There was something different about the Bruins’ and the Maple Leafs’ third meeting of the season on Saturday.
It was the first time Boston would see Auston Matthews and William Nylander on the ice for Toronto, compounded with familiar, elite stars Mitch Marner and John Tavares. And not to mention other key forwards Patrick Marleau, Kasperi Kapanen, and Nazem Kadri.
With the Maple Leafs finally sporting their fully-loaded, juggernaut offense and the Bruins still missing key players — Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, Kevan Miller, and Jake DeBrusk all remained out — Saturday’s game could best be described as the ultimate stress test for Boston.