4 Reasons Why the Toronto Maple Leafs Lost Game 4

Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark celebrate the Boston Bruins' 3-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in Toronto (April 27th, 2024)
Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark celebrate the Boston Bruins' 3-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in Toronto (April 27th, 2024) / Claus Andersen/GettyImages
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2)      Jeremy Swayman

According to ESPN, Jeremy Swayman has been impenetrable with a .955% save, the highest in the playoffs and conceded the least number of goals (1.51 goals against per game). That too coming against an offensive powered team like the Leafs.

In Game Four, he continued his good form as he made 24 saves and nearly registered a shutout.

In total, for the series, the Bruins have saved over 94% of the shots, while the Leafs have saved under 88%.

3)      Bruins Defense

If Swayman was tough enough to handle, the Leafs faithful needs to be aware of the Bruins’ ability to block the puck. In fact, it is this skill that arguably won this game for the Bruins. For starters, according to ESPN, the Bruins had 27 blocked shots whereas the Leafs had six.

In the first period, the Bruins had 12 total blocked shots. Defenseman Brandon Carlo was on the ice when eight of them happened. On the other hand, the Leafs had three blocked shots in the first period.  

The Leafs would also go cold turkey on blocked shots in the vast majority of the second period until the 16:33 mark.