It felt like déjà vu for the Toronto Maple Leafs last Tuesday. The Boston Bruins eliminate Leafs in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the NHL. In fact, it is the third time in seven years that the Bruins won against the Leafs in the playoffs.
It was a bitter pill to swallow for the Leafs because it was another Game 7 loss for the team. Although there were no comebacks this time around for the winning side, Toronto fans felt the team missed a good opportunity to advance in the playoffs.
Tuukka Rask got 32 saves to help the Bruins eliminate Leafs 5-1 and close the seven-game series. For the second season in a row, Boston used its home ice advantage to edge out Toronto. In fact, the Leafs can’t seem to win in Game 7 in recent years according to sportsbook pay per head providers.
Bruins Eliminate Leafs
After eliminating Toronto, the Bruins will face the Blue Jackets. Sports reports state Joakim Nordstrom and Sean Kuraly have an assist and one goal each. In addition, Marcus Johansson got another goal. Also, Patrice Bergeron and Charlie Coyle both scored into an empty net each.
Frederik Andersen had 27 stops for the Leafs. However, that was not enough because he allowed five goals to go through. Last year, Bruins won against the Leafs with the score of 7-4 in Game 7. They became the first team in the NHL to come back from three deficits of at least a goal to win a Game 7.
Also, the win came five years after Bruins got an overtime victory in Game 7 according to sports betting solutions experts. It was also the first time an NHL team won a Game 7 after losing by three goals in the last period.
It was a huge blow to the Leafs, which failed to reach the second round of the NHL playoffs since 2004. In fact, its last Stanley Cup win was in 1967.