All the pressure is on the Bruins heading into another Game 7 against the Leafs

All the pressure is on the Bruins heading into another Game 7 against the Leafs originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Bruins never make things easy for themselves. And now they are one loss away from making history in one of the worst ways possible.

If the Bruins lose to the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoff series on Saturday night at TD Garden, they will become the first team in the history of the NHL, NBA or MLB lose 3–1 series leads in consecutive seasons.

Damn.

There’s pressure on everyone in Game 7. But let’s be real, almost all of the pressure Saturday night will be on the Bruins players and their coach, Jim Montgomery.

Of course, there is always some pressure on the Leafs. They operate in the largest and most intense sports market. They have won just one playoff series in 20 years and their core of superstars faces the possibility of another first-round exit. If that happens, perhaps the Leafs will consider major roster changes in the summer.

But the fact that the Leafs extended the series to a Game 7 without their best player, Auston Matthews, playing in the final two games is nothing short of remarkable. This team has shown tremendous fight and resilience. Joseph Woll looks like a legitimate No. 1 goaltender. Win or lose, there is something for this group to build on next season.

The Bruins’ situation is very different.

Last year’s collapse was bad. The Bruins set league records for most points and wins in regular season history and held a 3–1 series lead over the Florida Panthers. They lost Game 5 and Game 7 in overtime at home. They blew several third-period leads in Game 6.

However, several key players – including Patrice Bergeron, Hampus Lindholm and Linus Ullmark – were suffering serious injuries. The Panthers also won the Presidents’ Trophy the year before, reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2023 and won the Atlantic Division this season. They are a very good team. Make no mistake, it was an embarrassing series loss for the Bruins, but there have been worse chokes.

Losing a 3-1 series lead this year would certainly qualify as such.

The Leafs are not an elite team by any means. They are hockey’s version of the pre-2004 Red Sox – a franchise that constantly torments its fans with soul-crushing playoff exits. Toronto hasn’t played in or won a Stanley Cup Final since 1967. The last time they won Game 7 was in 2004. They haven’t won multiple rounds in the postseason since 2002. The Leafs are the team expected to stifle high-octane playoff moments pressure.

And yet, in the last two games, it was the Leafs who looked like the calmer, more disciplined and better prepared team. The Bruins have scored just one goal in each of their last two games. They have been outscored 24-3 in the first period of the last two games combined. Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Pavel Zacha, Charlie Coyle, Jake DeBrusk, Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm have scored zero points in the last two games. Boston’s best players simply didn’t show up.

The Bruins are in serious danger of cementing their reputation as the team that always plays well in the regular season but rarely performs when it matters most in the playoffs.

They have won more regular season games than any other team since the start of the 2008-09 campaign. They also played the second-most playoff games of any team during that span. But they only have one Stanley Cup title in 2011 to show for all the great players and teams of the last 15 years. And they needed three Game 7 wins and a historic postseason led by goaltender Tim Thomas to win the championship.

With the exception of 2011, the Bruins have consistently failed in big moments. Sure, there are some exceptions, but this franchise has won just three of seven Game 7s since winning the Cup, including three straight losses. They have led the series in five of the last six series they have lost. The Bruins have also lost six consecutive games in which they managed to eliminate their opponent, dating back to Game 7 of the 2022 first round.

Home ice hasn’t been a huge advantage for the B’s either. They are 6-9 since 2012 in home playoff games in which they could eliminate their opponent. In fact, they have lost the last four such games, including Game 5 earlier this week.

To be fair, there are a few reasons for the Bruins to be confident entering this Game 7.

Matthews may not play again. The Leafs also have their own history to deal with. They overcame 3-1 deficits against the Bruins in 2013 and 2018, but lost each time in Game 7 at the Garden. The B’s have beaten the Leafs three times in Game 7 of the first round (2013, 2018 and 2019) and all of those wins have come at home.

The Bruins haven’t generated much offense in their last two games, but the Leafs have scored two or fewer goals in five of their six games. Jeremy Swayman has played very well in each of his five starts in this series, with an overall save percentage of .932. Boston’s special teams, especially the penalties, have been excellent.

You can find plenty of stats to argue for the Bruins winning this matchup.

But honestly, this time it feels a little different. The Leafs aren’t playing scared. They are surprisingly getting great goaltending in Woll. The lineup adjustments made by coach Sheldon Keefe in the last two games have been effective. And the Leafs know the Bruins are under immense pressure after blowing a 3-1 lead to the Panthers last season. They have already admitted to talking about it.

“Obviously, right when we lost 3-1, that was an issue we brought up,” Leafs defenseman Joel Edmundson said. told reporters after Thursday morningTheyou. “It just gave us momentum and some positivity that we needed. Nothing can happen.”

Either the Bruins will make history by blowing a 3-1 series lead in consecutive seasons, or the Leafs will lose their sixth straight Game 7.

One team’s season will end in heartbreaking fashion on Saturday night. But there is much more at stake for the Bruins. They are one loss away from their reputation and culture taking a major hit.