Sometimes, the chaotic nature of playoff hockey presents a team with unique opportunities.
In the Bruins instance, a former teammate provided an unlikely opening in Game 3.
Amid a night of tight-checking and brutal officiating, the Maple Leafs had the Bruins on the ropes after Mitch Marner connected with Matthew Knies for the game’s first tally at 13:10 of the middle stanza.
The Leafs had the Bruins on the ropes. But their undisciplined play popped up at the worst time.
As Tyler Bertuzzi engaged in shenanigans with Brad Marchand, an assertive Trent Frederic took advantage of a sleepy Toronto D and beat Ilya Samsonov to the short-side post a mere 4:27 after Knies’ tally.