“Give passion!” is the motto written on each of the towels laid out on the seats of Scotiabank Arena, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs. In theory, all this should have contributed to the right mood for the Maple Leaves in the third match of the series against Boston, but the hosts lacked emotion and dedication. The main character of “Toronto” Auston Matthews again left without scoring goals, finishing the match with three shots on target, and the Russian goalkeeper Ilya Samsonov failed to save the team from defeat (2:4).
In the second period, with the score 1:0 in favor of the Maple Leafs, Samsonov missed an easy shot Trent Frederick to the near corner. This goal gave Boston strength and after it the Bears seized the initiative.
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In the middle of the third twenty minutes, Boston’s leader Brad Marchand scored the winning goal, which was also not entirely clear from the point of view of the goalkeeper’s actions. Samsonov, according to many fans, knelt too early, opening the top corner, where Marchand ended up.
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As a result, Toronto failed to win back and lost the initiative in the series. The score was now 2-1 in favor of the Bruins, and the next match would be key to its outcome. The Maple Leafs can no longer lose at home, otherwise the prickly opponent will certainly finish the job, and the dreams of Canadian fans will once again remain unfulfilled fantasies.
“Frederick’s goal was frankly bad for Samsonov. The puck went into the near corner. But the whole team lacked energy,” — noted Toronto Sun columnist Terry Coshen.
The fourth match of the series will take place on the night from Saturday to Sunday.
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