Maple Leafs Down Bruins, Force Game 7

TORONTO - It will all come down to Wednesday night.
For the second consecutive contest, the Bruins failed to close out the Toronto Maple Leafs, falling, 3-1, in Game 6 on Monday night at the Air Canada Centre. Despite the Bruins holding leads of 2-0 and 3-1 in this first-round series, the teams will head back to Boston for a winner-take-all seventh game.
"You go back to the drawing board and find some character that we've shown all year. Now it's all about that one game," said Patrice Bergeron, a veteran of nine seventh games. "You can look back all you want, but that's where we're at, it's the position we're in, you have to prevail."

If the Bruins want to move on to the second round and a date with the Tampa Bay Lightning, they'll have to find their scoring touch. Despite potting three goals in Game 5 and piling up a horde of opportunities in each of their three losses, Boston has struggled to finish. At the same time, Toronto goalie Frederick Andersen (32 saves in Game 6) has been immense while leading the Maple Leafs to victory in three of the last four games.
"He's making a lot of big saves," said Brad Marchand. "We've just got to keep going. I think that's the only thing. We're getting bodies there, we're getting pucks there, we're getting some really good looks. Just have to keep doing it and hopefully it pays off for us."

The Bruins did manage the game's first goal when Jake DeBrusk ripped one by Andersen - with the help of a deflection out front - off a face-off win by David Krejci at 1:02 of the second period. But Boston's lead was tremendously short-lived.
Just 35 seconds later, William Nylander struck for his first goal of the series to tie the game, 1-1. Later in the second, Mitch Marner put Toronto ahead for good with a spin-around backhander that just skittered by the glove of Tuukka Rask (28 saves) with just over six minutes to play in the frame.
"He played well," Cassidy said of Rask. "You see the other guy making save after save and they come down to your end and they score. It's always discouraging. First goal we had a D-zone breakdown…the next goal they got to a loose puck in the slot, it's a good shot, off the post and in.
"I'd love him to make that save and match him save for save, but Tuukka kept us in it in the third and gave us a chance to win. Down a goal and just couldn't get the next one."

But none of what happened on Monday night matters now. Nor does anything that happened in the fives games before that.
Wednesday night is what counts. One game for the right to advance and keep their Stanley Cup dreams afloat.
"If anybody told us at the beginning of the year we're gonna be in Game 7 of the first round at home, we'd take it," said Marchand. "Obviously it's tough given the situation we're in, but we're gonna look forward to the next game. Same with them. Whatever has happened the last six games really doesn't mean anything.
"We're both fighting for our lives next game, so its gonna be a lot of fun, it's gonna be a big challenge."

Toronto Strong

It was an emotional night in Toronto as the teams played Game 6 just hours after an attack left 10 dead and 15 more injured when a van plowed through pedestrians early in the afternoon in the northern part of the city.
Many of the Bruins' veterans were with the team during the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and know firsthand about playing in the midst of tragedy.
"That goes beyond the game of hockey," said Bergeron. "We've been battling in a tight series for the last two weeks…the City of Boston has been through it unfortunately in 2013. We're all behind the City of Toronto. Obviously our thoughts and prayers go to everyone involved in this tragedy."
"You can't block something like that out of your mind obviously, but you have to," added Cassidy. "That's kind of the hand you're dealt today. You try to stay focused on the task at hand, and at the same token wonder what the hell is wrong with people, to be quite honest with you. But we have to play it and we did, and I thought both teams did a good job."

Wingels In; Nash Down

Cassidy opted to scratch Danton Heinen in favor of Tommy Wingels, with Wingels sliding in as the second line right wing next David Krejci. As a result, Rick Nash was bumped to the left wing on Boston's third line in an effort to spark both trios.
"A little more speed with [Riley] Nash and [David Backes]. Rick has seemed to get more of his opportunities on the left wing," said Cassidy. "Still think Krech and DeBrusk have good chemistry, so Tommy's a little bit more of a heavier presence going to the net, adds some of that. He's been a good player for us. Try to balance out the lines.
"I thought our third line was getting stagnant…certainly don't think it's a demotion, he's playing with two good players. I thought they had some good looks, he had some good looks on that line too."