Bruins, Maple Leafs to play Game 7 for trip to Eastern 2nd Round

The Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs will play Game 7 of the Eastern Conference First Round at TD Garden in Boston on Saturday (8 p.m.; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS, CBC).

Toronto pushed the series to the limit by winning Game 6 at home 2-1 on Thursday.

“If someone told us at the start of the season that we’d be [in] Game 7 at home against Toronto, we’d take that all day,” Bruins captain Brad Marchand said. “So it doesn’t matter how you get there. We’re there. Gotta show up.”

It is the fourth straight series the teams have played against each other that will be decided in seven games. Boston has won the previous three (2013, 2018, 2019).

The winner will advance to the Eastern Conference Second Round and play the Florida Panthers, who defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games in their best-of-7 first-round series.

The Bruins (47-20-15), the No. 2 seed from the Atlantic Division, or Maple Leafs (46-26-10), the No. 3 seed, would start the series on the road against the Panthers (52-24-6), the No. 1 seed.

“In my mind, we just played two Game 7s," Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. "It’s an elimination game. ... It feels like what we’ve just gone through where every single play matters. You expect it to be tight. At the end of the day, all we’ve earned is another game on the schedule. As good as this feels and as proud of the group as you are for the effort they’ve put forth and the results they’ve gotten and how they’ve performed in these couple games to earn this next game, all we’ve done is earned that one. So for the first time now we will go into Boston and everything is all the same in terms of both teams facing elimination.”

Boston is 15-15 in Game 7 in its history, including 14-10 at home. The Bruins lost at home to the Panthers 4-3 in overtime in Game 7 of the first round last season and have lost their past three Game 7s.

“There’s always optimism. There’s the opportunity to play in a Game 7,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. “You grew up all your life wanting … to be a part of it. We have a chance to be a part of it. We’re gonna be in front of our great crowd. It’s extremely loud. And we’ve got to go in there and we’ve got to dig in.”

Marchand is 6-5 in Game 7 with seven points (three goals, four assists). Forward Patrick Maroon is 4-3 with a goal and an assist. Forwards Charlie Coyle, Jake DeBrusk, James van Riemsdyk and David Pastrnak and defenseman Charlie McAvoy each is 2-3.

Goalie Jeremy Swayman lost each of his two Game 7s, allowing seven goals on 62 shots (3.34 goals-against average, .887 save percentage). Linus Ullmark has not played in a Game 7.

“We’re expecting their best. And we’re expecting our best. And that’s what makes Game 7 so fun and special,” Swayman said.

Montgomery is 0-2 in Game 7.

Toronto is 12-14 in Game 7, including 5-11 on the road. The Maple Leafs lost their most recent Game 7, 2-1 against the Lightning at home in the first round in 2022, and have lost their past five Game 7s.

Defenseman Joel Edmundson is 5-0 in 5 Game 7, and forward Ryan Reaves is 4-1. Center Auston Matthews, forwards Mitch Marner and William Nylander and defenseman Morgan Rielly each is 0-4. Center John Tavares is 0-3.

Goalies Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll have never played in a Game 7. Martin Jones, who played 22 games for the Maple Leafs during the regular season but has not appeared in the playoffs, is 3-0 in Game 7 with a 1.82 GAA, .931 save percentage and one shutout.

Keefe is 0-2 in Game 7s.

There were three Game 7s in the 2023 first round, with the road team winning two of them.

“This is why we play hockey. That’s the beauty of the sport," Pastrnak said. "Game 7s. Work the whole season so we have the advantage of being home. We’re gonna get home and get ready for Game 7.”

NHL.com staff writer Amalie Benjamin and independent correspondent Dave McCarthy contributed to this report