The Toronto Maple Leafs earned a 5-4 comeback win over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday (Feb. 25), with Morgan Rielly leading the way offensively and Mitch Marner supplying some overtime magic at TD Garden for the second time in less than a week. The Maple Leafs have three straight wins and continue to lead the Atlantic Division, but the Florida Panthers remain within striking distance, and the hard-charging Tampa Bay Lightning aren’t far behind.
The Maple Leafs posted a gutsy victory on Tuesday while dealing the faltering Bruins a blow in their quest to secure a Wild Card spot. The game felt like one where nothing would go right until some unlikely heroes got the team back on track. However, Toronto sustained some worrying injuries in the contest.
Tanev and Nylander Unable to Finish Game
Chris Tanev suffered an upper-body injury on his second shift after receiving a hit by Bruins forward John Beecher. According to Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, the 35-year-old Tanev sported a sling on his right arm when he exited the building and will be evaluated further on Wednesday (Feb. 26).
Toronto’s defence corps was disjointed and sloppy without him through two periods of play. The pressure was alleviated in the third frame when the Maple Leafs played with more pace and desperation. It also helped that netminder Anthony Stolarz was superb between the pipes. He was under siege for most of the game and kept the Leafs in it despite numerous rush chances and defensive breakdowns.
Most of the attention has been placed on general manager Brad Treliving’s aim for depth down the middle ahead of the March 7 trade deadline. However, acquiring a defender of substance, someone capable of logging top-four minutes, not an individual who will battle for time on the third pairing, would be tremendously beneficial.
William Nylander did not log an overtime shift and was seen with his glove off on the bench. “Just came back [to the bench], and something was bothering him.” head coach Craig Berube said following the match. “So he didn’t go in the overtime.” The potential loss of Nylander would be a significant blow. He ranks second in the league with 33 goals, ranks second on the Maple Leafs with 58 points, and leads the team with 190 shots on the net.
Defenders Stay Active Offensively
Toronto got another goal from a blueliner in Tuesday’s win, the team’s third in the last two games. Morgan Rielly got the Maple Leafs on the…
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