Auston Matthews went from hero to zero in a matter of minutes Saturday night, as the Toronto Maple Leafs suffered a 4-3 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins.
After tying the game with a late third-period goal, Matthews was responsible for a turnover that led to the Bruins' game-winning goal.
Pastrnak and Marchand each finished the game with a goal and an assist, while Jeremy Brazeau and Mark Kastelic scored two goals in 36 seconds during the second period.
Pastrnak's goal was the 30th of his career against the Maple Leafs, his highest total against any of the other 31 teams in the Bettman circuit during his career.
Jeremy Swayman wasn't very busy in the Bruins' net, stopping 20 shots. He helped Boston end a three-game losing streak.
Despite his blunder in a crucial moment, Matthews had a good game earlier with a goal and an assist. Mitch Marner also had a strong game, being involved in all three of his team's goals.
Bruins Dominate the Second Period
After a scoreless first period, the Maple Leafs struck quickly in the first minute of the second period. A nice effort by Matthews along the boards allowed him to recover the puck and attack the slot with a couple of nice dekes. Matthews lost the puck in front of the net, but Knies pushed it into the back of the net to open the scoring.
The Bruins took less than three minutes to respond and bring everyone back to square one. On a power play, Marchand spotted Pastrnak alone at the bottom of the faceoff circle and the latter tied the game 1-1 with his sixth goal of the season.
Toronto then took advantage of Marner's offensive brilliance to regain control of the game. A beautiful four-on-four breakaway by the forward opened up the play in the Bruins' zone. A brilliant cross-ice pass from Marner allowed Rielly to score on a one-timer from the top of the circle.
The rest of the period belonged to the Bruins, who scored two goals in 36 seconds to take the lead after 40 minutes of play. Brazeau first tied the game with a precise wrist shot from the slot, then Kastelic put the Bruins ahead for the first time in the game a few seconds later.
Matthews Ties the Game Late
The energy of despair smiled on the Maple Leafs with just over a minute to play. Matthews went in front of Swayman's net and skillfully deflected a shot from Marner into the net to tie the game 3-3 and send everyone into overtime.
Late-Game Heroics
The Bruins will be back in action on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers, while the Maple Leafs will face the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night.
The Bruins' victory was a testament to their resilience and determination, as they were able to overcome a late-game deficit to win in overtime. Matthews' turnover was a costly mistake, but it is important to note that he had a strong game overall. The Maple Leafs will need to learn from this loss and move on to their next game.
