In Toronto, the Bruins’ Brad Marchand scored a double in the back half of the third period to snap a 2-2 tie with the Maple Leafs, and take a 2-1 series lead in their opening series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 
With the win, Boston leads, 2-1, and reclaims home ice.
“We stuck with it all game,” Marchand said. “It wasn’t always pretty, and I said it the other day, they’re coming very hard, they’re playing very physical, but I thought we elevated to another level from where we had been at the first couple of games, and it was great. It paid off.”
Marchand scored his first at 11:53 with a shot from the right circle for a 3-2 lead.
His double was an empty net strike with 36 seconds left on the game clock for the 4-2 final count on the scoreboard.
“Now I witness it firsthand, but I love watching hockey and even if I wasn’t coaching in the NHL, I was watching [Marchand] and Patrice Bergeron and what the Bruins were doing because they’ve always been an elite team,” Boston coach Jim Montgomery said. “[Marchand] has always risen to big moments. You look at his career points in the playoffs, like wow.”
Jeremy Swayman made 28 saves in the win.
“Any time I get a chance to play, I’m going to do whatever I can to help this team win,” Swayman said. “Whether it’s back-to-back to every other game, I’m just really grateful every time I do get a chance, and that’s all I worry about.”
“I’m never going to expect anything. I’m going to earn it. That’s all I care about.”
After a scoreless first period, Matthew Knies staked the Maple Leafs to a 1-0 lead at 13:10 of the middle frame. He scored on a tap in of a pass Joel Edmundson.
The Bruins replied with a strike by Trent Frederic at 17:37 to knot the game, 1-1, scoring off a shot form the left circle.
Game 4 is set for Toronto on Saturday.
“Little mistakes at very important times that end up in our net, but in general I just didn’t think we got to our game nearly as much tonight as we did in the others,” Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said. “Credit to Boston, they played hard, made it hard to get through the neutral zone, and I didn’t think we did enough to manage through that.”
Jake DeBrusk hit off the power play, his third of the series, to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead at 1:07 of the third period. He scored off a rebound of a shot by Marchand.
The Maple Leafs tied the game, 2-2, on a goal by Tyler Bertuzzi at 11:25.
“Small lapses. I think after we tie the game, giving one right back is tough,” the Leafs’ Morgan Rielly said. “Just a momentary thing and it’s just a matter of once you take your eye off the ball, they’re able to capitalize and that’s the difference. But it’s not just that play. I should clarify. The penalty kill early in the period, you give one up, you’ve got to be more dialed than that. Times early in the game I was on the ice where they had chances going the other way, and it’s just those momentary lapses. You have to be more dialed.”
Ilya Samsonov made 30 saves in the loss.
“We’re getting our looks,” Toronto’s Mitchell Marner said. “I think we really are. I think we’ve done a good job of entering (the zone). It’s just staying confident in it knowing we have the people in here to make it successful.”
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