By Zachary McMahon –
The Boston Bruins played the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals on Saturday night at TD Garden. The Bruins ended the season in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, while the Toronto Maple Leafs were the fifth seed in the playoffs.
The Bruins ended the regular season on a two-game losing streak against the Washington Capitals and Ottawa Senators, and they fell from second to fourth place behind the New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, and Florida Panthers. The Maple Leafs ended the season with 102 points, which was seven points behind the Bruins but four points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Bruins swept the season series 4-0 against the division rival Maple Leafs, and they won seven straight matchups between the teams. The Bruins and Maple Leafs have a deep playoff history, and they have faced each other three times since 2013, and the Bruins have won Game 7s in each series in 2013, 2018, and 2019, two of those times they would advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Maple Leafs have not won a playoff series against the Bruins since the 1959 Stanley Cup semifinals.
Jeremy Swayman was in net for the Bruins as he started in his first career Game 1, as he had entered the contest with a 3-4 career playoff record. Swayman made 36 saves on 37 shots from the Maple Leafs.
The Bruins got the game going in the first two and a half minutes into the game with a goal from Johnny Beecher, who scored his first career playoff goal after playing in 52 games in the regular season in his rookie campaign this season.
Then, in the second period, Jake DeBrusk scored three points when he assisted on a goal by Brandon Carlom and the scored two goals himself. This was DeBrusk’s first career playoff game with 3+ total points, and his fourth career playoff game scored 2+ goals.
David Kampf of the Maple Leafs scored the only goals for the Maple Leafs in the third period, and then Trent Frederic closed out the game with an empty-net goal.
The teams will be playing in Game two at TD Garden on Monday at 7 pm, as the games will be broadcasted on ESPN or NESN/NESN360.
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