Heading in to game 4 in Toronto with the series at 3-1 to the Leafs, the Bruins wanted to be heading back to Boston on an even footing. Taking the lead early, Charlie McAvoy scored a power play goal (Connor Brown penalty for holding Jaokim Nordstrom) at 3:03, assists provided by Matt Grzelcyk and Charlie Coyle.
Just over three minutes later, McAvoy helped Brad Marchand make the score 2-0 – Danton Heinen picking up the secondary assist.
With just over two minutes until the first break, Zach Hyman pulled one back for the home team, assists from Morgan Rielly and John Tavares.
Auston Matthews leveled the score a minute after the break, helped by Andreas Johnsson and Ron Hainsey.
Patrice Bergeron earned himself an assist as David Pastrnak went on to pick up a pair of goals within 1 minute 35 seconds, Marchand with assists on both. The second of these was a power play goal due to Matthews roughing call against McAvoy.
No further goals or penalties in the second period saw the Bruins confidently heading in to the second break 4-2.
Zdeno Chara scored at 5:39 in the third pushing Boston even further in to the lead.
Rielly and Mitchell Marner with assists on Matthews power play goal from the only penalty in the third period saw Toronto start to close the gap again, and Travis Dermott brought it back to a one goal difference, with six and a half minutes left in the game (assists from Jake Gardiner and Connor Brown).
Right at the end of the game, Frederik Anderson had headed to the bench to get the extra player on the ice and the puck was deep in the Boston zone. David Krejci poked it out from the corner and as it flew across the blue line and out of danger, Joakim Nordstrom tore after it. Nordstrom got to the puck as it crossed the, just beating Rielly to it. Nordstrom’s knock towards the empty goal put it ahead of the battling defender, and the puck slid nicely in to the net with just two seconds left in the game, ending it 6-4 to Boston.
“We had the lead and we played well, but obviously they played more aggressively and forechecked a little harder,” Chara said. “They got some nice looks there, and we have to obviously go back to video and correct some stuff we could have done better, but we defended well, I thought, this game.”
Tukka Rask in the Bruins goal gave up four goals from 42 shots. Anderson let slip five from 30 shots for Toronto.
“We hung in there after that fourth goal they scored,” Rask said. “We were able to be relaxed, got some momentum, run the time a little bit, and that’s what we needed. We have enough veterans that we don’t panic.”
Game 5 will be back at the TD Garden in Boston on Friday evening.
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