BOSTON (AP) — Jeremy Swayman made 28 saves and the Boston Bruins defeated the exhausted Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 in a potential playoff matchup on Thursday night.
David Pastrnak, Trent Frederic, Morgan Giekey and Brandon Carlo scored for Boston's 20th home win of the season. At 37-13-15, the Bruins lead the NHL by one point over Atlantic Division rival Florida.
“I thought it took real stamina to start the game and finish checking,” Boston manager Jim Montgomery said. “I can't give our defense enough credit. They hold everyone accountable and everyone follows.”
Mitch Marner scored and Joseph Wall made 22 saves for Toronto. The Maple Leafs were coming off a 2-1 overtime win at home against Buffalo on Wednesday night. They are 10-3-0 in their last 13 games and 36-19-8 overall.
“They made it difficult for us to generate offense. They manage the puck and don't make too many mistakes,” Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly said.
Pastrnak and Jake DeBrusk teamed up to score Boston's first goal on a 5-on-3 power play with 17 seconds left. DeBrusk slotted the puck low into the net, and Pastrnak converted it for his 39th point. Brad Marchand was also credited with an assist on Pastrnak's goal, making it one of two goals scored by the Boston captain.
Frederic turned a Toronto turnover into a fast-break opportunity, scoring his 17th goal and a two-goal lead 4:16 into the second period. The Maple Leafs clinched the spot when Marner missed a pass and beat Swayman for his 25th point.
“Just take long strides and push hard,” Frederick said.
The Bruins entered the final period with three points on Geeky's power play conversion and Carlo's one-point shot from the blue line. The difference between the two goals was 1 minute 07 seconds.
“They're a good team and they found a way to lose. You have to give them credit,” Toronto forward Max Domi said. “I look forward to playing with them in the future.”
The Bruins gave their fans plenty of reason to cheer after losing to Edmonton in overtime on Tuesday, when they came off the ice to a chorus of praise from their coach. That's not just because members of the franchise's 2011 Stanley Cup championship team won comfortably on a night of play. The event was held at this building in conjunction with the team's 100th season anniversary celebration.
Boston and Toronto had several skirmishes. He committed 19 penalties in a combined 30 minutes for both teams. At one point, Swayman stood near the middle of the ice and challenged Woll to a goalie fight, but the Toronto netminder wouldn't get involved in dropping the gloves.
“We probably didn't ask for it, but when you see all the players come out, it's a team effort and everyone comes out,” Swayman said. “(Wal) is my buddy. I had a chance but nothing happened.”
Boston extends its winning streak to seven games against Toronto, which last defeated the Bruins on Nov. 22, 2022. The two teams met in Toronto on Monday night, with Boston also winning 4-1.
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Maple Leafs: Saturday night at Montreal.
Bruins: Host Pittsburgh on Saturday.
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