No. 4 Boston Bruins (28-14-6) vs. No. 5 Toronto Maple Leafs (26-17-5)
Story line: The Bruins are trying to rediscover the magic of their 2011 Stanley Cup season. The Maple Leafs are in the postseason for the first time since 2004.
Goalies: Boston's Tuukka Rask (19-10-5, 2.00, .932) vs. Toronto's James Reimer (19-8-5, .2.46 .924). Both had something to prove this season and passed with exceptional grades. Rask could be/should be a Vezina Trophy candidate. But the playoffs are a fresh challenge for both; Rask hasn't been in a playoff game since 2010 and Reimer has no NHL postseason experience.
Leading scorers: Boston, C Brad Marchand (18-18—36); Toronto, RW Phil Kessel (20-32—52)
Season series: Boston won the series 3-1, outscoring the Maple Leafs 10-7. Boston won the first two games by scores of 1-0 and 4-2; the two teams split a home-and-home series in March. Toronto won the first game 3-2 and the Bruins won 3-2 at home in a shootout two days later.
Injuries: Toronto, C Tyler Bozak (undisclosed) is expected to play Game 1. Boston, LW Nathan Horton (upper body) expected to play in the series, but Game 1 isn't a certainty.
Who's hot: Kessel netted 10 goals and seven assists in the final 10 games.
Why the Bruins should be the favorite
1. With D Zdeno Chara's size and strength, he can control a series as much as any goalie. And Boston is a better defensive teaml.
2. C Patrice Bergeron is the best all-around forward in the series. He is an offensive catalyst, a superb faceoff man and a smart defensive player. The Bruins rank first in faceoff percentage.
3. Both teams have exceptional penalty killing, meaning the series should be decided on 5-on-5 play. The Bruins are better at that. They rank second in shots and Toronto ranks 27th in shots against, meaning Reimer will need to outplay Rask.
Why the Maple Leafs could win
Toronto ranks first in hits and blocked shots. Those strengths play extremely well in a playoff series. The Maple Leafs were 10-5-2 in their final 17 games; the Bruins won three of their last 10. Presumably, the Maple Leafs will feed off the energy Leaf Nation will generate. They have waited a long time for playoff hockey.
Prediction: Boston has enough strengths and intangible advantages to be two games better than Toronto in a seven-game series. Take the Bruins in six.
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