Bruins vs. Leafs Game 5 Lineup: Projected Lines, Pairings, Goalies originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
The Toronto Maple Leafs need to beat the Boston Bruins in Game 5 of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Tuesday night at TD Garden or their season will be over.
The Bruins pushed the Leafs to the brink of elimination with two victories in Toronto to take a dominant 3-1 series lead.
That’s it a familiar spot for the Bruins. They were in the exact same spot last season against the Florida Panthers. Things didn’t end well for the Bruins, as the Panthers won three straight games to become the 32nd team in NHL history to overcome a 3-1 deficit.
This time it looks a little different, however. The Bruins have absolutely dominated on special teams (6 of 13 on the power play, 13 of 14 on the penalty kill) and their goaltending has been elite. Boston’s best players, especially Brad Marchand (eight points in four games), outscored Toronto’s superstar forwards by a wide margin. Leafs stars were also seen arguing with each other on the bench during the third period of Game 4.
Toronto has a long history of playoff failures with its current core, but if the Leafs are eliminated in Game 5, this particular collapse could be the most disappointing of all.
Bruins defenseman Derek Forbort and right wing Justin Brazeau practiced on Monday and are options for Game 5. It is unclear, however, whether either of them will play. The Bruins, frankly, don’t need to make any roster changes. Montgomery made changes in Game 3 and those lines and pairs worked wonders. There is no reason to fix something that is going so well.
The goal decision is again a plot. The Bruins returned to Jeremy Swayman as the starter in Game 4 after winning Game 3. It was the first time the B’s goalie had played back-to-back games since mid-February. Swayman turned in a stellar performance for the third time in as many games this series, and he now ranks first among all goaltenders in the postseason with a .956 save percentage.
When you consider how well Swayman played against the Leafs this season — 6-0-0 record with a .967 save percentage, including the playoffs — plus the extra day of rest between Games 4 and 5, that makes the most it makes sense to give him a third straight game on Tuesday. You can’t go wrong playing your best goalkeeper with the chance to send your rival home for the summer.
The biggest question mark for the Leafs involves star center Auston Matthews. He has been battling an illness since Game 3 and did not play the third period of Game 4 due to the issue. Matthews traveled with the team to Boston, but his status for Game 5 remains unclear. He scored a league-leading 69 goals in the regular season and is Toronto’s most dynamic player. It would be a huge setback for the Leafs if he didn’t play on Tuesday night.
Sheldon Keefe says Leafs still hope Auston Matthews can play in Game 5: “No determination at this point.”
-Jonas Siegel (@jonassiegel) April 30, 2024
It is also unknown which goalie will start for the Leafs. Ilya Samsonov has started the first four games and has an .883 save percentage and 3.32 GAA. The Leafs’ problems aren’t all his fault, but they have needed some saves and he hasn’t made many so far.
Joseph Woll replaced Samsonov to start the third period of Game 4, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him make his first series start in Game 5. Woll had a good regular season for the Leafs, but is 0-2-1 with percentage 865 save rate and a 3.97 GAA in three career contests against Boston.
Here are the projected lineups for Game 5. We will update this article when the Bruins’ starting goaltender is known and when there is a definitive update on Matthews.
Boston Bruins (3-1)
Forwards
Jake DeBrusk – Pavel Zacha – David Pastrnak
Brad Machand – Charlie Coyle – Morgan Geekie
James van Riemsdyk – Trent Frederic – Danton Heinen
John Beecher – Jesper Boqvist – Pat Maroon
Defenders
Mason Lohrei – Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm – Brandon Carlo
Matt-Grzelcyk – Parker Wotherspoon
Goalkeeper
Jeremy Swayman
Toronto Maple Leafs (1-3)
Forwards
If Matthews plays…
Tyler Bertuzzi – Auston Matthews – Max Domi
Matthew Knies – John Tavares – Mitch Marner
William Nylander – Pontus Holmberg – Calle Jarnkrok
Nick Robertson, David Kampf, Ryan Reaves
If Matthews doesn’t play…
Tyler Bertuzzi – Max Domi – Mitch Marner
Matthew Knies-John Tavares-William Nylander
Nick Robertson – Pontus Holmberg – Calle Jarnkrok
Connor Dewar, David Kampf, Ryan Reaves
Defenders
Morgan Rielly-Ilya Lyubushkin
Simon Benoit – Jake McCabe
Joel Edmundson – Timothy Liljegren
Goalkeeper
José Woll
