Achi news desk-
Another Game 4 against the Boston Bruins leads to another playoff loss. In what should have been a rally to tie the series instead was another 60 minutes of the Toronto Maple Leafs lacking the intensity, effort and will to take their game to another level in the postseason .
The Bruins stuck to their system and gave the Leafs nothing to work with offensively, handing Toronto a 3-1 loss. The Leafs couldn’t cycle the puck, couldn’t set up plays, and couldn’t pile up scoring opportunities on Jeremy Swayman until the third period, and even those were few and far between.
Although the Leafs defeated the Bruins 26-22, there was never a time when they looked to be a threat to the opposition. And as fate would have it, each of Boston’s goals had an ongoing theme of things that have been backbreakers for Toronto this series and the season in general.
Boston’s first goal came off a defensive zone turnover, giving former Leaf James van Riemsdyk the opportunity to score his first of the series. Brad Marchand doubled the lead in the second period, converting on the team’s second power play opportunity of the night. David Pastrnak scored Boston’s third goal in the final minute of the second period.
As in Game 1, the Leafs only scored one goal through Mitchell Marner. The ice tilted slightly in their favor, but Swayman stopped all 10 shots he faced in that final frame.
We are going to break the model of these reports and skip the “three star” section; I think you would agree with that.
Player reports
B
Matthew Knies
I liked Knies’ defensive physicality, especially on the penalty kill. He had a big read in the defensive zone to break up a pass to Pastrnak.
great read by Knies pic.twitter.com/0cq9oqAbXh
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 28, 2024
Morgan Rielly, Ilya Lyubushkin
The only pair to finish as pros in this one with a combined 16 hits. Lyubushkin got his new dad the boost with some of his offensive opportunities. One came after activation from the blue line and another point shot hit the crossbar. And with how porous the short-handed squad has looked, it was nice to see Rielly defend a dangerous rush without taking a penalty.
Joseph Woll
He stopped all five shots he faced in the third period. I trust he will start Game 5.
William Nylander
The Leafs were more successful going into the zone with possession when Nylander was on the ice, and they missed that at five on five. Unfortunately, Nylander’s presence didn’t improve the power play. After a slip-n-slide start in the first, Nylander found his legs and got two of the team’s better looks on Swayman from driving to the net and trying to make a fast move tight.
Nylander looking for his first pic.twitter.com/CHODVrBewO
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 28, 2024
Joel Edmundson
Along with Knies, his physicality on the power play was an advantage. He also had two scoring chances in the third within seconds of each other.
C+
Mitchell Marner
The goal was nice and saved the Leafs from being shut out on home ice in the playoffs.
Mitch Marner puts the Leafs on the board 🚨 pic.twitter.com/XPPI8KmLMt
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 28, 2024
The goal was what we’re used to seeing from Marner. But that doesn’t make up for his lackluster performance. He gets a lot of attention, and he is by no means the only star who underperformed on Saturday night.
Simon Benoit, Jake McCabe
The pair had quite a roller-coaster night. McCabe’s pinch hit led to an odd-man rush for the Bruins to pounce on.
To David Pastor
3-0 pic.twitter.com/8dPhgpwlfD
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 28, 2024
C
Austin Matthews
He didn’t have much going for him offensively, but he was throwing his weight around to stop Boston’s forecheck when the puck wasn’t finding him. Matthews finished the game with just 14:16 of ice time, and did not return for the third period.
Tyler Bertuzzi
He was one of the few Leafs trying to get to the front of the net. This resulted in the team’s best power play opportunity – as far as placement goes – and Swayman’s eyes took off a few times for point shots.
Pontus Holmberg
The stats read zero for Holmberg, but the way he defended the rush after pinching Edmundson is a clear example of why coach Sheldon Keefe trusts him in defensive situations.
C-
Max Domi
In a series where discipline is an ongoing theme, that penalty in the second doesn’t leave you much to be happy about, especially with Boston going on to score on it. There wasn’t much on the line and that didn’t change for Domi even after being moved to center to replace Matthews in the third.
John Tavares
His teammates hadn’t had much going, five-on-five, and Tavares wasn’t much of a standout either. Too many dramas have been ending on his stick.
Nicholas Robertson
With Nylander returning, I understand the thought process behind moving Robertson to the fourth line, but his style of play wasn’t suited to the type of game that was put in front of him. Space was limited, so Robertson could not get many opportunities to produce shots. While he didn’t have the worst defensive error of his teammates, having Pat Maroon steal the puck to maintain pressure didn’t help.
Dafydd Yllad
Speaking of mismatched styles, Kämpf was better with Connor Dewar than he was with Robertson.
D
Ryan Reaves
That was a bad turnover, and it led directly to Boston’s first goal. It also ended the use of the entire line in the first period, and they did not return until the 16:30 mark of the second.
James van Riemsdyk
1-0 Boston pic.twitter.com/bK15F9iaCe
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 28, 2024
Ilya Samsonov
Another lost goal battle. Samsonov gave van Riemsdyk plenty to shoot at on the first goal, although it was a turnover. The penalty kill needs to be better at clearing the puck and clearing traffic in front of Samsonov. However, Marchand had so much room to shoot at him with how late Samsonov was getting to the left.
Brad Marchand
2-0 pic.twitter.com/z9fsW8LOE1
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 28, 2024
There’s not much Samsonov could have done about the third goal, but at that point, a goal change was needed.
D-
TJ Brodie
The veteran finally returned to the lineup after watching the first three games from the press box – three games in which the team gave up five power play goals on 10 chances. Pucks and players passed him too often at five on five and even though he was on the ice for the power play goal, I wouldn’t pin it on him. That said, as the last defender back, he could have handled the Marchand-Pastrnak rush better.
Game score
Final grade: D-
There is a significant and consistent difference in zone speed between the Leafs and the Bruins. When it comes to getting to pucks, blocking puck carriers and getting into lanes, Boston is faster. So many runs in the offensive zone went for nothing from an extra second or two of holding on to the puck.
The Bruins understand the assignment. If they attack the carriers and take away the time to make a decision and the space to act on it, the Leafs are bottled up. It’s almost as if their problems on the power play spread to their five-on-five play. They keep waiting for the perfect play instead of getting down to the basics. And the lack of traffic in front of Swayman even renders that strategy ineffective.
Swayman stopped nothing of importance and cruised for the rest of the game. Why? Because he didn’t have to. The Bruins kept the Leafs to the outside and forced them to settle for perimeter shots that were either blocked by a stick or easily blocked by Swayman.
What’s next for the Leafs?
Game 5 is on Tuesday (7 pm ET). It’s short and simple, win or, for another year, you’re out in the first round.
(Photo of Mitchell Marner fighting for the puck: Nick Turchiaro / USA Today)
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