A harsh critique from their coach was not enough to put the Maple Leafs back in the win column as Toronto fell to the Boston Bruins 5-3 Tuesday night at TD Garden.
After a pair of weekend losses, Craig Berube skewered his team for their poor defensive effort. The accountability check evidently did not resonate. The Maple Leafs were again shaky in their own zone, especially in the opening period, leading to their third straight defeat.
Pavel Zacha opened the scoring for the Bruins at the 4:27 mark, netting his fifth of the year on the power play. Camped out in front of the Maple Leaf net, the winger deflected a David Pastrnak shot past Anthony Stolarz for the 1-0 lead.
The Bruins were back on the power play a couple of minutes later, but Charlie McAvoy’s misplay in his own end led to a turnover, and Steven Lorentz’s shorthanded goal to make it 1-1.
The parade to the penalty box continued, and at the 9:37 mark of the first, Boston un-tied the game with their second power-play goal. Defenceman Hampus Lindholm wristed a point shot past a screened Stolarz to put the Bruins back up 2-1.
Boston struck again with just under three minutes left in the period. Alex Steeves scored his first of the season. The former Leaf skated around the circle unchecked, then fired one past Stolarz to make it 3-1.
Stolarz did not return for the second period; initial reports indicated he had suffered an upper-body injury. Denis Hildeby took over in the net for the Maple Leafs, and he was greeted unkindly. Just 49 seconds into the second, David Pastrnak scored his ninth of the year and 400th of his career on a breakaway, extending the margin to 4-1.
The Leafs tried to make it interesting. A late-period Bobby McCann power-play goal cut the deficit to 4-2 after two.
Toronto came out in the third without their captain. Auston Matthews did not return to the bench for the final period(reported upper body injury),but Oliver Ekman-Larsson did, however, manage to draw the Leafs closer. The defenceman scored his second of the season, sneaking one past Jeremy Swayman from just inside the blue line at 3:32.
But the Leafs could not stay out of the box, and at the 9:48 mark, Pastrnak scored his second of the game, and the Bruins’ third power play goal, driving home a Mark Kastelic through traffic pass by Hildeby to make the final 5-3.
Next up: The Maple Leafs host the Los Angeles Kings Thursday Night at the Scotiabank Arena.
