NHL | The fight of the eighties. The Swedish dude reigned supreme. Pastrnak must add, Boston coach complains

The newly 28-year-old Swede, who is three weeks older than his Czech friend, missed the opening three games of the first-round playoff series due to mysterious migraines. But as duel No. 6 showed, unfortunately for the Bruins, he is already completely fit. “We battled, we pulled it off,” smiled Nylander as Toronto tied the game at 3-3. He scored both home goals in a 2:1 win.

The first with luck, when his throw in front of Jeremy Swayman unfortunately trickled away by visiting fullback Charlie McAvoy. At the end of the third period during the Boston onslaught, Nylander then flushed and in a separate escape with a bluff that ended like clockwork, he deceived the Bruins goalie. Toronto goalkeeper Joseph Woll capitulated with a tenth of a second left in the game. On Sunday night, the decisive seventh duel will be played in Boston’s TD Garden.

Better late than never, thought Nylander, who was coming off a 13-game scoreless streak for the Maple Leafs. The tenth most productive player in the regular season (40+58) did not miss a single one of the 82 duels. But as the playoffs began, mysterious problems arose.

“Watching the first three games only from the stands was bitter,” recounted the Swedish forward, from whom the Maple Leafs need goals in the absence of top scorer Auston Matthews. And the blond from a hockey family (his dad Michael played with Jaromir Jágr in the NY Rangers) made the blue-white hockey nation’s wish come true.

“Big deal, that’s exactly what you expect from a player of his caliber,” cheered Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe.

Boston’s nightmare from last playoff is taking more and more real contours this year. A year ago, the Bruins lost a 3-1 opening-round lead to Florida and were eliminated. The coaching team of the Czech national team, led by Radim Rulík, would certainly not be angry if history repeated itself. Pastrňák et al. but now they definitely have other ideas.

After the sixth game, coach Jim Montgomery pointed to the Czech star. “Your best players have to be really the best in this period. They need to assert themselves in important moments. Brad Marchand has been doing it all streak. Pastrňák must add,” said the Boston coach.

Czech number 88 scored in the opening four duels of the series, as soon as Pastrňák fell silent, problems arose. “Toronto had several opportunities in the first period and their goalkeeper made important saves. We have already improved in the next course. But we have to be much better, especially at the beginning,” said Pastrňák, who shot at Woll four times and collected 2+2 for a high stick in the second period.

In the previous three seven-game series with Toronto, Boston always won in the end. In 2013 and 2018, the Maple Leafs also overcame a 1-3 loss, but did not manage the decisive battle. In 2019, on the other hand, the Bruins turned from 2:3 to 4:3. And next time they will do everything to celebrate again, even if the last two games did not go badly for them.

“We don’t live in the past or the future, we live in the present,” Coach Montgomery philosophized. We are not happy with our game. Above all, we need to get up to speed sooner. That’s our task until the seventh game.”