The Bruins came into last night's game with the Maple Leafs a mere 2 points ahead of Washington for the 8th and final Eastern Conference playoff spot. The Maple Leafs, on the other hand, were on the brink of elimination, essentially needing 4 points in their home and home series against the Bruins. Furthermore, leading Bruins scorer Marc Savard would be out for both games after Montreal's Steve Begin delivered a cheap cross-check to Savard over the weekend.
But the Bruins came out strong. 3:57 into the game, Glen Murray scored on the power play to put the Bruins ahead 1-0, a lead which they would not forfeit. David Krejci scored 1:12 into the second period, and Marco Sturm added a nifty power play score to make it a 3-0 game.
In the 3rd, it was 3-1 until Milan Lucic took advantage of Toronto's defensemen pinching to spring a breakaway with Shawn Thornton. A nice leading pass to Thornton led to the dagger goal. Phil Kessel scored at 16:16, and Jeremy Reich added an empty netter to end the game at 6-2.
With the Washington Capitals winning, the Bruins' lead is still 2 points, but they have a game in hand over Washington. The Maple Leafs are all but mathematically eliminated, 6 points behind Boston, with three teams in between them and the Bruins.
The two teams fly to Boston for a game on Thursday night. Then it's back-to-back games on the weekend against Ottawa and Buffalo.
Source:
ESPN.com
Photo Credit:
Dave Sandford/Getty Images
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