The Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins continued their series last night with Game 2, and it was a good one. After going down 1-0 in the series, the Maple Leafs needed a strong, disciplined game to bring it back even. That was what they did to an extent, but at times they took penalties that weren’t needed. Regardless, it was a way better performance than what they had in Game 1, and they managed to tie the series at 1-1 as they head back home for Game 3.
Related: Maple Leafs Tie Series Against Bruins With Game 2 Win
Heading into last night’s game, there were some questions about the lineup and how it would look in Game 2. Just minutes before game time, it was announced that there would be lineup changes. Unfortunately, this also meant that William Nylander would be sitting out yet another game due to an undisclosed reason. The good news is that the team was able to come back from a 2-1 deficit and take the game 3-2 thanks to the strong performance of Auston Matthews, who had a goal and two assists for three points, which matched his career high in playoff points in a game.
Much More Disciplined Play
After Game 1, many would have thought that this series was going to be penalty-filled and could lean more toward the Maple Leafs. They were taking selfish penalties in an attempt to intimidate the Bruins, who were just letting it happen and hoping that it didn’t stop. There were times that Max Domi felt that the emotion of playing for the Maple Leafs in the playoffs could be too much and that he would be a liability out there. However, he managed to clean it up and get himself back on track.
Last night, though, the Maple Leafs appeared to have taken what happened in Game 1 and not let it happen in Game 2. The only time that there was a lack of discipline was Jake McCabe’s first penalty, when he cross-checked the Bruin in front of the net and sat for two minutes. Other than that, the team cleaned it up and gave their team a better chance to win, which they did.
Fourth Line Dominance
When looking at the Maple Leafs’ lineup before the game, the line that would generate the least amount of buzz would probably be the fourth line. Well, for the second night in a row, that was not the case. The trio of Ryan Reaves, Connor Dewar, and David Kampf was the second-best line on the team. They went hard into the forecheck and finished every hit on the Bruins’ defenceman, which helped them maintain the zone and keep cycling the puck around the offensive zone.
Related: Maple Leafs Adjust Strategy Without Nylander
They have also shown that they can be trusted a bit more on the defensive side of the puck. They haven’t given up a ton of shots; it looks like their goal is to chip the puck out and work from there. This has proven to be a good strategy because they have been one of the best lines for the team behind Matthews’ line. It’s not every day that a team’s best two lines are the first and fourth, but when it is playoff time, you need all hands on deck to win rounds. If they can keep up this play and the second and third lines can get going, the Maple Leafs could go on a run.
Leaders Lead
Leaders lead; it is plain and simple. It may not be the best players on your team that do so, but in big moments, big players step up and become the leaders that are needed. Last night, that was Matthews, Domi, and Tyler Bertuzzi. There is some argument to be made for John Tavares as well; he scored the tying goal, but his line wasn’t at their best for most of the night. The Maple Leafs’ top line did, though; they were hungry to show their teammates that they could put them on their backs and crawl back into the game and series.
As mentioned above, Matthews was credited with two assists and a goal for three points, meaning he had a hand in every goal that the team scored. Domi had tied the game less than 20 seconds after the Bruins took the lead in the first period and made a beautiful flip pass to Matthews, who walked in all alone on a breakaway to take the 3-2 lead.
There was also Bertuzzi, who does so many small things right and makes it easy to be his linemate. For example, he takes a beating in front of the net just to try and tip the puck, and when it misses the net or there’s a rebound, he either goes to dig for it or tries to tuck the rebound home. He is an old-school player who complements that line so well. Last night, he was right around it; he would dump the puck in deep and chase it, and when he managed to win the board battles, he found either Matthews or Domi for a scoring chance. He is built for the playoffs and the physical grind that comes with it. But he is also built for the Maple Leafs’ top line.
Overall, the Maple Leafs played very well, but they still have some things to clean up and remove from their game. However, that could take a few more games to work the kinks out. Especially when you are without Nylander, who is an elite puck mover and could make a huge impact on this series with his ability to score big goals.
The Maple Leafs are next in action on Wednesday, April 24 at 7:00 PM, as the series shifts back to Toronto for Game 3.
