Bruins

By the numbers: Everything you need to know ahead of Bruins-Maple Leafs Game 7

The Bruins will play in their 31st Game 7 on Saturday, extending their NHL record.

By Conor Roche

May 4, 2024

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The Bruins have once again found themselves in a win-or-go-home situation.

The Maple Leafs evened up the first-round series between the two Atlantic Division rivals on Thursday, winning 2-1 in Game 6 to force a Game 7. As the two teams prepare for another Game 7 battle in Boston, let’s take a look by the numbers at the Game 7 history for the Bruins and interesting stats from the series so far.

6: This will mark the sixth time that the Bruins and Maple Leafs will meet in a Game 7, tied for the second-most Game 7 meetings between two teams in NHL history. Only the Bruins and Canadiens have met in a Game 7 more than that, facing each other in a win-or-go-home game nine times.

4: The Bruins have won four of the previous five Game 7s against the Maple Leafs, winning the last three since 2013. All three came in the first round, with the 2013 matchup being remembered for the Bruins’ comeback from a 4-1 deficit in the third period.

31: Saturday will also mark the 31st time the Bruins have played a Game 7 in their franchise’s history, extending their lead for the most Game 7s played by an NHL team. They’ve gone an even 15-15 in their previous 30 Game 7s, tied for the most Game 7 wins but also have the most Game 7 losses.

3: Boston is on a Game 7 losing streak entering Saturday’s matchup. It’s lost its last three Game 7s, falling to the St. Louis Blues in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round in 2022, and the Florida Panthers in the first round in 2023.

1: The Bruins are seeking to avoid becoming the first team in North American professional sports to blow a 3-1 lead in consecutive years.

12: Brad Marchand is set to play in his 12th Game 7 of his career Saturday, tying him with Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom for the most by an active player. He trails former Bruins teammates Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara for the most all-time by two. He has a 6-5 record in Game 7s, recording three goals and four assists over the previous 11 games. He scored a goal and had an assist in the 2018 Game 7 win over the Maple Leafs.

2: Jake DeBrusk scored two goals in the Bruins’ Game 7 win over the Maple Leafs in 2018. Can he repeat that on Saturday? He has three goals in the series, but hasn’t registered a point since Game 3.

147: In the previous 194 Game 7s in NHL history, the team that’s scored first has won 147 times, a 75.8 winning percentage. The team that has scored first has won all six games so far in this series. Additionally, the Bruins’ last three Game 7 losses have come as they’ve failed to score first in each game.

.964 vs. .947: Joseph Woll and Jeremy Swayman have arguably been the best goaltenders so far in the NHL postseason. Woll leads the league in save percentage (.964) and goals against average (0.86) through his first three postseason contests while Swayman is second in save percentage (.947) and third in goals against average (1.60) in five postseason games.

8: Marchand leads all scorers in this series with eight points, but hasn’t registered a point in the last two games.

+5: Good things have generally happened for the Maple Leafs when defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin’s been on the ice. His +5 plus/minus is the best mark of any player in the series as he hasn’t been on the ice when the Maple Leafs have allowed an even-strength goal. Maybe new dad strength is at play as he and his wife welcomed a child between Games 3 and 4 of the series.

2: The Maple Leafs haven’t generated much scoring through the first six games. They’ve only scored 11 goals, with William Nylander and Matthew Knies being the only players to score two goals in the series. Conversely, the Bruins have had five players score at least that many goals, with three recording three goals so far.