What the Maple Leafs had to say about their 7-3 loss to the Bruins
The Maple Leafs are flying back to Toronto to lick their wounds and regroup after a 7-3 defeat to the Bruins on Saturday. Boston carries a 2-0 series lead into Monday’s Game 3 at the Air Canada Centre.
David Pastrnak had a hat trick and three assists for the Bruins, eclipsing Wayne Gretzky’s mark for the youngest player in NHL history to record 6+ points in a playoff game. The 21-year-old scored Boston’s first goal five minutes after puck drop and its final with 1:36 left on the clock.
Here’s what the Maple Leafs and Bruins had to say about Game 2:
Maple Leafs
Head coach Mike Babcock
They’re dominating us. I actually thought we got off to a pretty good start, and the pucks still went in the net, so give them credit for playing really well. That line has been good on the power play, been good five-on-five, been good at the net scoring.
Well, we’ve got to go home and get regrouped, you know, so that’s our first priority, is go home, obviously it hasn’t gone the way we wanted it. Any way you look at it, we’ve given up a dozen goals in two games, so we’ve got to go home and get some home cooking tomorrow and get our mind right and come back and pull like we can, because we’re a way better team than we showed.
Defenseman Ron Hainsey
It would be hard to pick one [issue], to be honest. They’re scoring a lot, is the biggest issue. I’m not trying to be funny. You know, there’s a bounce here, too much zone time, too many penalties. It would be tough to pick one.
I don’t know about that. Look, we were outplayed for two games. Certainly I think that, if you add it up, it’s 12 [goals] over six periods. We deserve every bit of, you know, criticism far and wide. Good news is, story’s not totally written yet. We’ve got some work to do tomorrow, look after what happened here tonight and continue to improve, and we can try to change the story come Monday night.
Forward Auston Matthews
I think we need to regroup, take a deep breath and win two at home here taking one game at a time.
I thought we had plenty of chances tonight but that first period, everything they threw at the net seemed to go in. They put up four goals, it’s tough to climb back. I thought the first ten minutes we started well and throughout the game we had our chances and they didn’t go in and it was the exact opposite for them tonight, everything seemed to go in for them. Got to give them credit.
Bruins
Head coach Bruce Cassidy
On the Bruins’ first line and power play
Terrific and terrific. I don’t think I can say any more. I mean, you saw it, right?
On David Pastrnak
Breakthrough night? It’s a good term. You could look back and say it is. I mean, six points in a Stanley Cup Playoff game with a hat trick, that’s special. Maybe it is, when you look back, but time will tell. Certainly, I think he’s more mature because of his previous experience last year. He’s stronger in general. We’ve talked about the difference in his game this year on pucks. He can escape some hits, he can absorb 20 percent of a hit, stay on his feet and keep his momentum, 30 percent, 40 percent, whereas, in the past, some of that knocked him off stride. Some of it’s maturity physically, some of it’s maturity mentally knowing what to expect in the playoffs.
Forward Patrice Bergeron
On David Pastrnak
He’s got that confidence grow so he wants to be the guy, he wants to make those plays and if we don’t have the puck he hunts it back. That’s what amazes me with him. I think there’s a lot of skilled players that are skilled when they have the puck; when they don’t have it they don’t necessarily want it as much as this guy right here. So, I think he’s taken a tremendous step this year by the way that he plays away from the puck and you mention that – that we talk a lot about it but that being said, like you said, it’s vice versa – we learn just as much playing with him than he’s learning from us.
David Pastrnak
On his hat trick
The first goal I think they tipped it – the pass from Torey [Krug] – I didn’t feel like I could get the shot on the forehand so I just kind of spun onto my backhand and found a little bit of time so I moved the puck farther and got a good goal. The third one – I think great forecheck by Bergy [Patrice Bergeron] he was kind of angling the guy on one side so it was easier for me, I kind of backed him up then he got the puck cycled it to Marchy [Brad Marchand] and Marchy made a great play and I was all alone in front.
On playing with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand
To be honest I wish every young guy in the league – obviously in the league there are a lot of good players – I wish every young guy got to play with these two players. Take the lessons, what they have for you. For me it’s just about listening to them and I learned a lot especially this year.
Brad Marchand
On David Pastrnak
Yeah, hell of a night. You know, he is an awesome player. He has been great for us all year. You know, he’s progressing, continually working on his game, trying to play the right way. I think that is what has been most impressive about the last couple of games isn’t so much in scoring. You know, that’s great but it’s the way he’s playing. He’s playing really well defensively, he is chipping pucks in at the right time so when he plays the right way good things happen for him.
