TORONTO — When the Bruins left Long Island on Saturday, they looked like they were in trouble.
The team that had produced the NHL’s best record for most of the season had been replaced by an inconsistent, incohesive squad for weeks and hit rock bottom with a belly-flop in a listless, 5-1 loss to the Islanders.
It was their third loss in four games. The once-reliable goaltending was faltering. Their special teams were out of sync. Headed into a week where they were facing future Hall of Fame centers every night, the Bruins looked like they’d be missing Pavel Zacha for a stretch.
But instead of being vulnerable at Toronto on Monday, they bounced back, dominated and won 4-1. The Bruins won games in February, but they all came despite mistakes and anxious moments. Monday was the first time in weeks, that they controlled a game from start to finish.
Against a team they’re likely to face in the first round of the playoffs, they delivered a message and the Maple Leafs left frustrated. For all the talk in recent weeks that the Bruins haven’t matched their opponents’ desperation, Boston actually didn’t play desperate. There was an urgency to their game, but it was overwhelmingly defined by confidence. They played like they knew how to be a good team and beat a good team and they did it.
“It’s definitely frustrating. It can eat you alive sometimes if you’re looking at it the wrong way or overthinking it,” Pastrnak said. “It’s no fun. But every year you go through these. You have to refocus and get back in the winning column.”
Zacha not only played, but scored two goals. He won seven of 13 faceoffs including seven of nine in the Bruins’ end killing Maple Leafs offensive chances before they ever had a chance to materialize.
“I talked to him at morning skate. He wasn’t going to be able to go. It was a big lift obviously,” Jim Montgomery said. “He had a great night.”
Pastrnak, who’d been too passive in recent games, didn’t score, but he took seven shots and earned three assists in the game.
If the Bruins are really considering trading Linus Ullmark, Jeremy Swayman gave them more reasons to believe he can be a No. 1 goalie. He was excellent, making 32 saves. Defensively they held the NHL’s highest-scoring team to one goal and kept the league’s second-best power play off the board.
“It felt good,” Swayman said. “Playing the right way for 60 minutes, it’s a big momentum game for us. I’m really happy with our team’s effort. It was our identity. The way guys responded and played the right way for the crest was super special to see.”
The Bruins obviously can’t rest on this. Connor McDavid and Edmonton will be a challenge Tuesday at TD Garden and these same Maple Leafs will be looking for payback in Boston on Thursday.
“It can’t be a one-off. We have a tough turnaround,” Bruins captain Brad Marchand said. But considering who we were playing and how our last game went, it was definitely a good game for us.”
Follow MassLive sports columnist Matt Vautour on Twitter at @MattVautour424.
