National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Toronto 4, Boston 3
When: 7:30 PM ET, Thursday, April 3, 2014
Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Referees: Marc Joannette, Rob Martell
Linesmen: Scott Cherrey, Don Henderson
Attendance: 19609

Maple Leafs 4, Bruins 3 (OT): Nazem Kadri buried a rebound during a power play 2:51 into overtime to give host Toronto its second straight win following an eight-game losing streak.

Defenseman Paul Ranger, Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk also scored for the Maple Leafs, who prevailed despite blowing a two-goal third-period lead to remain one point behind Columbus for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. James Reimer stopped 10-of-11 shots in relief of an injured Jonathan Bernier (25 saves) while Phil Kessel and blue-liner Cody Franson each notched two assists for Toronto, which has played two more games than Columbus.

Milan Lucic and Patrice Bergeron scored third-period goals and Brad Marchand also tallied for Boston, which lost its second straight following a white-hot 15-0-1 stretch. Chad Johnson turned aside 27 shots but had his six-start winning streak come to an end.

The Maple Leafs snapped a 1-1 deadlock with 12 seconds left in the first period, when Kessel fired a pass from the left side that caromed off Bozak in the crease and over the shoulder of Johnson. Kessel also set up the next goal, intercepting a pass behind the net and sliding the puck to an unguarded van Riemsdyk, who scooped a shot over Johnson 52 seconds into the second period for his 30th goal.

The Bruins crept within a goal five minutes into the third as David Krejci circled the net and fed Lucic for a one-timer from the top of the left faceoff circle, and Bergeron notched the equalizer, burying Marchand's pass in the slot with 7:09 left for his ninth goal in nine games.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Bernier was hurt when Ranger checked Bergeron into the netminder with 11:38 left in regulation. Toronto said Bernier suffered a lower-body injury and will undergo an MRI exam. ... Bergeron extended his point streak to a career high-tying 10 games with his 28th goal, three shy of his career high set in 2005-06. ... Van Riemsyk joined Kessel as 30-goal scorers, marking the first time Toronto has had two players reach the plateau in a season since Kessel and Nikolai Kulemin accomplished the feat in 2010-11. ... Maple Leafs RW Joffrey Lupul was an unexpected scratch with a lower-body injury.
Top Game Performances
 
Boston   Toronto
Patrice Bergeron 2 Points Cody Franson 2
Patrice Bergeron 1 Goals Tyler Bozak 1
Patrice Bergeron 1 Assists Cody Franson 2
N/A Power Play Goals Nazem Kadri 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Chad Johnson .871 Save Percentage Jonathan Bernier .926
Chad Johnson 27 Saves Jonathan Bernier 25
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Boston 38 3 0-2 2-3 11 29
Toronto 31 4 1-3 2-2 9 34
Upcoming Games
  • Toronto will play their next game at home against Winnipeg. The Maple Leafs have a W/L % of .579 after a win and .400 after a loss.
  • Boston will play their next game at home against Philadelphia. The Bruins have a W/L % of .642 after a win and .750 after a loss.