The Boston Bruins find themselves in a precarious position after dropping Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Despite playing without one of their top forwards, William Nylander, the Leafs dominated the Bruins, taking an early 2-0 lead.
The Leafs took advantage of Boston’s defensive miscues, with Max Domi and John Tavares scoring timely goals to tie and then take the lead. The Bruins struggled to generate consistent offense, managing just 15 shots on goal in the first two periods.
Boston’s defensive struggles were evident throughout the game, as they allowed multiple high-quality scoring chances for the Leafs. Goalie Linus Ullmark kept the Bruins in the game with several key saves, but he couldn’t prevent the loss.
The Bruins will need to regroup quickly as the series shifts to Toronto for Games 3 and 4. They will need to find a way to generate more offense and tighten up their defense if they want to avoid falling into an 0-3 hole.
The Bruins received some breaks in the second behind Ullmark’s impeccable stop on Calle Jarnkrok on the doorstep and the overturning Tyler Bertuzzi’s following a review for a high stickup. But a slip-up late into their third shorthanded situation resulted in John Tavares beating Ullmark clean at 18:26 for the Leafs’ second equalizer.
In the end, the Bruins didn’t show enough urgency to carry a 2-0 series lead into Toronto. The Leafs grabbed their first lead of the season over the Bruins when Rocket Richard winner Auston Matthews put his team ahead for good at 12:06 of the final frame.
