Andersen, Maple Leafs topple Bruins
BOSTON -- Frederik Andersen continued his career dominance of the Boston Bruins and rookie Auston Matthews scored a goal, allowing Toronto to snap a three-game losing skid with a 4-1 victory on Saturday.
Andersen turned aside 32 shots in improving to 6-0-0 lifetime against the Bruins, 2-0-0 this season. The other four wins came with Andersen playing for the Anaheim Ducks.
Anderson (11-7-4) was beaten only by Brad Marchand's goal as the Boston forward stuffed home the rebound of his own wraparound try late in the second period.
Former Bruin Matt Hunwick assisted on all three goals after coming into the game with four in 17 games this season.
The Bruins lost their third straight.
Matthews scored his 12th NHL goal to open the scoring, Zach Hyman made it 2-0 and James van Riemsdyk tipped home a nifty backhand pass from Tyler Bozak for his 12th of the season to make it 3-1 with 10:08 left. Connor Brown flipped a backhander into an empty net with the 1:33 remaining, his first goal in nine games.
The Bruins, who fell to 7-7-0 at home, lost to the NHL-worst Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night and followed that with a loss to the Maple Leafs, who came in last in the Eastern Conference.
The Maple Leafs, who defeated Boston by the same score in Toronto Oct. 15, won for the third time in 14 road games.
Tuukka Rask made 16 saves and fell to 15-4-2 lifetime against the Maple Leafs, the team that drafted him and dealt him to Boston.
Maple Leafs defenseman Martin Marincin left the game early in the first period after falling awkwardly into the boards. He was slightly ahead of Boston's David Krejci chasing the puck and appeared to lose his balance even though it didn't look like Krejci made much contact, other than a glove on his back.
Marincin hit the boards back first and may have hit his head as well. He was on the ice for some three minutes, rose slowly and, bent over, made his way to the bench and then down the runway to the dressing room.
There was no penalty on the play.
The Bruins' first shot of the game, a one-timer from the left point by the red-hot David Pastrnak, hit the post and started a scoreless first period that saw the home team outshoot the visitors 11-2.
Pastrnak's blind pass at center ice was picked off by William Nylander, who then got by Pastrnak at the blue line and hit Matthews with a pass in the high slot. Matthews beat Rask with his sixth goal in the last seven games just 1:44 into the second period.
The Leafs went up 2-0 at 15:14 as defenseman Jake Gardiner flipped a shot toward the net that was redirected by Hyman for his fourth of the year.
Marchand's hustle on a wraparound, his first goal in six games, got the Bruins on the board with 1:21 left in the period and kept them from getting booed off the ice after the period ended.
NOTES: The Bruins recalled RW Noel Acciari and LW Danton Heinen from Providence and sent LW Anton Blidh to the American Hockey League. Acciari had gone out on a conditioning assignment and last played for the NHL's Bruins Nov. 7. ... G Tuukka Rask was a first-round draft choice of the Maple Leafs in 2005 and was traded to the Bruins for G Andrew Raycroft a year later. ... The game featured the two rookies who led the NHL in minutes played; Bruins D Brandon Carlo and Toronto D Nikita Zaitsev. ... The Maple Leafs on Sunday host the Colorado Avalanche, who won in Boston Thursday. ...The Bruins visit the rival Montreal Canadiens Monday and the Pittsburgh Penguins Wednesday, starting a stretch of 13 of the next 18 games on the road. ... Bruins director of communications and content Eric Tosi worked his final game with the club and is joining the new Vegas Golden Knights as vice president of communications and content on Dec. 19.