Game 4 Takeaways: Special Teams Leads Bruins to 3-1 Series Lead originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
The Toronto Maple Leafs no longer have room for error. They were pushed to the brink of elimination with a 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins in Game 4 of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoff series Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena.
James van Riemsdyk opened the scoring for the Bruins in the first period. It was his first goal since February 17 and ended a 21-game goalless drought. Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak scored in the second period, and Jeremy Swayman made 25 saves with another excellent shot on net.
The Bruins lead the series 3-1 and will have a chance to punch their ticket to the second round on Tuesday night in Game 5 at TD Garden.
Boston also won seven straight 4 games against Toronto. Before we look ahead to the next matchup, here are three takeaways from Bruins-Leafs Game 4.
Brad Marchand torments the Leafs again
The Bruins captain led his team to a Game 3 win on Wednesday night with three points (two goals, one assist), including third period game-winning tally. He played even better in Boston’s Game 4 victory.
The Leafs had absolutely no answers for Marchand in any aspect of Saturday’s game. It was just total dominance from the veteran left wing.
Marchand doubled Boston’s lead in the second period with a power play goal. He passed Cam Neely to become the franchise’s all-time leader in playoff goals with 56 as a result.
Marchand won a puck battle late in the second period and made a beautiful pass to David Pastrnak to score a 2-1 goal and put the Bruins up 3-0.
Marchand finished with one goal, one assist, two shots, three hits and three blocks in 21:22 of ice time. He has eight points (three goals, five assists) in four games this series, including multiple points in three of the four contests.
This is the time of year when your best and most experienced players have to step up and contribute. The Bruins captain leads the way with his positive impact in every situation.
The Bruins’ special teams dominance has been the main difference-maker
There are many reasons why the Bruins have a 3-1 lead in this series, and their stellar shootout performance is right at the top of that list, if not No. 1.
The Leafs had the seventh-ranked power play rankings in the regular season — a unit filled with superstar forwards like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander. But this group looked completely lost and ineffective against the Bruins’ disciplined penalty kill.
The Bruins went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill in Game 4. This unit is now 13-for-14 in the series. Boston did a great job blocking shots, winning puck battles along the boards, and breaking up passes while shorthanded. If you go back to last season, the Leafs scored on just one of their last 20 power plays in the playoffs.
Not only did the Bruins dominate on penalties, but they also scored six times in four games on the power play. Boston’s 6-1 goal differential on special teams is the difference in the series right now.
Swayman remains undefeated against Leafs
The Bruins opened the series by alternating between Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark as the starting goalies for the first three games. The rotation ended — at least for now — in Game 4, when Swayman became the first Bs goaltender to make consecutive starts since doing so from Feb. 19-21.
It was the right decision by Bruins coach Jim Montgomery. Not only did Swayman own the Leafs this season — a 6-0-0 record with a .959 save percentage, including the playoffs — but there was also an extra day of rest between Games 3 and 4.
Swayman rewarded his coach’s trust by giving the Bruins another stellar performance. He made 25 saves on 26 shots for his third win of the series. His best save came on a great scoring chance by Leafs star William Nylander just after Mitch Marner had sparked Toronto with a third-period goal. Swayman extended his right defense to deny Nylander and preserve Boston’s 3-1 lead.
The Leafs made a decent push in the third period, but Swayman held his own and did a great job locating pucks in traffic. He looked calm and poised throughout the game.
Swayman is now 3-0-0 with a .957 save percentage and a 1.25 GAA in this series. There is no goaltender playing better than Swayman in the entire playoffs right now.
Game 5 isn’t until Tuesday, which means there’s an extra day of rest for Swayman to recover. The Bruins could give him a third straight start with a chance to close out the series, or they could go back to Ullmark and keep him from rusting. There really isn’t a bad decision for Montgomery to make considering his team has the luxury of a 3-1 series lead.
