BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/boston-bruins] (39-24-8) had a big standings opportunity in front of them on Tuesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs] (30-29-13), but ultimately collapsed defensively and lost 4-2 inside TD Garden. The Maple Leafs have gone 2-8-4 since the end of the Olympic Break. This just wasn't a game the Bruins could afford to lose. But an overall mediocre all-around effort led to a brutal result. The game started right for Boston, with Elias Lindholm scoring just 5:04 into the first period. Matthew Knies' shorthanded goal in the second period further changed the game. Toronto became relentless, played with confidence, and ultimately sank the Bruins. Nikita Zadorov's late second-period major penalty proved fatal, with Toronto striking once on the ensuing power play, and then a second time just seven seconds after the penalty expired. Max Domi and William Nylander scored those goals, with Nylander's tally making it the insurmountable 3-1 edge for the Leafs. Charlie McAvoy redirected a David Pastrnak blast to make it a one-goal game, but Knies' second of the game (an empty-netter) was the final dagger. By any metric, the loss damages Boston's playoff chances severely. The Bruins are now just 1-20-1 when trailing after two periods, a stunning statistic and the polar opposite of their sparkling 23-6-5 when scoring first. This was Boston's first regulation loss when scoring first since December 27. That night, Boston scored first in Buffalo, before the Sabres came back and won 4-1. Jeremy Swayman started and made 31 saves in the defeat. Anthony Stolarz made 18 saves for Toronto in the win. First Period: The game started with a pair of Swayman robberies on Easton Cowan and then Dakota Joshua, as Swayman sprawled to make multiple saves. Then, just over a minute after those chances, Elias Lindholm made the Leafs pay. It was a really smart decision from Lindholm to keep on the 2-on-1, with Toronto maybe expecting a pass back to Morgan Geekie. From there, the teams exchanged a pair of power plays that yielded little. Pavel Zacha rang iron, but nothing else came out of the first period. Second Period: The Bruins received three consecutive man advantages to in the first half of the second period. They created some very dangerous looks for Geekie a couple of times, but they couldn't beat Stolarz. Ultimately, they failed to score on any of them, and Knies scored shorthanded after stripping and then outmuscling Mason Lohrei for a loose puck. Later in the period, Henri Jokiharju took a slashing penalty with 3:18 to go in the second period. 70 seconds later, Nikita Zadorov took a major boarding penalty when he hit John Tavares. Cowan came and jumped Zadorov, setting up a 4-on-3 for Toronto for 50 seconds. It took 15 seconds for Max Domi to give Toronto the lead, as he snuck one through Swayman after a nifty move down low. Boston then had to deal with four-on-four play, and then kill a three-minute Toronto power play, with 2:53 of it carrying into the third. Third Period: The Bruins began on that same penalty kill, and, officially, they got it done. But, in reality, Nylander scored just seven seconds after the kill ended. Zadorov hadn't even gotten to the zone yet. It was as good as a power play goal, and it was a dagger. McAvoy's redirected power-play goal gave Boston life. It didn't end up mattering. Postgame, Elias Lindholm and McAvoy emphasized the amount of turnovers killing the man advantage. Head Coach Marco Sturm refused to single out the man advantage, and called the entire game frustrating. It leaves Boston with no room for error, and a murderer's row of a next four opponents. Tomorrow night, the Bruins take on the Buffalo Sabres [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres]. After that, they play the Minnesota Wild [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/minnesota-wild], Columbus Blue Jackets [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets], and Dallas Stars [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/dallas-stars]. These games will all be played by the end of March, a grueling four games in six days.
