The Maple Leafs are seeking their third win in a row and third consecutive victory against the Boston Bruins to close out the season series (7:00 p.m. EST, TSN4).
The talk around town in Boston has largely shifted to selling as the March 7 trade deadline fast approaches. Hampus Lindholm is likely done for the season, and Charlie McAvoy is out indefinitely due to a shoulder injury/infection sustained at the 4 Nations tournament. The team is one point out of a wildcard spot, and its goal differential ranks 13th in the conference (-26).
The Leafs, now 11 points ahead of Boston with a game in hand, have one more chance to help the Bruins descend the standings to close out a season series in which they’ve taken five of six points so far (2-0-1). But it is noteworthy that the Bruins are 18-9-4 on home ice — compared to just nine road wins, tied for the fewest in the East — and the Leafs haven’t won at TD Garden since March 2022 (five straight losses).
In those five road losses for the Leafs since March 2022, the Bruins have gone to the power play 3.6 times per game, including five opportunities in their OT win in Boston in late October (it drops to 2.5 power plays per game for Boston in games played in Toronto over the same time period). We all know how these games typically go in Boston from a physicality, emotional, and officiating standpoint, so the Leafs need to match the Bruins’ intensity and also remain vigilantly disciplined at the same time.
The Leafs will roll ahead with the same lineup from the weekend that beat Carolina and Chicago while scoring a combined 11 goals (three empty-netters). Anthony Stolarz will start in net against a Bruins team that he shut out in early November for his first shutout as a Leaf.
Game Day Quotes
Steven Lorentz on his experiences with the Leafs vs. Bruins rivalry so far:
It is awesome. I still feel like I’ve been part of the team since I was a little kid. I take it personally when stuff goes on. I am always in the mix on what is happening between the two teams.
It is easy to get up for these games. You know there are going to be a lot of emotions, and the crowd is going to be into it. It’s exciting be a part of.
Bobby McMann on the confidence gained from having both Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll healthy and rotating in net:
Huge confidence, knowing every single night, one of those two guys is backstopping us. It helps us, especially at the start of games, if maybe a team is pressing in their home building or whatever it is. Those guys are going to stand up tall for us.
John Tavares on what the team can take away from the last couple of wins in the season series vs. Boston:
Play a hard game with a lot of emotion, but be very disciplined as well. It is the way you have to execute, the way we have to check, and certainly, the pace and determination you need to have on offense to break them down and get around the net. It is a very good defensive team with very good goaltending.
We are very familiar with the challenge, and we want to bring those same things that brought us success in the last couple of matchups.
Bruins head coach Joe Sacco on the challenge presented by the Leafs:
They’ve played well for the majority of the year. They’ve been pretty consistent in their game. They are a strong forechecking team, so we are going to have to execute our breakouts well. We are going to have to be able to handle their pressure.
I don’t know where their power play stands in the league off the top of my head, but you don’t want to be in the penalty box much against them. You want to make sure you play a disciplined game.
Any time we play Toronto, sometimes, you can throw out a lot of the Xs and Os. It is more about the emotions of the game, the competitiveness, and the sense of urgency.
Sacco on the loss of Hampus Lindholm (out for the season) and Charlie McAvoy (indefinite):
The seven D who are here right now are the focus. We know where we are at with the other guys. It is up to us as a group. Everybody has to step up and take on a little bit more. It is a good thing at the end of the day. You get to see and evaluate how players respond when they get more of an opportunity.
We have played without [Lindholm] for a while now. We have played without McAvoy at times. We are confident in the group that we have back there. We all have to help out, though. We need everybody right now. It is incumbent upon our whole group to do our job out there and make it easier on everyone.
Sacco on his team’s battle for a playoff spot as rumours swirl about management selling off pieces at the trade deadline:
We have a competitive group here. We have some players who have played a lot of playoff hockey in the past. We have goals inside ourselves in terms of how we want to play moving forward.
We have a big game — a divisional game — and that is our focus right now. We are one point out of a playoff spot right now. Teams that had games in hand on us have suddenly caught up to us. We need to embrace the situation we are in as far as playing meaningful games right now.
We have a group that understands where we are at. We have veteran players who have been around a long time. I have discussions with players all the time. This group is focused on Toronto. We are not looking down the road.
We are in a fight right now. It is an opportunity to make up some ground and do something. We haven’t been in this position in a while. These are meaningful games. We are trying to use them as a stepping stone.
Sacco on his lineup adjustments ahead of tonight’s matchup:
With Cole (Koepke) coming in, we have to get some speed in the lineup against Toronto. They’re a fast team. We need some pace back into our game a little bit more. He can provide that.
Craig Berube on the emotions involved with a visit to Boston:
Even before [the Stanley Cup Final Game 7 win with St. Louis], I went into Boston with the Flyers for playoff series. I have a lot of memories in this building — and the old building, where I played. There are not many good ones in the old building.
It is great. It is a great place, and a great hockey town. I always get pretty jacked up coming into this building.
Head-to-Head Stats: Maple Leafs (35-20-2) vs. Bruins (27-24-7)
In the 2024-25 regular season statistics, Toronto holds the advantage in four out of five offensive categories and five out of five defensive categories.
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Forwards
#23 Matthew Knies — #34 Auston Matthews — #16 Mitch Marner
#29 Pontus Holmberg — #91 John Tavares — #88 William Nylander
#74 Bobby McMann — #11 Max Domi — #89 Nick Robertson
#18 Steven Lorentz — #64 David Kampf — #46 Alex Steeves
Defensemen
#22 Jake McCabe — #8 Chris Tanev
#44 Morgan Rielly — #95 Oliver Ekman-Larsson
#2 Simon Benoit — #25 Conor Timmins
Goaltenders
Starter: #41 Anthony Stolarz
#60 Joseph Woll
Extras: Ryan Reaves, Philippe Myers, Connor Dewar
Injured: Max Pacioretty
Injured (LTIR): Calle Jarnkrok, Jani Hakanpää
Boston Bruins Projected Lines
Forwards
#39 Morgan Geekie — #18 Pavel Zacha — #88 David Pastrnak
#63 Brad Marchand — #28 Elias Lindholm — #13 Charlie Coyle
#11 Trent Frederic — #51 Matthew Poitras — #71 Oliver Wahlstrom
#45 Cole Koepke — #19 John Beecher — #47 Mark Kastelic
Defensemen
#91 Nikita Zadorov — #25 Brandon Carlo
#6 Mason Lohrei — #52 Andrew Peeke
#79 Michael Callahan — #29 Parker Wotherspoon
Goaltenders
Starter: #1 Jeremy Swayman
#70 Joonas Korpisalo
Injured: Hampus Lindholm, Charlie McAvoy
