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BOSTON — The Maple Leafs have been positive the Boston Bruins have been going to be a troublesome problem on Saturday night time at TD Backyard.

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Turned out the Leafs have been bang on of their sport towards the highest group within the Nationwide Hockey League.

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It actually didn’t assist that the Leafs turned the puck over repeatedly to a group that doesn’t want that help.

However they saved tempo on the scoreboard for a lot of the night time, and wound up dropping 4-3 when Bruins defenceman Matt Grzelcyk beat Matt Murray with a slap shot at 18:44 of the third.

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A giveaway by captain John Tavares received the Bruins’ successful sequence in movement.

“It actually simply got here right down to us making a mistake late and that’s on me,” Tavares mentioned. “I believed I noticed Willie (Nylander) within the center and I’ve received to be 100% positive.

“I believed the fellows battled exhausting,” he added. “We had some actually good alternatives, had the lead, fought again towards a group that’s enjoying at an all-time stage. I’ve to make a wiser play.”

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The Bruins, now 11 factors up on the Leafs, improved to 20-1-3 on dwelling ice in a match that had a playoff-like really feel and a boisterous environment.

Auston Matthews returned after lacking two video games with an undisclosed harm and made his mark within the third interval with a highlight-reel purpose.

Matthews tied the sport 3-3 at 3:17 after he took a cross from Michael Bunting, moved to his forehand and hit the roof of the online over the left shoulder of Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark. That unfolded after some diligent forechecking by Mitch Marner, who was reunited with Matthews early within the third.

“Positively an intense, hostile surroundings,” Matthews mentioned. “We all know the factors at stake and everyone’s making an attempt to catch these guys. These are the video games that you simply need to make good on, and we simply didn’t.”

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Nylander was moved to the Tavares line with Calle Jarnkrok within the third interval. Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe mentioned the Marner-Nylander swap was situational and couldn’t say whether or not he’ll maintain Marner with Matthews for the Leafs’ subsequent sport, at dwelling on Tuesday towards Florida.

The Leafs will get one other crack on the Bruins on Feb. 1 in Toronto.

“We all know we are able to play with any group within the league, can do it on the highway, can do it with three video games in 4 nights,” Keefe mentioned. “On the similar time, you possibly can’t beat your self, however a group of this calibre, we are able to’t give them freebies and we did.

“It’s important to be taught these classes typically the exhausting manner. You’d wish to assume our group is previous a few of these issues, however clearly not. Acquired it smacked proper in our face tonight.”

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Pretty much as good as Murray was within the first interval, he wasn’t as sharp within the second. Admittedly, he might throw some blame on the defence pair of Morgan Rielly and Conor Timmins.

The Leafs went up 2-1 on a purpose by Pierre Engvall within the second, however wouldn’t lead once more.

A turnover on the Bruins blue line by Timmins — which was extra of a cross on to the stick of the Bruins’ David Pastrnak — despatched the Boston star the opposite manner. Pastrnak scored on a low shot to the far aspect at 5:52.

Timmins then couldn’t get in correct blocking place when the Bruins took a 3-2 lead at 10:33. From the hash marks, a shot by A.J. Greer received previous Timmins and thru Murray, who was weak on the play.

A bug has been making its manner by means of the Leafs, and the sickness saved Pontus Holmberg and Bobby McMann from enjoying.

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Matthews took one lineup spot, and so did Wayne Simmonds, who dropped the gloves for a prolonged, old-school scrap with former Leafs teammate Nick Foligno within the first interval.

“That was a giant second for us,” Matthews mentioned. “I believed it received our bench awake a little bit bit.”

Murray was one of the best Leaf within the first interval, turning apart 14 Bruins photographs. Murray received his largest cease out of the way in which early, lunging throughout the crease at 1:39 to snare a shot by Brad Marchand, who in any other case had an open web.

Marchand received some revenge later within the interval, establishing Patrice Bergeron for a straightforward tap-in after a Rielly turnover.

“Turnovers being certainly one of (the problems), myself particularly on their first purpose,” Rielly mentioned. “When you take a look at their targets, we’re nearly handing it to them.

“There are particular issues that we did nicely, however once you give them the puck repeatedly, they’re going to make you pay.”

Bunting opened the scoring with a power-play purpose early within the first. 

tkoshan@postmedia.com

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