Beantown Rundown: What Bruins must do to win Game 7 vs. Maple Leafs

Heading into Game 5 of this series, the Maple Leafs were on the ropes. The Bruins had won two games at Scotiabank Arena, they had to return to TD Garden for a potential elimination game, they made a goalie switch from Ilya Samsonov to Joseph Woll, and they were without their best player in Auston Matthews. But they came out and attacked the Bruins in a way we hadn’t really seen this series, and they grinded out a 2-1 overtime victory.

Game 6 was eerily similar to Game 5. Toronto came out and landed the first punch, and while Boston managed to respond as the game went along, they didn’t manage to find the back of the net until there were 0.1 seconds left in the game, and by then, it was too little too late. The Maple Leafs have fought far harder than the Bruins to win these games, which is why the proceedings have made it all the way to a Game 7.

If Boston simply continued playing their brand of hockey, this series would already be over. But they have stopped doing everything that helped them take control of this series. Their forecheck is practically nonexistent, they are struggling to get the puck out of their own zone, and they are applying virtually no pressure on Woll in net.

Those three things are going to determine which team will win this do-or-die Game 7 contest. The Maple Leafs have flipped the script by dominating in these three areas of the game (in addition to mauling Boston on the faceoff dot, which plays a role in each of these three things). These were the areas in which Boston was making their money and frustrating Toronto so much through the first four games.

Truth be told, the Bruins puck distribution, when you consider how aggressive the Leafs have been, and how frequently they are losing their faceoffs, has still been relatively good. But there have been plays, like Charlie McAvoy’s decision to ice the puck, which led to Toronto winning the ensuing faceoff and getting the game-opening goal from William Nylander in Game 6, that are costing Boston games.

When Toronto ramps up the pressure, Boston has to be more committed to providing their defenders outlets to get the puck out of their zone, without launching it down the other end for icing, or aimlessly hitting it along the boards in hope someone on their team is on the receiving end of their pass. The Bruins have skilled distributors in McAvoy, Mason Lohrei, and Hampus Lindholm, but they can only do so much when they are fighting along the boards on their own.

The first step is getting the puck out of the zone cleanly. But then, Boston has to do more to keep the puck in Toronto’s zone. The Bruins are a physical team, which is why it’s been so disheartening to see them wilt away when they try to establish any sort of attacking momentum against the Leafs over the past two games. They need to get active on the boards again, whether it be winning puck battles to keep the play in Toronto’s zone, or by laying out big hits and punishing them any chance they get.

It’s the latter that was forcing the Maple Leafs into frequent mistakes early on this series. The Bruins don’t have the offensive firepower to consistently create scoring chances on their own accord, but that’s been the case all season long. They manage to win by forcing the opposing defense into mistakes, and capitalizing on them by putting the puck in the back of the net.

Over the past two games, that simply hasn’t happened. The ice looked so tight for Boston in the third period of Game 6 because of this development. Toronto was not afraid of Boston’s lackluster forecheck, and that led to there being virtually no room for them to create shots. It was not a good sign for the Bruins, as it’s fair to say the Leafs have all the momentum heading into this game now.

A more simple way to summarize all this is that Boston has to come out on the attack in Game 7. They have played on their heels over the past two games, and it’s allowed Toronto to get the upper-hand. They cannot afford to sit back and allow the Maple Leafs to come out and control the proceedings, or else it’s going to be a long, painful night of hockey for the B’s and their fans.

The Bruins have the blueprint for how to beat the Leafs; it just remains to be seen whether or not they can get out of their own way to go out and do what needs to be done. It’s going to be their toughest task of the season to win this game, but if Boston comes out and manages to play their brand of hockey, they can avoid suffering an embarrassing series loss for the second straight year. But if they can’t, buckle up then, because it’s going to be a long offseason for the B’s.