The top 10 tidbits for the looming Maple Leafs-Bruins playoff series

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CURSE OF THE BRUINS 

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This will be the 17th meeting of the teams, split 8-8 so far, with Boston winning the past six — the longest playoff hex any team has held on Toronto.

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Only Montreal’s dominance of Boston, 10 straight series victories between 1947-87, is longer in league history, according to NHL Stats. 

The most recent series Toronto won was in 1959, meaning anyone born that year is now a senior citizen. The Game 7 winner for the Leafs that year was scored by Gerry Ehman, set up by Frank Mahovlich and Carl Brewer. 

The Bruins and Leafs have won a total of 41 playoff games against the other. On its way to three Cups in 1948, ‘49 and ‘51, the Leafs beat the Bruins — the same for Boston topping Toronto when it won the silver chalice in 1939, ‘41 and ‘72. 

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SEVENTH HEAVEN AND HELL 

Six of the series, either best-of-fives or best-of-sevens, have gone the distance. NHL Stats lists Boston’s current run of three Game 7 wins over Toronto (adding two more in 2018 and ‘19), tied for the second-longest active streak in league history behind Pittsburgh besting Washington four times between 1992 and the present.  

That included the first time in NHL history a team overcame a three-goal deficit in the third period of a Game 7 — 2013’s infamous Leafs letdown, when they were up 4-1 midway through the final frame at TD Garden before losing in OT. 

LONG TRAIN RUNNIN’ 

The longest Leafs playoff game was against Boston, lasting 104 minutes and 46 seconds of overtime in the deciding match of the 1933 semifinal. At one point, a coin flip was suggested to determine the winner so the train could take them to New York to meet the Rangers for the Cup final due to start the next day, before Kenny Doraty’s early morning 1-0 goal for the Leafs.

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FALTERING FINISHES 

Neither team is on a roll heading into this series, Boston losing three of its last four, Toronto 0-3 before its last regular-season game Wednesday in Tampa. Of the 20 games this year where Boston did not hold a lead, three of them happened this month.

NOTHING SPECIAL

Special teams have been a concern for both squads. The Leafs were a disappointing seventh in league power-play percentage despite their offensive wealth, 24.3% before Wednesday’s game after finishing second the year before.

Boston was 3-for-25 in its past 10 games and sits 13th overall at 22.2%. 

Starting with killing all four Toronto man-advantages on March 7, Boston is 39-for-46, allowing no more than one power play goal in any game, ranking seventh overall as of Wednesday.

The Leafs have allowed multiple goals on five occasions in the same time frame and are 22nd. 

WHO’S HURTING 

Two of Boston’s most physical players, defenceman Brandon Carlo and winger Justin Brazeau, are listed as day-to-day.

Forwards Derek Forbert (undisclosed) and Matthew Poitras (shoulder) are on injured reserve. 

While Toronto forwards Max Domi (undisclosed) and Bobby McMann (lower body) likely will be ready for Game 1, winger Calle Jarnkrok has been out a month with a hand injury, though is practising. 

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MONTY AND MATTHEWS 

Boston coach Jim Montgomery ran the bench of victorious Team Matthews at the all-star game in Toronto in February, with all members splitting a $1-million prize.  

Monty also was the coach at the University of Denver when the Pioneers tried to lure a teenaged Matthews to their program for his draft year, citing its history and proximity to his family in Scottsdale, Ariz. Matthews chose to play pro in Zurich, Switzerland. 

FACE FACTS 

This will be the first time in four playoff meetings the Bruins will not have the faceoff mastery of the retired Patrice Bergeron to rely upon. In his absence, the Bruins, as a team, are down from a conference-leading 54.5% success in the dots last year to 49.5%, while the Leafs at 53.5% are once again top five. 

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HIT PARADE 

While much has been made of the Leafs’ supposed inability to handle the Bruins’ aggressiveness, or Florida for that matter had they faced the Panthers in Round 1, those three clubs ranked 1-2-3 in hits as of Wednesday morning. The Panthers had 2,342, Boston 2,259 and Toronto 2,247 and counting. 

Simon Benoit and Jake McCabe of the Leafs and Boston’s Trent Frederic were among the 35 NHLers with 200 or more hits this season.

The first shifts of Game 1 should shake the tables of the North Station pubs.

GLOBE TROTTERS 

The current Boston roster has just six Canadians — two from Ontario, one (Poitras) from the GTA and two home towners from Massachusetts.

The Leafs have four from the GTA, no New Englanders, but five Americans, with a total of seven Swedes on both clubs in the series.

Each team has a St. Louis native, Frederic and his off-ice friend, Toronto goalie Joseph Woll.  

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X: @sunhornby

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