Maple Leafs at Bruins
The slumping Toronto Maple Leafs are trying to put an end to a disturbing pattern as they continue their seven-game road trip with a visit to the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night. Toronto coughed up a pair of two-goal leads in a back-to-back at Florida and Tampa Bay on Sunday and Monday to fall to 1-5-0 in its last six. “It’s not that we’re not working hard enough, we’re not working smart enough,” Maple Leafs defenseman Cody Franson said.
One day after being lambasted by coach Claude Julien for "underperforming" as a group, the Bruins turned in a spirited effort in a dominant 5-2 win over Detroit, unleashing a season-high 45 shots on net. "This is one of hopefully many, and we need to understand that this is how we have to play to be successful," Julien said after Boston won for the third time in four games. The Bruins will look to avenge their worst loss of the season, a 6-1 drubbing at Toronto on Nov. 12.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, RSN, TVA (Toronto), NESN (Boston)
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (20-14-3): Toronto has permitted a total of 24 goals in its last five losses but could have starting netminder Jonathan Bernier back in the lineup after he missed the past two games with flu-like symptoms. Bernier, who rebounded from a seven-goal debacle to blank Dallas in his last start before falling ill, has been peppered with more than 40 shots in three of his last four outings. Bernier has split a pair of decisions against the Bruins this season and is 2-3-0 with a 3.83 goals-against average versus Boston.
ABOUT THE BRUINS (19-15-3): Center Patrice Bergeron and forward Milan Lucic each missed Monday's game with undisclosed injuries but were back at practice Tuesday, although they remain day-to-day. In their absences, Carl Soderberg registered his first three-point performance of the season and Loui Eriksson had his third two-point game in the last four to move to second and third on the team's scoring list with 26 and 23 points, respectively. “I think they’ve responded all year," Julien said of the Swedish tandem. "You just have to look at their stats,"
OVERTIME
1. The teams have split six meetings since the start of last season, although Toronto has won three of the past four.
2. Bruins G Tuukka Rask was yanked after giving up four goals in his last start versus the Maple Leafs, but he's 10-3-0 against them.
3. Toronto leading goal scorer Phil Kessel tallied twice in the last meeting against his former team, but he's currently mired in a six-game drought.