Boston @ Toronto

On February 2nd Boston (BOS) travelled to the Air Canada Center to play against Toronto Maple Leafs (TOR). Both teams had a strong start to the season, but lately TOR have lost a few games. Who will come out on top in this division Game?

1st Period
There was a good tempo start to the game and within three minutes of the start, BOS's Lane MacDermid And TOR's Mark Fraser squared off just inside the blueline. It was a pretty even fight as they both gave effective jabs but it was TOR's Fraser's as he got the takedown. The both players go to the box for a 5 min fighting major.

  Fraser and  MacDermid's fight in the 1st.

Through the first eight minutes of the first, the shots on goal were tied at 5-5. Nathan Horton had a great chance after a takeaway but the puck was deflected high.

With nine minutes gone of the first BOS scored the opening goal of the game. BOS's Chris Bourque scored his first goal for BOS.

 Bourque celebrates with his teammates after the goal.

BOS's Rich Peverley fed the puck to Chris Kelly behind the goal, and then Kelly backhanded a centering pass to Bourque, who then turned the puck into the TOR net. That was Bourque's first goal in a BOS's uniform. After his goal Bourque pumped his fist just like his father, a former BOS legend Ray Bourque.

TOR's Cody Franson with a high slap shot went into the net but the goal was not given as BOS's goaltender Tuukka Rask was knocked out of the play by TOR's Nazem Kadri.  BOS's David Krejci had a great vision fed a puck to a trailing Adam McQuaid in the slot but the rebound pops out and Milan Lucic nearly tips the puck into the goal mouth.

With four seconds left of the first BOS's Kelly went to the box for a hooking call on TOR's Nikolai Kulemin,      after Jay McClement nearly got a breakaway down on the the right wing.

The horn sounded to bring the first to a close. BOS's were still leading 1-0 thanks to Bourque's first goal for BOS. BOS were leading 12 shots to TOR's 7 on goal. 

2nd Period

BOS's started the 2nd on a Penalty Kill (PK) with Kelly in the box. BOS's McQuaid blocked a hard shot and he was slowly getting off the ice. However he stayed on the bench. TOR's Phil Kessel  had a chance down the right wing after a takeaway in the neutral zone but the shot glanced off the cross bar.

BOS's Brad Marchand started the play, drove towards the net down the Left Wing and got tripped up at the goal and slid into the boards.  BOS's Patrice Bergeron's shot deflected of Tyler Seguin's skate and the puck went into the TOR's net. But it was ruled that there was contact on the TOR's goaltender James Reimer.

With twelve minutes gone of the 2nd BOS had their first Power Play (PP) of the game after TOR's captain Dion Phaneuf went to the box for a delay of the game call. The PP came after a great chance by Nathan Horton flew up the off wing and then followed by two big shot blocks by Johnny Boychuk. BOS's Boychuk had another big block as he slide in front of the crease near the faceoff circle, as TOR had a good chance down low.

Less than 5 mins left of the 2nd, BOS's MacDermid and TOR's Fraser immediately dropped the gloves. Fraser did not like the MacDermid's hit on Kessel. After a quick few jabs by MacDermid and Fraser was taken down.

The horn sounded to bring the 2nd to an end. BOS still leading narrowly 1-0. BOS's leading 24 shots to TOR's 14 on goal.

3rd Period

Two minutes gone in the 3rd , TOR's Leo Komarov went to the box for a boarding call and BOS's Zdeno Chara went to the box for a roughing call. BOS did not allow a shot on goal by TOR until the seventh minute into the 3rd. When Phaneuf sent a shot that Rask easily cradled against the spooked B.

TOR went on a PP when BOS's Dennis Seidenburg with an interference call, went to the box in the eighth minute. Gregory Campbell with a diving sweep to clear the puck on the PK. earlier in the PK Campbell with a stickhandled with puck down near Reimer to kill time.

BOS still leading 1-0 with less than 3 minutes to go in the game. BOS's Seguin went to the box for a slashing call on TOR's McClement. Near the end of the game TOR pulled Reimer out of the game. There was 4 on 4 hockey as TOR's Michael Kostka trips up BOS's Kelly.The horn sounded to end the game.

Boston won the game 1-0 and are now 6-1-1 for the season. Boston finished the game with 34 shots to Toronto's 21 on goal. 

Boston now head to the Bell Center in Montreal on Wednesday 7.30p start.