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Maple Leafs look to end skid in key tilt vs. Bruins (Feb 04, 2017)
BOSTON -- Four-pointer.
It's an old hockey term used when talking about a matchup with a team in your own division. Or, in this day and age of wild cards, a team in the other division that you're battling for a playoff spot.
There's a long way to go, but the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins play a four-pointer Saturday night at TD Garden.
Both are in the Atlantic Division, with the Bruins sitting in third place -- the last of the guaranteed the division spots -- and the young Maple Leafs three points back. However, in terms of games in hand -- another hockey term -- Toronto has played five fewer than the Bruins.
In fact, every team in the Eastern Conference and all but one team in the NHL have played fewer games than the Bruins.
The Maple Leafs lost their third straight contest on Thursday night in St. Louis; the losing streak coming after five wins in seven games.
"There's no reason to be concerned," Morgan Rielly said after the latest loss. "It's a matter of getting our focus back and make sure we know what's at stake and start playing our game again."
The Bruins had won three in a row before a third period at Washington snapped the streak. Goaltender Tuukka Rask, who has played 11 straight games, said he "popped" his groin Wednesday, while forward Patrice Bergeron left the game in the third after blocking a shot.
Rask was given a "maintenance day" on Friday while Bergeron is day to day.
"When we say he's day-to-day, he's doing really well," Bruins coach Claude Julien said of Bergeron. "Certainly not erasing him from our lineup tomorrow."
On Rask, the coach said, "We're in game 53 and we've got one win from our backup goaltender. We're not blind to the matter. What we have to do right now is get ourselves in the best position possible. Having said that, we'd like to give Tuukka, maybe less games than he's had.
"But at the same time, we can't worry about what it's going to be like a month from now. What we have right now is an important part of the schedule. It's also part of the schedule where we're getting a lot of breaks."
The Bruins are in a situation, because of all the games they've played, where they have to win -- especially at home, where they are just 12-12-0.
"It's time to put up or shut up," veteran forward David Backes said. "We had a good three-game run against good teams. We took a step backward in the third period against Washington, but we need to get back on that forward track against Toronto at home and keep collecting points."
Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock doesn't appear stressed by his team's step back.
"No sense feeling sorry for yourself or being frustrated," he said Thursday. "You've got to get your mind in gear and you've got to get your game right. We've got to play harder. When you do that, get your structure, you will be fin. In the meantime, it's not going as good as we want it to."
This is the third meeting of the season between the Original Six teams -- the Maple Leafs winning the first two, one in each building, by the same 4-1 score.
