Remembering the greatest comeback in Boston Bruins history

The greatest comeback in Boston Bruins history. A spot of misery turned to a moment that will be remembered in Boston sports history.

With 14 minutes and 35 seconds left of game seven of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, Nazem Kadri took the life out of the Garden. Off a rebounded shot from a two on one fastbreak, Kadri fired a scrapper past Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask, and the Toronto Maple Leafs took a commanding 4-1 lead.

What happened next was a miracle on ice. A quick spark with 10 minutes and 43 seconds left in the third period and the rest was history.

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A swing around the goal, followed by a laser pass to Nathan Horton, who guided a shot into the net, the Bruins cut the lead to just two, but the celebration was as casual as any Game Seven goal in the Stanley Cup playoffs will ever get. It was a calm goal but gave life back to the fans of Boston.

The Garden was alive, and we all know what happens when the TD Garden is at its loudest. Bad news for the away team.

With only 10 minutes and 43 seconds remaining, down two, there was still a lot of hockey to play.

That urgent, yet tranquil 10 minutes and 43 seconds of play quickly evaporated to under two minutes. The tech crew in the TD Garden embarrassed and gut wrenched, let the clock run, and published throughout the world, Toronto Maple Leafs 4, Boston Bruins 2.

But that was all about to change in the next two minutes.
Trailing two, with under two minutes, it was now or never for the Bruins. Luckily, a slap shot out of big man Zdeno Chara ricocheted to the stick of Milan Lucic, who flicked the puck past a chaotic goalie, James Reimer, for the Maple Leafs. Don’t get me wrong, the Garden erupted, but it was almost like the fans of Boston knew what was coming next, so they saved their monstrous applause.

All momentum was with the Boston Bruins, so in essence, the Maple Leafs were screwed.
Nails were being chewed off by each fan in the building, 1:22 on the clock, the Bruins put together a patient offensive possession, and what happened next shocked not only the TD Garden, or the City of Boston, but the entire universe.

A possession that felt like an eternity, like the puck touched every inch of the outer edge in Boston’s attacking zone. The puck swung from one Bruin to another. There wasn’t a Bruin we would have rather seen take this shot.

A wrister from the top of the key. All you could hear after that was the thunderous crowd in Boston, the electrifying theme song after each goal, and for fans at home, the man rapidly relaying the play by play, Jack Edwards screamed, “Patrice Bergeron ties it,”

Bergeron had struggled all series, but when the lights shined the brightest, number 37 did not shy down from the spotlight. It was all tied up, and let’s just say; the Toronto Maple Leafs were done.

Rally towels flooded the ice. They headed to overtime.

Save after save in the first 6 minutes from both goalies, but at some point, the puck had to find the net, it was just a matter of which net it would miraculously find.

The possession that won the game. Shots being sprayed on the net by the Bruins with a little over 14 minutes to play in overtime. A brilliant save that bounced behind the net, became a loose puck, and Marchand kept the possession alive. A perfectly executed pass to slap shot, from Marchand to Bergeron, led to scrambling around the net.

The puck was nowhere to be found. Fans waited anxiously for a horn to sound. With the blink of an eye, the puck streaked out to Bergeron on the right side and sent the Maple Leafs home.

The hero of the third period, became the hero of the game, of the series, because of two shots that would go down as two of the most memorable goals in playoff history.

Next. Bruce Cassidy’s confidence not shaken. dark

The entire third period, the young, inexperienced Toronto Maple Leafs squad was caught up in a mid-game siesta. There is nothing like the TD Garden in a Game 7 situation. Bergeron is the hero. The Bruins would move onto the next round. On May 13th, 2013, the greatest single-game comeback would live in the memories of Boston forever.

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