Toronto 4, Boston 3
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Referees:
Tom Kowal, Francois St. Laurent
Linesmen:
Michel Cormier, Matt MacPherson
Attendance:
17565
By The Sports Xchange
BOSTON -- The Toronto Maple Leafs, a proud Original Six franchise looking to make a fresh start under new coach Mike Babcock and a rebuilt front office, unveiled a new logo for their centennial after Tuesday's game in Boston.
Before the logo was officially out, the team -- which hasn't had a lot of success but is clearly playing a more-complete game under Babcock -- pulled off a late comeback and stunned the Boston Bruins 4-3 in overtime.
"It feels great, that's the way we wanted to start after the All-Star break," center Nazem Kadri said after scoring the tying goal and assisting on the winner as the Leafs overcame a two-goal third-period deficit.
Boston center David Krejci set up left winger Brad Marchand's second goal of the game and scored himself 26 seconds later as the Bruins took a 3-1 lead 1:21 into the third. The old Leafs might have quit and gone home, but not this team.
"It would've been easy for us to collapse and fold after those quick two goals," Kadri said. "A lot of people probably thought it was over but we still had belief and we were able to come back."
One thing the Leafs (18-22-9) had going for them is that the Bruins have been dreadful at home, especially when leading.
Krejci was off for holding when Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau beat Tuukka Rask with a rebound backhander at 3:06 of overtime to end Toronto's four-game losing streak and give the Maple Leafs their second win in the last 11 games.
The power play goal, Parenteau's 12th goal of the season, snapped a 0-for-28 power play spell for the Leafs and was Toronto's third power play goal in its last 52 attempts.
"Even if you don't score on the power play it's there to create momentum," Kadri said. "I feel like we've been doing that for the past five or six games, being able to get scoring chances just not being able to get the bounces. Obviously finding the back of the net on the power play was huge for us."
Said Parenteau: "We had some chances in the last few games on the power play and we couldn't find a way to put it in the net. There was no better moment to score a goal here tonight."
Goaltender James Reimer, playing in his 200th NHL game, made 39 saves and helped the Maple Leafs to their first in five decisions in the five-minute overtime this season. It was also Toronto's first victory within the Atlantic as the Maple Leafs improved to 1-7-6 against division foes.
The Bruins (26-18-6) lost for the seventh time in their last 10 home games and fell to 11-13-3 on home ice this season.
"Right now, I don't know if it's a matter of you're afraid to lose so you're playing it safe," said Bruins coach Claude Julien, whom didn't like the call on Krejci. "We go out there in the third, and determined to win. We score two goals, and then we turn around and we get sloppy again. So I don't know if it's relaxing or losing focus, but certainly not good enough right now for our hockey team to think that we can contend if we keep making those kind of mistakes."
The 3-1 lead didn't stand up. Centers Leo Komarov and Kadri beating Rask on tip-ins. Komarov, fresh off his All-Star appearance, assisted on Kadri's tying goal at 11:31 after scoring his 17th at 9:02.
The first three goals by the visitors against Rask (31 saves) came on deflections.
The Maple Leafs had 11 goals in their previous 10 games and eight in the nine losses in those 10 games.
Center Daniel Winnik had the other Toronto goal while defenseman Roman Polak had two assists for Toronto.
Marchand, who opened the scoring in the first period, has seven goals in the last seven games, while Krejci has a goal and four assists in five games since returning from a shoulder injury that cost him 10 games.
NOTES: Bruins G Jonas Gustavsson, placed on injured reserve after being hospitalized last week for an elevated heart rate, is practicing but has not yet been cleared to play. Malcolm Subban was recalled from Providence of the American Hockey League as the backup. ... While most players enjoy their All-Star break with a relaxing trip, Toronto RW Michael Grabner underwent six root canals after taking a puck to the face Tuesday. He played against the Bruins and took a hard shot from Boston D Zdeno Chara that shook him up in the first period. ... RW David Pastrnak, sent to Providence to play during the break, was back for Boston and recorded two assists. ... Bruins C Ryan Spooner returned to his natural position after playing three games at right wing. He didn't have a point, ending a four-game point streak.
Top Game Performances
Toronto |
|
Boston |
Nazem Kadri 2 |
Points |
Brad Marchand 2 |
Nazem Kadri 1 |
Goals |
Brad Marchand 2 |
Roman Polak 2 |
Assists |
David Pastrnak 2 |
P.A. Parenteau 1 |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
James Reimer .929 |
Save Percentage |
Tuukka Rask .886 |
James Reimer 39 |
Saves |
Tuukka Rask 31 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Toronto
|
35 |
4 |
1-3 |
4-4 |
10 |
27 |
Boston
|
42 |
3 |
0-4 |
2-3 |
8 |
40 |
Upcoming Games
-
Boston will play their next game on the road against Buffalo. The Bruins have a W/L % of .538 after a win and .500 after a loss.
-
Toronto will play their next game at home against New Jersey. The Maple Leafs have a W/L % of .412 after a win and .344 after a loss.