BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 20: David Pastrnak #88 of the Boston Bruins skates against New Jersey Devils during the third period at TD Garden on October 20, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Bruins defeat the Devils 2-1. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The Boston Bruins have reached the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a thrilling, 7-4 home victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7.
The Bruins, which finished second in the Atlantic Division, had been leading the first-round series 3-1, and then third-seed Toronto caught up, but Boston advanced in the end. The Leafs were hoping to win the series after their 3-1 Game 6 win on Monday, the same day their city was the site of a van attack that left 10 dead and many more injured.
Patrice Bergeron, Torey Krug, David Pastrnak and Danton Heinen all scored for the Bruins in the contest, and Brad Marchand added an empty-net goal. Jake DeBrusk, the team’s rookie winger, broke a 4-4 tie 5:25 into the third period. As DeBrusk beat Frederik Andersen, Toronto’s goalie collided hard into the boards behind him. Toronto pulled Andersen with 2:33 remaining.
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“I’ll never forget this series just in general,” DeBrusk stated. “First playoffs and I was really happy to contribute and obviously tonight with the home crowd here, too, and how the game was going. It was back and forth and emotions were pretty crazy…it was nice to get on the board and it was nice to help the team win.”
DeBrusk, 21, logged five goals and seven points in the seven contests of the first-round series. He is tied with Pastrnak for his team’s lead in scoring. Bergeron’s goal with 37 seconds left in the first period, his first of the playoffs, put Boston up 4-2.
The Leafs were seeking their first Stanley Cup since 1967.
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The Bruins’ postseason series victory is their first since 2014. They will next face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round. Game 1 of that series will begin Saturday at 3pm EST in Tampa, where Game 2 will also take place. The Lightning, who finished first in the Atlantic Division, beat the New Jersey Devils in five games (4-1) after winning 3-1 on Saturday.
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