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Bruins find themselves in another Game 7 vs. Maple Leafs

[April 25, 2018] A do-or-die Game 7 involving the Boston Bruins?

Say it isn't so.

It is once again true: The Bruins find themselves in another anxiety-filled, playoff-pressure series finale when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday at TD Garden.

It will mark the 10th time in the past 11 seasons that Boston will play in a Game 7. And this Eastern Conference first-round series wasn't appearing to be one that goes the distance after the Bruins scored 12 goals in the first two games and eventually built a 3-1 series lead.

But the Maple Leafs notched two straight victories, including a 3-1 victory in Toronto on Monday.

So Game 7 it is once again for the Bruins.

"If anybody would have told us at the start of the year that we're going to be in Game 7, first round, at home, we'd take it," forward Brad Marchand told reporters. "Obviously it's tough, given the position we were in. But we're going to look forward to the next game. That's all we can control. Same with them. Whatever's happened the last six games really doesn't mean anything."

Boston coach Bruce Cassidy is aware of the history. He also points toward the franchise's most recent Stanley Cup-winning season as proof the hurdle can be overcome.

"Listen, it's Game 7," Cassidy said. "The Bruins won the Cup in 2011, they went through it three times. So our guys have certainly lived it."

The Maple Leafs have an awareness of Boston's Game 7 history but are much more concerned with their own situation.

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The pivotal Game 6 victory came several hours after the city of Toronto faced a tragic occurrence as 10 were killed and 15 injured by a wayward driver plowing into people on the sidewalks just 12 miles north of the arena.

"You see things like this on CNN happen in other cities, but you never imagine it would happen here," Toronto-native forward Zach Hyman told reporters. "Never here. And then it does. And then you're in shock."

But the Maple Leafs evened the series in the aftermath, and suddenly hot goalkeeper Frederik Andersen (74 saves in the two wins) places them in good position as they enter a winner-take-all contest.

Toronto coach Mike Babcock is hoping it will be his squad that survives Game 7 and advances to face the Tampa Bay Lightning.

"You want to be in these moments in your life. You don't remember everything in your life. What you do is you remember moments," Babcock told reporters. "You remember, and you want to create, those moments. You want to create memories. Here's an opportunity for us to create memories with a good group of guys who like each other a lot."

--Field Level Media\

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