The Boston Bruins welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs to the TD Garden on Thursday night (Nov 2) as they finish a four-game homestand with a clash against their Atlantic Division rivals. The contest will be the first meeting of the season between the two historic franchises, and to this point in the season, they are headed in different directions.
The Bruins are off to a hot start while enjoying a favorable schedule. They sit on top of the Eastern Conference standings with an 8-0-1 record. In their last outing, they topped the Florida Panthers by erasing a two-goal deficit and clinching an overtime victory.
The Maple Leafs have been on a rollercoaster ride early on and enter tonight’s game with a 5-3-1 record. Most recently, the team was serenaded with boos from fans after a lackluster showing against the Los Angeles Kings. Toronto dropped the contest 4-1, with captain John Tavares scoring the lone goal for his club.
Bruins and Maple Leafs Head-to-Head Matchup
Although tonight’s matchup is their first of the season, both teams have undergone substantial roster turnover during the offseason, and we can expect a thrilling game anytime these two Original Six foes take to the ice. The Bruins hold the all-time edge over the Maple Leafs with a record of 304-269-111.
More recently, the Maple Leafs won 11 of the last 20 tightly-contested meetings, with two coming in overtime. Dating back to Feb. 4, 2017, the Bruins have scored 64 goals while also allowing 64 against – talk about a couple of evenly-matched opponents.
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Early in the season, the Bruins and Maple Leafs are tied for 13th in goals scored per game while averaging 3.22. The Maple Leafs have been more lethal with the man advantage, clipping along with a power-play percentage of 31.3%, good for fifth in the NHL. On the flip side, the Bruins’ power play needs significant improvement. They rank 18th in the league, converting on 16.7% of their opportunities.
Related: Bruins’ Rivalries Revisited: Toronto Maple Leafs
On the defensive side of the ice, the NHL’s 2022-23 William M. Jennings Trophy winners, Linus Ulmark and Jeremy Swayman, have continued their stellar play between the pipes. Boston ranks first in goals allowed, averaging just 1.56 per game through their first nine games. Toronto’s blue line and goaltending have left the club looking for more, which has become a common theme for the last decade. Through their first nine games, they have averaged 3.11 goals against and have had an abysmal penalty kill, ranked 26th.
Bruins Player to Watch Tonight
David Pastrnak
Not only is David Pastrnak off to a torrid start in the goal-scoring department but he has been known to light the lamp against the Maple Leafs. With eight goals through nine games, he hasn’t missed a beat since scoring 61 last season and is making the feat look achievable again. Through 24 career regular-season games against Toronto, he has 17 goals and 29 points. He has also been a menace to the Maple Leafs during the postseason, picking up seven goals and 12 assists in 14 playoff games. Look for the Bruins sniper to lead the offensive charge for the Black and Gold tonight.
Hampus Lindholm
With the Bruins missing Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk for tonight’s game, Hampus Lindholm will be leaned on heavily to pick up some slack on the Bruins’ blue line. The Swedish defenseman isn’t off to the start many were expecting after he put together such a solid campaign last season. When McAvoy and Grzelcyk were out of the lineup last season, Lindholm stepped up. Expect him to do that tonight and have his best game of the young season.
Maple Leafs Players to Watch
Tyler Bertuzzi
While Don Sweeney’s big trade deadline acquisition, Tyler Bertuzzi, didn’t have a long tenure in Boston, he quickly became a fan favorite with his playing style and the chemistry he established with Pastrnak. However, after signing with a sworn rival, Bruins fans resent the decision and we might hear boos rain down on him tonight when he makes his first return to the Garden.
With just two goals and one assist through nine games, things haven’t gone exactly as planned for Bertuzzi to start his Maple Leaf career. Although, he is the type of player who thrives off of a hostile crowd, and it wouldn’t be shocking to find his name on the scoresheet in some form by the end of the night.
Auston Matthews
After opening the campaign with back-to-back hat tricks, Auston Matthews has scored just one goal, leading many to wonder if he shouldn’t wear a red-and-white sweater to create his own picture book titled “Where’s Matthews.” All jokes aside, the Maple Leafs’ premier sniper still has seven goals in nine games and has added three assists. His shot is always a threat, and he can have a game-breaking performance on any given night.
Tonight’s Goaltending Matchup
Ilya Samsonov has been confirmed as the starter for tonight’s game. He enters the contest with a 2-1-1 record and subpar numbers, to say the least. He has a 3.98 goals-against average (GAA) and an embarrassing .841 save percentage (SV%). He has played just six regular-season games against the Bruins, with a 1-4-0 record and a 2.98 GAA and .882 SV%.
While this has not yet been confirmed, Swayman should get the nod between the pipes for the Bruins as they continue to split time between their two standout netminders. He enters the contest with a 4-0-0 record and a sparkling 1.26 GAA with a .957 SV%. He also picked up one shutout against the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct 24. However, tonight will bring a tough test to Swayman, who the Maple Leafs have tormented to this point of his career; in three games against the Maple Leafs, he has a 1-2-0 record with a 4.09 GAA and a .867 SV%.
Storylines to Watch for Tonight’s Game
Plenty of faces will be making their first appearance in the rivalry between the Bruins and Maple Leafs. Among them are exciting rookies on both squads. The Maple Leafs’ Matthew Knies has kicked off his rookie campaign with two goals and two assists, while Bruins rookie Matthew Poitras has been solid with three goals and two assists. Although it is too early to tell, they could both be in the hunt for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie by the end of the season.
On a side note, Mason Lohrei, a top defensive prospect for the Bruins, will draw into the lineup tonight to make his NHL debut. He has garnered nothing but respect from head coach Jim Montgomery, and it will be exciting to see what kind of impact he makes while playing in a regular season game (not preseason).
While the Bruins will miss McAvoy and Grzelcyk, their blue line remains strong. As long as they get the kind of goaltending Swayman has been providing, there’s no reason to believe that the Bruins can’t kick off November with another tally in the win column. The puck drops at 7:30 PM ET, so tune in and enjoy the show.