The Toronto Maple Leafs haven't had playoff hockey in nearly a decade and the first game back in the city since then was a loss to the Bruins 5-2 at the Air Canada Cenrte, leaving the team in a 2-1 series hole with Game 4 coming on Wednesday.
Phil Kessel is a former Bruin and he could not get enough revenge on his old team on Monday, as he scored a goal but could not deliver the win to put the series back on home ice advantage after the Leafs were able to steal a game in Boston. Kessel has been a fan favorite and a fan target during his time in Toronto and the fans were extremely excited to have a game back in the city for the playoffs. Kessel scored for the second game in a row, but he also messed up and allowed a shorthanded goal by the Bruins that pushed the lead to 4-1 at one point.
Kessel is usually curt and private with the media and after the game he avoided reporters due to the loss. He was dealt by the team back in 2009 for picks, one of which turned out to be star Tyler Seguin and he has been trying to love up to expectations ever since. The Bruins held him scoreless during the regular season and despite the goals in the series, the Leafs are down 2-1.
Part of key to Kessel contributing more to the Toronto cause will lie with Carlyle and his ability to keep his leading scorer away from towering Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara, who has shadowed the two-time All-Star and driven him to distraction.
Dissected time-and-time again, there remains no clear verdict about who won one of the most controversial trades ever consummated by the Original Six rivals.
"I thought we worked hard and did a lot of good things but our execution level and the mistakes that we made aren't going to allow us to win a hockey game," lamented Toronto coach Randy Carlyle. "You have to give the opposition credit, they came in they played hard, they forced us and we made some mistakes and they won the hockey game."
