Takeaways - Leafs at Bruins - 12/08/18

BRUINS SCORE ALL THREE GOALS SCORED THROUGH TWO PERIODS; LEAFS GET ON SCORESHEET EARLY IN THIRD
The rivalry between the Maple Leafs and Bruins has always been robust, and nothing changed about it Saturday night at TD Garden. Toronto outshot Boston 11-8, but the Bruins emerged from the opening 20 minutes with a 1-0 lead (via Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson's goal) midway through the first period, and Boston tripled their lead in the second period on goals from forward David Backes and blueliner Torey Krug.
When the Bruins got their fourth straight goal (from forward Danton Heiman) at 1:47 of the third, the situation appeared bleak for the Leafs. But defenceman Travis Dermott's second goal of the season got Toronto on the scoreboard at the 4:03 mark, and the Buds had something to build on in the final three-quarters of regulation time:

MATTHEWS, JOHNSSON ADD OFFENCE LATER IN THIRD, BUT BUDS CAN'T COMPLETE COMEBACK
The Leafs have earned their reputation as a squad that can pounce on an opponent with quick offensive bursts - and surely enough, Toronto generated two more goals in a three-minute span before the final buzzer. The first goal came from centre Auston Matthews, who took a pass from winger Andreas Johnsson and fired it high over Bruins goalie Jaroslav Halak at 9:30 of the third for Matthews' 16th goal of the year:

Johnsson then scored Toronto's next goal (a power play goal, and his seventh of the season) at 12:22 of the third, bringing the Leafs within three goals of tying the game up:

Johnsson's offensive production has risen notably of late - he's got five goals and 10 points in his past seven games - and the Leafs have to be pleased at the 24-year-old's progress as an NHLer. However, despite outshooting Boston 12-9 in the final period, the Buds couldn't produce any more offence and dropped their second game in a row.
The Leafs now visit Carolina to take on the Hurricanes Tuesday; Toronto dropped its most recent game against the 'Canes this season, falling 5-2 at Scotiabank Arena Nov. 21 - so it's safe to expect the Leafs will be seeking revenge.