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Struggling Bruins break out in big win over Maple Leafs

Mar 26, 2008 - 4:28 AM TORONTO (Ticker) -- The Boston Bruins' offensive breakthrough could not have come at a better time and against a more desperate team.

Marco Sturm, David Krejci and Shawn Thornton each had a goal and an assist as the offensively challenged Bruins erupted for a 6-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday in game with huge playoff implications.

Phil Kessel and Jeremy Reich also tallied while defenseman Matt Lashoff and rookie Milan Lucic had a pair of assists apiece for the Bruins, who had scored just 18 goals in their previous 12 games.

It was especially surprising since Boston was without leading scorer Marc Savard and lost Chuck Kobasew to a leg injury early in the first period.

"Six different goal-scorers, the boys really rallied together," Thornton said. "We're missing Savvy (Savard) and then Chuckie (Kobasew) halfway through the first. It was a win by committee. That's what we need this time of year."

Tim Thomas stopped 28 shots for Boston (38-28-10), which remained two points ahead of Washington (38-31-8) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

"Obviously, it was really important we got the W out of it, but we can't rest on it," Thomas said. "We got six tonight, but we went a long time without scoring more than three."

"We've still got a lot of work to do. Washington won, so they're still right behind us," Lucic said. "We've got to keep winning and separate us from the ninth-place team and try to move up in the standings."

Jason Blake and Alexei Ponikarovsky scored for Toronto (35-32-10), who fell six points behind Boston. The Maple Leafs, who have just five games remaining, need to pass four teams in the standings for a postseason berth.

"I think it was important for us, and Toronto, they needed it possibly worse," Thomas said.

"They've done a good job of staying in the fight in the past, and clearly we're at that point," Maple Leafs coach Paul Maurice said of his team.

Boston, which snapped a three-game skid, jumped to a 3-0 lead and never looked back.

"The thing that helped us is, we went to the net," Lashoff said. "We talked about it all week, and it worked."

Glen Murray opened the scoring at 3:57 of the first period, and the Bruins doubled the lead 72 seconds into the middle session when a point shot from Krejci squeezed between goaltender Vesa Toskala's pads.

Krejci then completed a beautiful cross-ice pass to a wide-open Sturm for a power-play goal at 8:20 of the second.

The Maple Leafs cut the deficit to 3-1 as Blake tallied with 4 1/2 minutes left in the period, but Thornton restored the three-goal lead with his fourth goal of the season at 3:05 of the third.

Ponikarovsky drew Toronto within 4-2 with 5:16 to play, but Kessel tallied less than two minutes later to restore Boston's two-goal bulge.

"Things weren't going our way tonight," Toronto defenseman Ian White said. "We were a little slow off the draw and it cost us."

Reich scored into an empty net with 17 seconds left to seal the victory.

Toskala stopped 24 shots for the Maple Leafs, who had their three-game winning streak snapped.