Recap: Bruins fall to Maple Leafs, 6-4

The Boston Bruins fell 6-4 to the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight at the TD Garden in a routing that’s final score looked a lot closer than the game actually was.

It was a rough night for the Black and Gold. While officiating was questionable at times, the B’s ultimately were beaten in every aspect. They couldn’t counter the Leafs’ speed and made mistakes as they failed to compensate.

Although David Pastrnak tied the game 50 seconds after Toronto scored their initial goal in the first period, defensive breakdowns and turnovers allowed the Maple Leafs to take control.

From the start, the Bruins lost puck battles and were overall sloppy in their puck management when they did have possession. On a night where the offense couldn’t connect on passes or finish chances, the defense and goaltending couldn’t bail them out.

The backend’s trouble rang loud tonight as the Bruins’ defenders weren’t as tight as they’ve been in the past few games. Offensive blue-line blunders gave way to odd-man rushes and a 2-on-0.

The B’s trailed 3-1 after the first period.

The Bruins’ flat-footedness became magnified by the second period where they allowed three more goals and only scored one of their own.

It also didn’t help that Jeremy Swayman had an off-night and wasn’t able to help his team out of the hole. Bruce Cassidy allowed Swayman to finish two periods, but Linus Ullmark relieved him for the final frame.

The third period showed the team’s resilience to at least win the 20 minutes and they bounced back to close in on the Maple Leafs’ hold. Curtis Lazar notched the first tally while Taylor Hall picked up the fourth goal.

Final score: 6-4.

The Bruins return to home ice on Thursday March 31 to face the New Jersey Devils at 7 pm.

Here’s a look at the goals by period:

First period:

The Maple Leafs opened the scoring at 5:09 of the first period.

After a poor defensive play, Jason Spezza collected the puck from the boards and sent Colin Blackwell a pass out front where he got his stick on a quick backhander past Swayman’s blocker. 1-0 Toronto.

The Bruins bounced back at 5:59 of the first period on the power play.

After his first shot rang the post, Pastrnak threw a pass out front intended for Hall that deflected off TJ Brodie’s stick and past Petr Mrazek. 1-1 game.

The Maple Leafs took the lead at 9:43 of the first period.

On a 4-on-4, William Nylander beat Brandon Carlo on his drive to the net. Morgan Riellly picked up the loose puck on the follow-up for a quick goal past Swayman’s right shoulder. 2-1 Toronto.

The Maple Leafs extended their lead at 18:44 of the first period.

On a breakaway, Alexander Kerfoot shifted to his forehand at the top of the paint to sneak one past Swayman’s right skate. 3-1 Maple Leafs.

Second period:

The Maple Leafs cushioned their lead at 8:28 of the second period.

On yet another neutral zone turnover, Auston Matthews slid the puck over to Mitchell Marner in the slot for a one-timer past Swayman’s blocker. 4-1 Toronto.

The Maple Leafs took a four-goal lead at 16:00 of the second period.

Off Marner’s rebound, Matthews netted a quick shot in close past Swayman’s glove. 5-1 Maple Leafs.

The Maple Leafs netted their third goal of the period at 16:47.

Rielly threw a shot on net which through traffic, hit David Kampf and past Swayman’s stick. 6-1 Maple Leafs.

The Bruins scored at 18:19 of the second period.

Jake DeBrusk deflected a shot from Charlie McAvoy past Erik Kallgren’s blocker. 6-2 game.

Third period:

The Bruins responded with a goal at 13:02 of the third period.

McAvoy passed the puck off the end boards. The bouncing puck found Lazar at the short-side post where his effort put a goal past Kallgren. 6-3 game.

The Bruins came within two scores at 17:38 of the third period.

Pastrnak sent Hall down the right side. Driving to the net, Hall snuck a shot through Kallgren’s five-hole. The goal was initially ruled no good due to goaltender interference, but the call was reversed after the Bruins challenged it.

Final score: 6-4 Maple Leafs.