Boston Bruins vs Maple Leafs Preview: 7:30pm SNET-O
March 25th, 2008 Posted in LeafsNews.com | 
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Bruins-Maple Leafs Preview
It has taken an impressive run without their top two scorers to even keep the Toronto Maple Leafs’ longshot bid for a playoff spot alive. Even Steven Harper is on the bandwagon.
With two more wins this week, the prospects for postseason in Toronto could become a whole lot more likely.
The Leafs will seek to win their fourth straight game while handing the eighth-place Boston Bruins their fourth straight loss as the teams begin a home-and-home series in Toronto on Tuesday.
Toronto’s recent run of five wins in six games may not have been as relevant if it hadn’t been accompanied by continued struggles by the Bruins, whose grip on the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference has loosened after losses in six of their last seven and nine of 11.
“We’re showing what keeping the faith can do for a team,” Toronto’s Alex Steen said. “We don’t quit.”
The Maple Leafs (35-31-10) are still in 12th place in the East, and must pass Florida, Buffalo, Washington and the Bruins to earn a playoff berth, but they’re only four points behind Boston (37-28-10). They’ve played one more game than the Bruins, but can tie their Northeast Division rivals with a pair of regulation wins over them this week.
They may have to continue to do it without both Mats Sundin and Nik Antropov, however. Sundin, who leads the team with 77 points, has missed the last four games with a groin injury, while Antropov - second on the squad with 52 points - has been out for three games with a knee problem.
Toronto has won three straight anyway - all on the road - including wins in the last two games at Buffalo and Ottawa. The Leafs beat the Senators 5-4 on Saturday, erasing a 4-2 deficit with three straight goals, including the winner in the final period by Matt Stajan.
“This was a big win for us,” Stajan said. “We’re battling for our lives, and with the injuries we have we’re showing what kind of guys we have. We’re not going to give up.”
A win over the Bruins would be even bigger. Boston appeared all but assured of a playoff spot a few weeks ago, but has seen its lead shrink to just two points over Washington.
The Bruins, already on their third three-game losing streak this month, have only managed more than two goals in a game once in March. In its last 12 games, Boston has only 18 goals.
The Bruins earned a point for the first time in eight games this season against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, but still lost 3-2 in a shootout.
“It’s kind of like a broken record, but we have a hard time finishing and scoring goals and it always seems to come back and bite us,” Bruins coach Claude Julien told the team’s official Web site. “We’re going to have to find ways to put pucks in.”
Defense was the problem against Toronto on March 6, when the Leafs won 8-2 in Boston. Antropov and Sundin combined for three goals and two assists in that game.
Leafs scored 4 powerplay goals.McCabe had a goal and an assist while captain Mats Sundin had 3 points. Antropov scored 2 goals and Jason Blake had a couple of points to kill the bruins.
GAME RE-CAP(NHL.COM):
BOSTON (AP) -The Toronto Maple Leafs might have been the only ones thinking they were in a playoff chase a month ago. Now, the rest of the Eastern Conference better pay attention.
Bryan McCabe had a goal and an assist during a four-goal second period to lead the resurgent Maple Leafs to an 8-2 win over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.
Alexei Ponikarovsky, Matt Stajan and Nik Antropov also scored in the second as Toronto turned a tight game into a rout. Antropov finished with two goals.
Toronto, which looked to be buried outside the conference’s tight playoff chase three weeks ago, won for the seventh time in 10 games. The Maple Leafs are six points behind Philadelphia for the final playoff spot.
“I think it’s something all of us believed in clearly,” left wing Alex Steen said. “We’ve certainly kept the faith and believed we can make the playoffs. The last five weeks or so we’ve played pretty solid hockey.”
Toronto scored four power-play goals.
“Were going to have to stay in the fight in the games were not playing those guys and then do what we did tonight,” Maple Leafs coach Paul Maurice said. “We’ve got to win those games against the teams were trying to catch.”
Boston has had big problems lately. The Bruins, who won six straight before a current three-game losing streak, have lost a pair of lopsided games this week, also dropping a 10-2 decision against Washington on Monday.
“I don’t think it’s time to panic,” Boston coach Claude Julien said. “It’s certainly time to make the adjustments and address. I don’t know if it’s we’re totally out of sync or the pressure. We’ve just got to take a step back.”
Peter Schaefer and Phil Kessel had the goals for Boston.
“I’m not going to take any credit away from Toronto. They played a good game, too. They’re fighting for their lives,” Bruins center Marc Savard said. “It’s like weve got to get back to doing that for us.”
Maple Leafs center Mats Sundin played his 1,300th career game, becoming the NHL’s 46th player to reach that mark, and scored his team-leading 30th goal. He has 553 in his career.
The game was tied 1-1 after one period before the Maple Leafs chased Boston goaltender Tim Thomas in the second.
“We’re just a little fragile right now,” Thomas said. “We haven’t really been that all year.”
Ponikarovsky scored when his shot caromed in off the right post, making it 2-1 at 1:17. McCabe’s wrister from the left circle ricocheted off Boston forward Chuck Kobasew’s skate and past Thomas just 3:31 later.
The Bruins’ goaltender then allowed a pair of weak goals before being pulled with 8:10 left in the period.
Stajan scored on a tough angle, slipping a shot between Thomas’ pads from along the goal line outside the right post, to make it 4-1.
Antropov’s 25th of the season, a wrist shot from the right circle, made it 5-1. Thomas came out and slid kind of awkwardly to his side as the puck slipped under his body.
After Thomas was replaced by Alex Auld, he headed straight for the runway and down the ramp that leads to the dressing room before returning to the bench late in the period.
Darcy Tucker had a power-play goal in the third, Antropov added his second, and Sundin scored with 4:55 to play.
Boston grabbed a 1-0 lead on Schaefer’s goal 11:40 into the game, but Toronto tied it on Jason Blake’s power-play score 3:02 later.
Notes: The Maple Leafs entered with the league’s 24th ranked power play. … It was the teams’ sixth meeting, with Boston winning the first three. … Thomas was also pulled in his last start at Washington on Monday. … Sundin has six goals and seven assists in his last seven games.
Toronto has won three straight against the Bruins after dropping the first three meetings this season.
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