BOSTON — This doesn’t feel over.
Thursday’s game between the Bruins and Maple Leafs was the final regular season game between the two Atlantic Division rivals, but it sure feels like they can block off the calendars at TD Garden and Scotiabank Arena for seven more meetings in April.
Anyone who watched the two games this week knows that’s a good thing. This was fun hockey.
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With all due respect to the outstanding history between Boston and Montreal, for the last 10 years or so, the Maple Leafs have become the Bruins’ true rivals. While the once-proud Canadiens appear to be fumbling around on double-runners embarrassing their history, Boston and Toronto play at least four great games a year against each other. The two original six teams are always good and they don’t like each other.
If the season ended now the Bruins, who are in second in the Atlantic Division and the third-place Leafs would be paired off in round one of the playoffs.
“Whenever Toronto plays Boston it’s going to be a war out there,” said Max Domi, who had a tussle with Brad Marchand and a full-fledged fight with Charlie McAvoy in the third period. “The boys hung in there. We didn’t take a step back. We’re looking forward to playing them in the future and doing what we have to do to beat these guys.”
The Bruins swept the season series, but the first two were decided in overtime and a shootout and Thursday was tighter than the score. Marchand said the regular season results won’t matter if they meet in the postseason.
“It means nothing. Once playoff time starts it’s a whole new season,” he said. “We start scouting each other way more. You really bear down. You tighten up and play much more physical.”
It would be hard to play much more physically than Thursday. Both teams were extra snarly. The sight of the classic blue and white Toronto jerseys brought out extra fire from the Bruins this week and the sight of Boston, especially Marchand seemed to trigger the Leafs. Jake McCabe cross-checked him in the neck early and after that every whistle was followed by shoving, poking and face-washing.
“It starts when you’re cross-checked in the throat pretty early. That’s going to get anyone riled up,” Marchand said. “From that point forward it was an emotional game for both teams. That was a playoff-type game and a fun one to be part of. … That’s what happens at playoff time. It was a great opportunity. A great test. Those are the types of games you love to be part of.”
Having the two games so close together added to the abrasiveness. The nastiness started to heat up on Monday, but it didn’t bubble over until the second and third periods on Thursday. At that point, it felt like a playoff game. It was physical, chippy and spirited.
“That was by far the most physical game we played,” Toronto coach Sheldon Kennedy said. “I didn’t like the result, but I liked the way our guys stood in there.”
TV Networks on both sides of the border would love to see them line up again. The Bruins captain wouldn’t mind it either.
“They’re one of our biggest rivals, if not our biggest,” Marchand said. “It’s always very emotional when we play them and always a lot of fun. It would make for a good series.”
Follow MassLive sports columnist Matt Vautour on Twitter at @MattVautour424.
