News » They must have helped because Kotkamiemi’s success

BOSTON (AP) The Boston Bruins remember what happened last time they met Toronto in the NHL playoffs. They also realize they can’t count on it happening again.After taking a 3-1 lead in the series but failing to close out the Maple Leafs in Games 5 and 6 of their first-round series in 2013 http://www.officialducks.com/authentic-adidas-cam-fowler-jersey , Boston fell behind 4-1 in the third period of the decisive seventh game before sending it into overtime with two goals in the last 82 seconds of regulation.The Bruins won in OT en route to their second Stanley Cup Finals appearance in three years.”It’s kind of crazy how things worked out,” forward Brad Marchand said after practice Wednesday. ”If we went back there again, it wouldn’t necessarily work out (that way), so we got lucky.”In addition to Marchand, the Bruins have goalie Tuukka Rask, forward David Krejci and defensemen Zdeno Chara, Adam McQuaid and Torey Krug from that team. Toronto has five holdovers with bitter memories of that postseason, including forward Nazem Kadri, who thought he clinched it when he scored with 5:29 gone in the third to make it 4-1.”I think a lot of people thought the same thing,” Kadri told The Canadian Press. ”It was hard to deal with.”The Bruins went on to beat the New York Rangers in five games and swept the Penguins in the Eastern Conference finals. They led Chicago 2-1 in the finals before losing three straight, giving up two goals 17 seconds apart in the final minutes of the finale before watching the Blackhawks skate around the TD Garden ice with the Cup.It all started with the late rally against Toronto.”We had a good run after that,” Rask said.Here are some other things to look for from the first-round playoff series between the Bruins and Maple Leafs.OUTBruins center Riley Nash is not yet ready to return, Cassidy said. Although he worked out on Wednesday Womens Corey Perry Jersey , the team decided to give him until at least Saturday to recover from the puck to the right ear that has kept him out since March 31.”He’s an underrated guy,” Cassidy said, adding that Noel Acciari was the likely replacement. ”We’re confident in the guy replacing Riley, but we’ll miss him.”The move likely leaves U.S. Olympic team captain Brian Gionta as a healthy scratch.HISTORY, PART IIThe two Original Six teams don’t have much of a playoff history – at least not lately, or compared to the Bruins and Canadiens. Before 2013, Boston and Toronto hadn’t met since 1974, having spent much of the `80s and `90s in different conferences.In all, the teams are dead even at 34-34-1 in the playoffs, with Toronto holding a series lead of 7-6-1.But that 2013 series still smarts.Current Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner was 16 years old at the time.”As a Leaf fan, it was tough,” he told the CP.MATCHUPSCassidy said the Bruins would not go too far out of their way to make sure they can match lines with the Maple Leafs, which would help Boston use Bergeron to try to neutralize Toronto’s No. 2 scorer Auston Matthews.”Generally speaking Kyle Brodziak Jersey Womens , we’ve allowed our players to play,” Cassidy said. ”We look for it, but we don’t chase it.”UP NEXTHere’s the schedule for the series:Thursday: Toronto at Boston, 7 p.m.Saturday: Toronto at Boston, 8 p.m.Monday: Boston at Toronto, 7 p.m.Thursday, April 19: Boston at Toronto, 7 p.m.x-Saturday, April 21: Toronto at Boston, TBAx-Monday, April 23: Boston at Toronto, TBAx-Wednesday, April 25: Toronto at Boston Jakob Silfverberg Jersey , TBA(x-If necessary)— The new-look Montreal Canadiens, an early season surprise in the NHL, will make their home debut Thursday when they host the Los Angeles Kings (1-1-1) at Bell Centre.The Canadiens are 1-0-1 after starting the season on the road with a 3-2 loss in overtime against the Toronto Maple Leafs and an overwhelmed the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1 on Saturday.The Canadiens, forecast by many to finish near the bottom of the Eastern Conference even before they traded top goal scorers captain Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk, have used a speedy forechecking game to pressure the opposition, cause turnovers and create scoring opportunities.Article continues below ...Forward Paul Byron, picked up on waivers in the 2015-16 season from the Calgary Flames, led the Canadiens with two goals and an assist in the win over the Penguins.“That’s the way we want to play. We want to play with pace,” Byron told NHL.com. “We want to move pucks up quick. We want to make sure that with our group, with the talent we have and the skating ability we have, that we can play that fast game. So far, it’s working for us.”“I think we’re working pretty well as a unit,” Canadiens goaltender Carey Price told NHL.com. “We’re not showing a ton of panic out there when things are getting tough. We have guys that are all playing really well. There’s no real secret to it.”Canadiens fans will get their first regular-season look at 18-year-old rookie Jesperi Kotkaniemi http://www.officialducks.com/authentic-adidas-john-gibson-jersey , who was selected with the No. 3 pick in last summer’s draft.Kotkaniemi has one assist in two games as he adjusts to life in the NHL. He’s been getting some tutoring from his veteran teammates.“I think faceoffs are the area that I need most to improve on, so I’m working at it every day,” Kotkaniemi told montrealcanadiens.com. “We have older guys that help me a lot. They are teaching me new tricks every day and I try to use those.”They must have helped because Kotkamiemi’s success in the faceoff circle jumped from 14.3 percent against the Maple Leafs to 66.7 percent against the Penguins.Kings coach Jon Stevens didn’t like the effort from his players in the first two periods in a 2-1 loss against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.“I thought the third period, we started to play on our toes a little more and we were able to generate a little more of an attack,” Stevens told NHL.com. “But prior to that (we) totally played the game on our heels, backing up retreating instead of getting after it.”Kings forward Ilya Kovalchuk, who returned to the NHL after five years playing in the Kontinental Hockey League, scored his first goal with the Kings against the Jets. Kovalchuk, 35, signed a three-year contract worth $18.75 million with the Kings. He had 816 points in 816 games in the NHL with the Atlanta Thrashers and the New Jersey Devils before leaving for the KHL.The goal against the Jets was the 417th of Kovalchuk’s NHL career.“I prefer to win than score goals,” Kovalchuk told NHL.com. “It wasn’t enough, so we will be better next game.”The Kings power play could use Kovalchuk’s touch: it is 0-for-10 in the first three games of the season.