The stat line from Jeremy Swayman’s five outings against the Toronto Maple Leafs speaks for itself. The fourth-year Bruins netminder picked up where he left off from his Game 1 effort Saturday. Amid a penalty trouble — on a night of subpar officiating — brief defensive lapses and early trouble with 5v5 production, Swayman once again stood tall against a potent Leafs offense. Eventually, the Bruins found their 200-foot stride after Mitch Marner connected with Matthew Knies for the game’s first tally. By the third, Brad Marchand had entered takeover mode, and Swayman made his last round of clutc ..read more

Sometimes, the chaotic nature of playoff hockey presents a team with unique opportunities. In the Bruins instance, a former teammate provided an unlikely opening in Game 3. Amid a night of tight-checking and brutal officiating, the Maple Leafs had the Bruins on the ropes after Mitch Marner connected with Matthew Knies for the game’s first tally at 13:10 of the middle stanza. https://twitter.com/BR_OpenIce/status/1783293406342529336 The Leafs had the Bruins on the ropes. But their undisciplined play popped up at the worst time. As Tyler Bertuzzi engaged in shenanigans with Brad Marchand, an ass ..read more

A handful of Bruins remain from the last playoff meeting with the Maple Leafs in 2019. But only one is left standing from the first Boston-Toronto matchup 11 years ago. Brad Marchand had already achieved a hockey player’s dream of hoisting the Stanley Cup when the Bruins met the Leafs in 2013. Little did he know then that Toronto would become a common playoff opponent. Unlike the Bruins, the Leafs encountered a transitional period in the mid-2010s following their Game 7 collapse at TD Garden. The marquee names changed over the years from Phil Kessel, Nazem Kadri, Dion Phaneuf and James van Rie ..read more

Jim Montgomery kept a passionate fanbase on edge regarding the Game 1 starter in net. But by the end, 17,850 of the Causeway faithful stood in unison to celebrate a 5-1 victory. Jeremy Swayman stopped all but one of the 36 shots he faced, allowing his only marker early in the third on David Kampf’s rebound tally. And unlike his previous postseason outing, his teammates provided plenty of offensive support. An energetic Bruins bunch received timely secondary scoring throughout Saturday’s season opener, with Johnny Beecher, Brandon Carlo, Jake DeBrusk (twice on the power play) and Trent Frederic ..read more

For the first time in five seasons, a pair of Original Six foes will renew acquaintances in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Amid a transitional season, the Bruins swept the regular season series over the high-octane Leafs. In fact, Jim Montgomery’s club came out victorious in each of the last seven meetings with Toronto dating back to last season.  But this series will not be a cakewalk, especially with their prior meetings in 2013, 2018 and 2019 going the distance. Even with Toronto’s goaltending and defensive deficiencies, the Leafs possess an established offensive core wor ..read more

A year after a record-breaking regular season and a bitter first-round exit, the Boston Bruins made decent use of a transitional roster to finish second in the Atlantic Division. As another first-round matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs approaches, Bruins fans have their share of causes for optimism and concern for a potential deep run. Let’s take a look at three reasons for each. Optimism: The Bruins plan on using their dynamic goaltending tandem early. The Bruins had a chance to buck conventional wisdom last season with their dynamic duo in net. Instead, they waited too late to pivot to Je ..read more

The first 82 are now a distant memory. The next goal for the Boston Bruins: 16 postseason victories. Jim Montgomery’s club secured their first-round matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs following Tuesday’s 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators. Here’s what we learned from Boston’s regular-season finale. Another first-round matchup with the Maple Leafs awaits. The Bruins’ loss to Ottawa and the Panthers’ win over the Maple Leafs confirmed the latest playoff meeting between the two Original Six squads. Come Saturday night, the Bruins and Leafs will renew postseason acquaintances for the first time sin ..read more

Ideally, the Boston Bruins should avoid a first-round matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning. And judging from Monday’s outing against a desperate Washington Capitals squad, the Bruins lived up to that development. Jeremy Swayman bounced back in likely his final start of the regular season. But the turnover-prone Bruins were in coasting mode from the get-go.  The opportunistic Capitals couldn’t get many pucks past Swayman, but they effectively generated havoc in front of the Boston net throughout Monday’s tilt. The Caps outshot the Bruins 25-16 and pounced on John Carlson’s blast from the p ..read more

Come next weekend, the Boston Bruins will put the finishing touches on their Round 1 preparations. But they enter the final weekend of the 2023-24 regular season without a clear indication of their potential playoff opponents. The Bruins enter Saturday’s tilt in Pittsburgh a mere one point in front of the Panthers in the Atlantic Division standings. Boston has a game in hand on both Florida and the New York Rangers, who sit three points ahead in the Eastern Conference standings. Whether they face the Lightning, Maple Leafs or the East’s second wild card team, the Bruins still have plenty of it ..read more

For the last month, the Boston Bruins acquainted themselves with the playoff-like grind accordingly. Over the last two weeks, in particular, Jim Montgomery’s club earned victories through various means against teams fighting for playoff positioning. But they also endured some hiccups and setbacks against some of the heavier squads they’ve faced during the last month. With a mix of speed, skill and heavy checking, the Carolina Hurricanes possess several traits the Bruins struggled with during previous postseason eliminations. And unlike their last meeting just five days prior, the B’s entered c ..read more