I really think that will be the difference, not the Leafs stars choking or whatever.

 

[torontoblood]

There’s only like 5 Boston players left from the last time these teams met in the playoffs.

Heinen, debrusk, marchand, coyle, mcavoy, grzelyck, and pastrnak were on the bruins roster back in 2019 playoffs vs the leafs, and they all are still here with Boston 5 years later.

So 6 players left, not 5.

 

[The90]

For me, the only surprising outcome would be a near perfect 7 game effort from both sides. I'm planning on them trading 5-2 type games. I'd be stunned if they both put forth 7 complete game efforts.

I’m expecting a jekyl and Hyde series myself.

 

[OVO16]

Game 7 is pretty much all but confirmed

 

[Realgud]

What's the biggest factor for the Leafs to overcome the Bruins in the first round?

The big guns finally showing up? Domi and Bertuzzi being the gritty difference makers in their top 6? Goalies/Defense miraculously figuring it out? The handshake respect from previous years gives them the extra push? Will Matthews' generational shoe game be the difference maker in the locker room? Or simply the Bruins losing a good amount of excellent roster players themselves will be enough?

In any case, I think we can all agree the Leafs are most likely going to be the big story yet again in this first round.

 

[Leaf Fans]

Boston won the season series 4-0 and were able to shutdown the Leafs offense to just 7 goals in 4 games. If this continues then it will be a short series.

If it doesn't continue, it will be a longer series.

 

[Leaf Fans]

In a sense that both fanbases will excessively whine about blown calls that affected their team, which really goes to show that it won't be a problem at all.

Yeah, all fanbases will do that.

 

[Gjman2019]

Toronto can't get too caught up in matching up physically against other teams.........Obviously when the situation calls for it you play hard and physical defense but other than that they need to push the tempo and focus on getting their horses on the score sheet early and often........If they do that they plow right through Boston......

Winning the physical battle while your best players aren't on the score sheet is a bad strategy.....

 

[Leaf Fans]

The same core 4 that went 1-7 against the Bruins over the last 2 seasons?

Yup, that core.

 

[WarriorofTime]

The two teams that looked uninspiring and potential first round bait. But now someone has to win. Boston looks like a paper tiger, so I think the Leafs take this one.

 

[ThrowDemTongs]

Leafs gonna have to lock in, their hard work is gonna pay off, and the heavy hitters are shaking in their boots.

 

[HockeyVirus]

hard to trust the Leafs goaltending. I think Toronto has the better skaters but idk how you can have confidence in Samsonov/Woll rn. Woll was great at the start of the year but has been bad since he got injured. Samsonov has been a roller coaster this season and has had a couple bad starts in a row. I really think that will be the difference, not the Leafs stars choking or whatever.

Woll has struggled since coming back and makes me nervous but hopeful he refinds his form when it matters. Samsonov though I have confidence in. First, he did it last year and outdueled Vasi and then got hurt. And also last year, he had a really bad stretch going into the playoffs as well but was ready game 1.

Samsonov in his time as a Leaf has overwhelmingly been "on" for clutch moments. Seems to struggle with consistency but is able to be in the zone when he really needs to. Last year all those overtime games he made some hella clutch saves every game to let us make those comebacks. Shut the door when we needed it.

A healthy Sammy is all we need.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Toronto can't get too caught up in matching up physically against other teams.........Obviously when the situation calls for it you play hard and physical defense but other than that they need to push the tempo and focus on getting their horses on the score sheet early and often........If they do that they plow right through Boston......

Winning the physical battle while your best players aren't on the score sheet is a bad strategy.....

Boston isn't some powerhouse physical team. The physicality aspect is likely a wash between the two teams realistically.

 

[HockeyVirus]

Toronto can't get too caught up in matching up physically against other teams.........Obviously when the situation calls for it you play hard and physical defense but other than that they need to push the tempo and focus on getting their horses on the score sheet early and often........If they do that they plow right through Boston......

Winning the physical battle while your best players aren't on the score sheet is a bad strategy.....

I think it will be the opposite. Toronto will bully Boston early and run them out of the building game 1. Boston will try really hard to match it and Toronto's firepower takes over from there. When it swings back, just keep hitting them.

 

[ranold26]

 

[Petrus]

Toronto can't get too caught up in matching up physically against other teams.........Obviously when the situation calls for it you play hard and physical defense but other than that they need to push the tempo and focus on getting their horses on the score sheet early and often........If they do that they plow right through Boston......

Winning the physical battle while your best players aren't on the score sheet is a bad strategy.....

This Toronto team is very different, they no longer play that open ice and speed skating game of the past.

They are actually more dump and chase and a lot more physical too.

 

[Connor McConnor]

This is pretty much it right here. If bruins get half way decent goaltending it should be an easy win.

If Ullmark continues his sub .900 SV% for a third straight year then it gets dicey

Easy win is ridiculous

 

[TheBeastCoast]

This Toronto team is very different, they no longer play that open ice and speed skating game of the past.

They are actually more dump and chase and a lot more physical too.

Yeah teams with speed are actually the ones that hurt us the most. Mostly struggle to defend teams off the rush.

 

[Petrus]

Yeah teams with speed are actually the ones that hurt us the most. Mostly struggle to defend teams off the rush.

Yep… the last Avs game demonstrated how slow the Leafs are. The Leafs got caved in by the Avs speed. Leafs only won because the Avs goalie was having a terrible game.

 

[DarrylshutzSydor]

Tavares is slooooooooowwwww........

 

[Rob Brown]

Could just as easily say Bruins fans thinking this year will be the same. Not to mention both 2018 and 2019 went 7 games - it's not like the Leafs got killed.