Leafs get embarrassed in Game 1 blowout loss against Bruins

The Toronto Maple Leafs got off to quite the nightmare start in their playoff opener on Saturday night.

Facing off against the Boston Bruins on the road at TD Garden, Toronto gave up the first four goals on the night before eventually dropping Game 1 of their first round series by a 5-1 score.

David Kampf scored Toronto’s first goal of the night 1:39 into the third period, but the comeback was not to be.

David Kämpf gets one back for the Buds ⛺️ pic.twitter.com/PmuyPPcZUv

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 21, 2024

Familiar Toronto playoff foe Jake DeBrusk, who scored two goals for the Bruins against the Leafs to eliminate them in Game 7 in the opening playoff round in 2018, scored the Bruins third and fourth goals of the evening.

Meanwhile, the opening goal came just 2:26 into the first period, when John Beecher beat Toronto netminder Ilya Samsonov with a shot that found the back of the net.

John Beecher opens the scoring for his first playoff goal in his first playoff game 🙌 pic.twitter.com/glJ3Mueli1

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 21, 2024

Trent Frederic added an empty netter in the final three minutes of the game, while Brandon Carlo was the other Bruin to find the back of the net.

Auston Matthews, who led the NHL with 69 goals in the regular season en route to his third Rocket Richard Trophy, ended up with a litany of shots on the evening but could not convert.

His best chance came midway through the second period, where he run a shot off the goalpost after beating Boston goalie Jeremy Swayman in a puck battle.

Matthews was THIS close to tying it 😅

Watch Game One live on Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ 📺 pic.twitter.com/9PzZNk89AX

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 21, 2024

In three previous playoff matchups against the Bruins dating back to 2013, Toronto had won the opening game just once, beating Boston 5-1 in the series opener in 2019. However, Toronto ended up losing all three of those series on the road, so perhaps history isn’t necessarily the best predictor either way.

The two teams are right back at it in under 48 hours. On Monday night, Toronto and Boston return to TD Garden for Game 2 of their first round series.

Leafs 2024 first-round playoff schedule

• Game 2: Monday, April 22, Toronto at Boston, 7 pm ET
• Game 3: Wednesday, April 24, Boston at Toronto, 7 pm ET
• Game 4: Saturday, April 27, Boston at Toronto, 8 pm ET
• Game 5: Tuesday, April 30, Toronto at Boston, TBD*
• Game 6: Thursday, May 2, Boston at Toronto, TBD*
• Game 7: Saturday, May 4, Toronto at Boston, TBD*

*if necessary

The remainder of the series can be watched on both CBC and Sportsnet.

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