Bruins Vs. Maple Leafs Stanley Cup Playoff History Revisited
The Boston Bruins will battle the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the 2023-24 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The two Original Six franchises have faced each other 16 times in the postseason, with each club winning eight times. Boston holds the 42-40-1 record against Toronto in the playoffs and 350-309-99-13 overall mark, including winning seven straight games over the past two seasons.
Even though the playoff series wins are tied, the Bruins have won the last six head-to-head matchups in the postseason dating back to the 1968-69 Eastern Conference semifinals when Boston defeated Toronto in the four-game sweep.
The Bruins defeated the Maple Leafs four games to one for their second Stanley Cup championship in 1939. It was the first Stanley Cup Final to be contested as a best-of-seven series in NHL history. Boston beat Toronto en route to its third title in 1941. The B’s won a hard-fought semifinals, 4-3, over the Leafs before sweeping the Detroit Red Wings in the Final.
After losing the 1948, 1949, 1951, and 1959 semifinals to the Leafs, the Bruins swept Toronto in the 1969 quarterfinals, which began with a 10-0 blowout by the Black and Gold at Boston Garden. The B’s would once again go through Toronto on their way to their fifth Stanley Cup championship in 1972.
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One of the most memorable series between Boston and Toronto came in the first round of the 2013 postseason.
The Bruins and Maple Leafs split the first two games at TD Garden before Boston took the next two games in Toronto for a resounding 3-1 lead in the series. The Leafs wouldn’t let the Bruins overpower them, evening the series at three games apiece before the decisive Game 7 in Boston. Every Bruins and Leafs fan knows how Boston made the improbable comeback, down 4-2 with under two minutes to play in regulation.
After the 2013 series, the Bruins defeated the Maple Leafs in Game 7 to send Toronto packing in the first round of the 2018 and 2019 postseasons.
After winning its first playoff series in 19 years last season, Toronto will look to exorcise its demons against Boston when the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin on April 20. Puck drop from TD Garden is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET, and you can catch all the action, following an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.