Key takeaways:
- Jets top Flames, Canadiens net 10 in victory over Panthers; Senators best Flyers.
- Maple Leafs striker William Nylander shields the puck from the Bruins’ Jack Ahcan during a 5-2 victory over Boston in Toronto’s regular-season finale.
William Nylander netted twice as the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Boston Bruins 5-2 on Friday in a regular-season finale that saw both squads rest most of their leads ahead of the playoffs.
With the win, the Leafs assured they would face the two-time defending Stanley Cup winner Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, while the Bruins are set to meet the Carolina Hurricanes.
With his first NHL goal, Ilya Mikheyev, Nick Abruzzese, and Pierre Engvall, into an open net, also netted for Toronto (54-21-7). Erik Kallgren made 24 blocks.
The Leafs’ 115 points in the standings are ten more than the last franchise record set in 2017-18.
Trent Frederic and Jake DeBrusk responded for Boston (51-26-5), which got 22 saves from Jeremy Swayman. Craig Smith had two assists.
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Having already locked up the Atlantic Division’s No. 2 seed, the Leafs rested Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and John Tavares upfront, while No. One goaltender Jack Campbell served as the backup.
The Bruins, meanwhile, were minus Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, and Taylor Hall. Charlie McAvoy was out on defense.
The united absences from both teams added up to almost $73 million US in sidelined salary-cap dollars.
Boston, which was playing the second of a back-to-back, still had a possibility of catching Tampa for third in the division entering play but will rather finish as the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card seed.
The Bruins netted 70 seconds into the opening period of a match that had an exhibit feel with little intensity when Frederic drove his eighth goal of the season beyond Kallgren.
Source – cbc.ca
