May 13: Leafs 4 at Bruins 5 (OT)

Leafs scorers: Franson 2 (3), Kessel (4), Kadri (1)
Bruins scorers: Bartkowski (1), Horton (4), Lucic (2), Bergeron 2 (3)
Links: Box Score | Discussion boards

Forward lines: van Riemsdyk-Kadri-Kessel, Lupul-Colborne-Frattin, MacArthur-Grabovski-Kulemin, McClement-Komarov-Orr.
Defence pairings: Phaneuf-Gunnarsson, Liles-O’Byrne, Franson-Gardiner
Goaltenders: Reimer (Loss, 66:05 minutes played, 30 saves, 1 GA), Scrivens (0:00)

Such was the dichotomy of the Leafs playoff season.

The underdogs stayed long enough in the Eastern Conference Final to force a Game 7. And played well enough to win the decisive game. For 58 minutes.

When Nazem Kadri extended Toronto’s lead to 4-1, the TD Garden in Boston was deflated. The Bruins defence looked worn out, with Zdeno Chara’s shifts being overextended due to the absence of Dennis Seidenberg who was injured earlier in the game.

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(Monday’s game in Boston will decide series)

May 12: Leafs 2 vs. Bruins 1

Leafs scorers: Phaneuf (1), Kessel (3)
Bruins scorers: Lucic (1)
Links: Box Score | Discussion boards

Forward lines: van Riemsdyk-Kadri-Kessel, Lupul-Colborne-Frattin, McClement-Grabovski-Kulemin, MacArthur-Komarov-Orr.
Defence pairings: Phaneuf-Gunnarsson, Liles-O’Byrne, Franson-Gardiner
Goaltenders: Reimer (Win, 60:00 minutes played, 29 saves, 1 GA), Scrivens (0:00)

Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarter Final was an exorcism by the Leafs of the demons that have plagued them against their Original Six rivals from Boston.

The gritty 2-1 performance squared the playoff series at three games apiece, forcing a decisive game to be played at TD Garden in Beantown on Monday night. This is a scenario that the team would have gladly accepted after either the Game 1 domination by the Bruins on April 30, or the Game 4 overtime heartbreaker five days ago.

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(James Reimer made 44 saves as Leafs extended the series)

May 10: Leafs 2 at Bruins 1

Leafs scorers: Bozak (1), MacArthur (2)
Bruins scorers: Chara (1)
Links: Box Score | Discussion boards

Forward lines: Lupul-Bozak-Frattin, van Riemsdyk-Grabovski-Kulemin, MacArthur-Kadri-Kessel, Komarov-McClement-Orr
Defence pairings: Phaneuf-Gunnarsson, Liles-O’Byrne, Franson-Gardiner
Goaltenders: Reimer (Win, 60:00 minutes played, 44 saves, 1 GA), Scrivens (0:00)

Dear James Reimer.

I was wrong.

My preseason prediction on January 19, the opening day of the shortened NHL regular season, wasn’t flattering to you. “The tandem of Ben Scrivens and the 2011-12 version of James Reimer doesn’t instill confidence, “ I said in my forecasting that had your team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, finishing tenth in the Eastern Conference.

Now in my defence, I did say 2011-12 version. I’m probably not the only skeptic that had doubts about whether you’d return to the form that you had exhibited prior to the well-documented Brian Gionta hit earlier that season.

But there you were at TD Garden on Friday night, in a scoreless goalie duel with a fellow John Ferguson draft pick, Tuukka Rask. The host team, the Boston Bruins, had at least a margin of error with a 3-1 series lead. Your team had no such insurance.

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(Cody Franson had one goal in a losing cause)

May 8: Leafs 3 vs. Bruins 4 (OT)

Leafs scorers: Lupul (3), Franson (1), MacArthur (1)
Bruins scorers: Bergeron (1), Krejci 3 (5)
Links: Box Score | Discussion boards

Forward lines: Lupul-Bozak-Frattin, van Riemsdyk-Grabovski-Kulemin, MacArthur-Kadri-Kessel, Komarov-McClement-Orr
Defence pairings: Phaneuf-Gunnarsson, Gardiner-O’Byrne, Franson-Fraser
Goaltenders: Reimer (Loss, 72:51 minutes played, 41 saves, 4 GA), Scrivens (0:00)

In sports, there are no moral victories.

It’s an especially painful truth for the Leafs to absorb after suffering a gut-wrenching 4-3 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night. David Krejci’s hat trick goal at 13:06 of the extra session put Toronto on the brink of elimination as the series heads back to Beantown with the Leafs trailing the best-of-7 affair three games to one.

The result spoiled the most complete effort assembled by Leafs coach Randy Carlyle’s squad during these playoffs. Forty-eight shots were directed at Boston goalie Tuukka Rask. The go-ahead goal to cap a Bruins rally in the second period was answered in less than a minute by Clarke MacArthur, back in the lineup after being scratched for two games.

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(Jake Gardiner’s goal not enough to overcome deficit)

May 6: Leafs 2 vs. Bruins 5

Leafs scorers: Gardiner (1), Kessel (2)
Bruins scorers: McQuaid (1), Peverley (1), Horton (3), Paille (1),Krejci (2)
Links: Box Score | Discussion boards

Forward lines: Lupul-Bozak-Frattin, van Riemsdyk-Grabovski-Kulemin, Hamilton-Kadri-Kessel, Komarov-McClement-Orr
Defence pairings: Phaneuf-Gunnarsson, Gardiner-O’Byrne, Franson-Fraser
Goaltenders: Reimer (Loss, 59:30 minutes played, 33 saves, 4 GA), Scrivens (0:00), (empty net, 1 GA)

The Boston Bruins provide enough of a formidable challenge for the Leafs in the Eastern Conference Quarter-Final without Toronto having to worry about beating itself.

But such was the result for the home side in front of 19,745 raucous fans at Air Canada Centre. The Leafs gift wrapped a pair of goals on route to a 5-2 defeat to trail the series two games to one.

Things started to unravel in the second period with Toronto already trailing 1-0. Defenceman Ryan O’Byrne was stripped of the puck by the ageless future Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr, who promptly fed a pass to a waiting Rich Peverley who made no mistake in beating goalie James Reimer to extend the Boston lead.

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