The Bruins held a 3-1 series lead, but the Maple Leafs clawed back to force a Game 7 Saturday night at TD Garden.
It is do or die for the Boston Bruins.
After holding a 3-1 series lead, the Bruins are now hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs for Game 7 Saturday at TD Garden with an 8 p.m. puck drop. Boston most recently dropped Game 6 Thursday at Scotiabank Arena, 2-1.
“Go out and fight. We’re a 109-point team for a reason. Go and enjoy it,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said Saturday of his message to the team. “These are moments when you were a kid that you wanted to be put in these situations, and now it’s incumbent upon you to embrace it.”
Andrew Peeke – who suffered an injury in Game 2 and hasn’t played since – and Danton Heinen – who sat out of Game 6 due to injury – both skated with the team Saturday morning in regular jerseys. Montgomery said Peeke has not been cleared yet, and that Heinen will be a game-time decision.
Heinen took reps on the second power play unit with Kevin Shattenkirk, David Pastrnak, Pavel Zacha and James van Riemsdyk, but was subsequently replaced by Justin Brazeau. Brazeau could draw into the lineup if Heinen can’t go – Montgomery did not indicate if he was making any changes.
The Bruins are aiming to view Game 7 as a positive opportunity instead of something to get down about. The pressure following last season’s first-round collapse may have played a factor in Boston’s inability to close this series out.
“Everybody in this room wants it as bad as one another. Maybe we put a little too much pressure on ourselves and start to let a few things creep into our game,” Morgan Geekie said Saturday. “Maybe that weighs on us a little bit and gets us away from how we’ve been playing throughout most of the season.”
Jeremy Swayman has been the Bruins’ best player this series with a 1.60 goals against average and .947 save percentage through five starts. Now, Boston needs the same type of shutdown performance from its other top players – namely, Pastrnak.
Montgomery called out Pastrnak postgame Thursday to “step up.” The forward and assistant captain has four points (two goals, two assists) this playoffs after posting 110 points (43 goals, 67 assists) in the regular season.
“I don’t think anyone is more upset about his play than [Pastrnak]. He’s a proud man,” Kevin Shattenkirk said Saturday. “He’s been obviously our best player all season, and he takes a lot of pride in that and being a force out there. I know he’s going to bring great things tonight.”
Toronto’s top goal-scorer may be sidelined once again. Auston Matthews left Game 4 for the third period and was held out of Game 5 and 6 as well. The center skated with the Leafs Saturday morning, but coach Sheldon Keefe said there was “no determination” on his availability for Game 7.
No matter the Leafs’ look, the Bruins need to be better all over the ice. They need to pester Joseph Woll with shots from puck drop, bring back their physical edge, clean up their breakouts and have more dominance in the neutral zone. Most of all, though, Boston needs some pride and bite back in its game if it doesn’t want its season to come to a dramatic end.
“When it comes down to this, it’s all about work ethic,” Pat Maroon said Saturday. “Win your puck battles on the wall, get to the front of the net – it’s all about urgency tonight. Screw all the other stuff, it’s about the will and the want. Game 7, this is all about who wants it more.”
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