Bruins Crush Maple Leafs Like Leaves

By John in Bruins, Featured ⋅ December 6, 2009 at 3:27pm ⋅ Post a comment

Steve Begin takes it to Toronto's Jamal Mayers. (Elsa / Getty Images)

Yes, the Maple Leafs folded like their namesake, and the Bruins looked like bears again instead of cubs as Boston won convincingly at home, 7-2. The Bruins stepped on the gas from the start and never let up, scoring on a Marco Sturm tip-in. Just one second later, Shawn Thornton got into a scuffle with Toronto’s Colton Orr. It was only 32 seconds after this when Boston scored again thanks to Marc Savard. Tensions remained high with two roughings and a slashing rounding out the 1st period.

2:09 into the 2nd, Zdeno Chara scored on a slap shot for the 3-0 lead. By the way, remember Colton Orr? He was called for roughing AND interference 5:22 into the 2nd; Boston could do nothing with a double length power play. They ended up scoring on a regular power play later in the period, thanks to Marc Savard.

Penalties were quite abundant in the final 20 minutes: roughings, a fight, a tripping, and a misconduct. Mark Recchi scored in the process for Boston, and interestingly enough, Tuukka Rask got credit for his first assist of the season. Johnny Boychuck scored his first of the year for Boston with 7:34 left, and Marc Savard followed suit 19 seconds later. The Maple Leafs, in an exercise of futility, scored goals from Niklas Hagman and Mikhail Grabovski, but it was too late to catch up to the Bruins.

B’s Stud of the Game: Joey MacDonald and Vesa Toskala

Okay, they may be Toronto’s goalies, but giving up four and three goals in two and one periods respectively? You’ve got to love that performance.

B’s Dud of the Game: Tuukka Rask in the last 4:14

Come on, after the way the game was going, Rask couldn’t even blank Toronto? Great job up to that point, though.

That’s What He Said:

“Our team is very good when it’s challenged physically” – Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference after the game.

JERRY!! JERRY!! Moment of the Game:

I feel like a kid in a candy store trying to decide, so I’ll just give this honor to the game itself. Two instances resulted in fighting penalties, but several more roughing penalties were fights, just called roughing.

Game Notes:

With 13:26 left in the 2nd, a referee took a shot from the puck by the sideboards, and had to be tended to by the Bruins’ trainer. You don’t see that too often.
With 7:15 left in the 3rd, after Savard scored Boston’s seventh goal, fans threw hats and gloves and assorted accessories onto the ice. Bring on the cleaning crew.
Marc Savard got his third career hat trick, and Boston’s first since Phil Kessel last April 12. Where have I heard that name before. Maybe it was from the crowd using it as a taunt all night.
17 penalties were handed out during the game, for a total of 44 minutes.

Tags: Andrew Ference, Bruins, Johnny Boychuk, Marc Savard, Marco Sturm, Mark Recchi, Phil Kessel, Shawn Thornton, Steve Bégin, Toronto Maple Leafs, Tuukka Rask, Zdeno Chara