Boston got out to a 1-0 lead over Toronto when Brad Marchand found Patrice Bergeron on a power-play goal midway through the first period, so when the Maple Leafs took another penalty in the second, you could just feel the dread emanating from Toronto fans. Things would turn out very differently this time though.
Mitchell Marner, who already evened the score at 1-1 late in the first period, got on a shorthanded breakaway that drew a penalty shot. With the rest of the Bruins now forced to watch, Marner outmaneuvered Tuukka Rask to score the shorthanded goal and give the Maple Leafs a 2-1 edge.
Toronto succeeded in killing the rest of the penalty after that. Toronto went on to earn a 4-1 victory in Game 1, with Marner’s goal going down as the turning point.
This also pads out Marner’s already impressive resume. He had two goals and nine points in seven games in last year’s series with Boston and was the Maple Leafs’ leading scorer in the regular season with 94 points.
Re-signing him off his entry-level contract will be the Maple Leafs’ biggest task this summer. First though, they have more immediate concerns.
Maple Leafs-Bruins Game 2 from TD Garden will be Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC
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Ryan Dadoun is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @RyanDadoun.