TORONTO — Jeremy Swayman remains perfect against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Boston Bruins goalie, taking his regular turn in a rotation that has carried over from the regular season into the playoffs, stopped 28 shots to lead his team to a 4-2 Game 3 win Wednesday.
Swayman was 3-0-0 in the regular season with a .959 save percentage against the Leafs, and he made 35 saves in the Bruins’ 5-1 Game 1 win Saturday.
The Bruins lead the series 2-1. Linus Ullmark is due to start Game 4 on Saturday.
Here are three takeaways from Game 3:
The Bruins captain had his best game of the series. He assisted on Jake DeBrusk’s power-play goal in the third period by snapping a shot off Ilya Samsonov’s glove. Then 28 seconds after Tyler Bertuzzi evened the score in the third, Marchand responded with a rising ripper glove side.
He added an empty-netter with 35.8 seconds remaining. With the two-goal, three-point night, he now has two goals and six points in the three games.
Marchand was engaged the entire night. He jousted regularly with Bertuzzi, his short-term teammate last year. Marchand is at his best when the temperature rises, and tonight was no different.
55 CAREER PLAYOFF GOALS.
With his empty-netter, The Captain ties Cam Neely for most in B’s history.#NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/ta6zWPq2ua
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 25, 2024
Ilya Samsonov opens the door
The Bruins weren’t generating a bit of offense. But with 2:23 remaining in the second period, the Bruins tied the score at 1-1. Trent Frederic skated down the left wing and flipped a harmless shot on goal from outside the dot. Ilya Samsonov, stout until then, let Frederic’s shot slip under his blocker and over his right pad.
Without Samsonov’s poor goal, the Bruins might not have gotten on the board through two periods.
Trent ties it up. pic.twitter.com/1Z2U72iDkj
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 25, 2024
The Bruins had to introduce at least one new defenseman in Game 3 because of Andrew Peeke’s week-to-week injury. Parker Wotherspoon, the most defensive-minded facsimile of Peeke, made his series debut on the No. 3 pair with Kevin Shattenkirk.
But the Bruins also pulled Matt Grzelcyk out of the lineup and replaced him with Mason Lohrei. Grzelcyk struggled in Game 2. He was a healthy scratch at the start of last year’s first round against the Florida Panthers.
Lohrei has room to grow defensively. But the Bruins dressed Lohrei to activate more of their offense. Lohrei did not look out of place in the defensive zone, taking most of his shifts with Charlie McAvoy.
The rookie has earned another game.
(Top photo of Trent Frederic celebrating a goal on Ilya Samsonov: John E. Sokolowski / USA Today)
