Bruins in control of series, but can’t afford to let Leafs hang around originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
It might be hard to remember, but the Toronto Maple Leafs were once in control of their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Boston Bruins.
After losing 5-1 in Game 1, the Leafs rebounded very well in Game 2. Their power play finally broke through, their star players found the scoresheet — including a game-winning goal in the third period by Auston Matthews — and goaltender Ilya Samsonov played really well. The Leafs were headed home for the next two games.
But all that momentum disintegrated in Toronto, where the Bruins earned a pair of hard-fought victories to take a 3-1 series lead and push the Leafs to the brink of elimination. Special teams dominance and elite goaltending by the Bruins have been the key differences so far. Toronto’s marquee players, especially Mitch Marner, have failed to produce offense consistently.
The series quickly swung in the Bruins’ favor, but if history is any indication, the series easily could swing back in the other direction in a small amount of time.
The fourth win is always the hardest in a best-of-7 series, and the Bruins know that better than just about any other team.
NHL teams have overcome 3-1 series deficits 32 times in playoff history, including seven instances in just the last 10 years. The Bruins were on the losing end in three of those 32 series:
In 2013, the Bruins had a 3-1 lead after beating the Leafs in overtime of Game 4 on the road. Boston needed a historic Game 7 comeback to win the series.
This series versus the Leafs has unfolded almost exactly how last season’s first-round matchup against the Florida Panthers did.
The Bruins won Game 1, lost the next game at home, then earned two victories on the road to take a 3-1 series lead entering Game 5 at TD Garden. But the Panthers won the next three games, led by better goaltending, massive special teams improvement and their best players — especially Matthew Tkachuk — taking over the series. Two of Florida’s three consecutive wins came in overtime, including a Game 7 triumph in Boston.
“I think what we can learn is the urgency it takes to finish off a series,” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters Sunday. “It’s so hard to end a team’s season, and we know that. I think everyone that was part of it last year is better off for it.”
The Leafs are in a bad spot right now. The star players were yelling at each other on…