BOSTON -- Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy is aware that Boston fans sometimes have a love-hate relationship with longtime goaltender Tuukka Rask. After Rask's resounding Game 7 performance on Tuesday night, Cassidy said: "Hopefully he's converted a few. "I hope fans recognize what he did tonight. I think you have to, as a fan, acknowledge when a player plays well. I know in this town when you don't, you hear about it -- that's fine, too. But tonight he played well, and hopefully the people get behind him." Rask stopped 32 of 33 shots as Boston defeated Toronto, 5-1, in Game 7 of their first-round series. It's the second straight year Toronto's season ended in this fashion. Boston's first three goals were scored by bottom-six forwards -- Joakim Nordstrom, Marcus Johansson and Sean Kuraly -- but the star of the night was Rask, the 32-year-old Finn. "Hopefully, he can continue to build on his playoff legacy. It's a big Game 7 win," Cassidy said. "I believe he was our best player." Rask's cap hit is $7 million, which is the fourth-highest among goalies in the league. Despite winning a Vezina Trophy in 2014, leading Boston to consistent regular-season success and long playoff runs, Rask is often polarizing among fans. It began in the 2010 playoffs, when Rask allowed 15 goals in four games as the Flyers became the third team in NHL history to come back from a deficit of 0-3 to win a playoff series. When asked if a Game 7 will help cement his legacy, Rask said: "The big audience will decide that. I just try to prepare myself the same way every game. It helps with experience, you don't want to get too high or too low." Rask posted a .928 save percentage in the seven-game series, with a 2.32 GAA. The Bruins limited Rask's workload this season, thanks in part to strong play from backup Jaroslav Halak. Rask took a brief leave of absence for personal reasons in November and also missed 12 days in January after sustaining a concussion. Rask started only 45 games -- his fewest since becoming Boston's regular starter. It was down from his 53 starts last season and significantly down from his career-high of 67 starts (and 70 appearances) in 2014-15. Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask posted a .928 save percentage and 2.32 GAA in the seven-game series against Toronto. Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images "We limited his workload this year and wondered how it was going to affect him in the playoffs," Cassidy said. "And I think tonight, hopefully, we got some residual effects of that." "The workload hasn't been too much," Rask said. "So I feel fresh." Rask especially shined in the second period, as Toronto amped up the pressure with 13 shots on goal. "We broke down, we had a tough time getting the puck out of our own zone," Cassidy said. "He was there for us." Added captain Zdeno Chara: "They were putting a lot of pucks on net, in the slot, a lot of shots, rebounds, and I thought he was in good position and controlling the rebounds and the shots. I thought he was obviously a difference-maker." Toronto has lost each of its last three Game 7s -- all against the Bruins. No team in Stanley Cup playoff history has lost three straight winner-take-all games to the same opponent. The only other team in NHL, MLB and NBA playoff history to lose three consecutive winner-take-all games to the same opponent is the Pat Riley-led Miami Heat against the Knicks from 1998 to 2000. The Bruins will now face the Columbus Blue Jackets in the second round, with Game 1 on Thursday night. The Blue Jackets beat the NHL's top-seeded Tampa Bay Lightning in a shocking first-round sweep. Tampa Bay had matched the NHL record for regular-season wins, with 62.<doc-sep>The NHL officially announced start times and television for Tuesday’s Game 7 of the Bruins-Maple Leafs first round series. The deciding game will face off at 7 p.m. at TD Garden. It will be on NESN locally and NBC Sports Network, locally and nationally. It will stream at NESNgo and NBCSports.com. There’s been issues on the program guide for some cable providers that haven’t listed the games on NESN, but Bruins play-by-play voice Jack Edwards wants to assure people the game is on NESN is his usually understated fashion. GAME 7 IS ON NESN. DO NOT BELIEVE YOUR AUTOMATIC CHANNEL GUIDES. DO NOT BELIEVE ANY PROPAGANDA OR DISINFORMATION. GAME 7 IS ON NESN TUESDAY AT 7, WITH THE PREGAME AT 6. BE. THERE! — Jack Edwards (@RealJackEdwards) April 21, 2019 In Canada, the game will be on Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports.<doc-sep>Final seconds of Bruins-Leafs Game 7 featured a devastatingly bad beat originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com In most cases, Patrice Bergeron can do no wrong. But the Boston Bruins forward unknowingly stuck a knife in bettors' hearts Tuesday night. You see, the over/under goal total for Game 7 of the Bruins' first-round Stanley Cup Playoffs series with the Toronto Maple Leafs closed at 5.5. If you bet the under, you were sitting pretty, even after Charlie Coyle added an empty-net goal with 2:34 remaining to make it 4-1 Bruins. Then, in the meaningless final seconds with the game in h and, the B's cleared their own zone ... and disaster struck for under bettors. Warning: This video may contain disturbing images to those who bet under 5.5 goals. pic.twitter.com/RZUOmqV0ze — SI Gambling (@SIGambling) April 24, 2019 Bergeron could have just skated the clock out. But no: He had to flip in an empty-net goal with 0.2 seconds left to make the final score 5-1 and hit the over. Let's check Twitter to see if anyone was affected by this: For those of you who bet the UNDER in the Leafs and Bruins game I am personally sorry for that totally unnecessary garbage goal with 00:00.2 left in the game. Nominee for worst hockey "bad beat" of the year @notthefakeSVP @StanfordSteve82? 🤔#RightInTheEyeHole #BadBeats — Josh Cohen (@JoshCohenRadio) April 24, 2019 Does everyone realize the total in the Bruins-Maple Leafs game was 5.5 goals? Boston scored that final goal with 0.1 seconds left in regulation. The definition of a bad beat. Beyond crazy. cc: @notthefakeSVP #SportsBetting — Jeremy Pond (@JeremyPond) April 24, 2019 Geez that was bad beat on Bruins Under 5.5! 4-1 Leafs pull goalie and Bruins score empty netter as time expired! Ouch! — Fantasyguru (@jcbetting4) April 24, 2019 Talk about a bad beat on the under/over of the @NHLBruins game..... oooff #NHLPlayoffs #sportsbetting — DJ Action Jackson (@DJActionJackson) April 24, 2019 TALK ABOUT A BAD BEAT. HAD UNDER IN BRUINS GAME AND THEY SCORED TWO EMPTY NETTERS WITH ONE BEING WITH .5 SECONDS LEFT AT POINT BLANK RANGE. FOOOOOK — TBKMHK (@TBKMHK1) April 24, 2019 Friendly reminder, folks: If you're going to bet on sports, be prepared to have your heart ripped out every now and then. Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.<doc-sep>
Bruins 4, Maple Leafs 2 (Series tied 3-3) The Maple Leafs had a chance to rid themselves of their demons when it comes to the Bruins. Instead, they’ll have to face them head on in Game 7 for the third time in six years on Tuesday. Brad Marchand had a three-point game, including two goals, as the Bruins ensured TD Garden will see at least one more game this season. The Maple Leafs have two Game 7s to the Bruins since 2013. It will either be a hat trick for Boston or redemption for Toronto on Tuesday night. Sharks 2, Golden Knights 1 [2OT] (Series tied 3-3) An all-time heroic performance by a goalie that spurned a tired team to victory. These aren’t stories that are commonly written in the annals of hockey history, but Martin Jones produced something special and Tomas Hertl obliged his goalie, scoring a shorty in double overtime in one of the craziest games in this playoffs. [NBC 2019 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB] Three stars 1. Martin Jones, San Jose Sharks Something about 58 saves over four-and-a-half periods of hockey. Jones should be shrouded with love and gifts by his teammates after giving them every reason to forge ahead and find a winner when the Sharks looked dead tired. Jones set a franchise record with those 58 saves in one of the greatest goaltending performances in years. Jones made 88 saves over Game 5 and Game 6 to help pull San Jose back from being 3-1 down in the series to now have a chance to close it out in Game 7 on Tuesday. It’s remarkable, given Jones was yanked in two of the first four games and gave up six in another. 2. Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins Three points for hockey’s favorite pest/superstar. Marchand scored off a faceoff in the first period to tie the game 1-1 and then drove the final dagger to force Game 7 on an empty netter with less than two minutes to go. Story continues 3. Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks Someone needed to be a hero at the other end of the ice while Jones was playing the role in San Jose’s zone. Who knew it would come on shorthanded? Whatever it was, Hertl found the energy to will a wrist shot past Marc-Andre Fleury with the Sharks down a man after a slashing call on Barclay Goodrow around the midway point of the second overtime period. Highlight of the night How could it be anything other than a Game 6 double-overtime, shorthanded game-winning goal? Factoids of the night Tomas Hertl’s game-winner for the @SanJoseSharks tonight was the first shorthanded OT goal beyond the first OT period in NHL history. It was just the second shorthanded OT goal for a team facing elimination (Fernando Pisani, EDM vs. CAR, Game 5 of 2006 Stanley Cup Final). — Elias Sports Bureau (@EliasSports) April 22, 2019 Monday’s games Game 6: Capitals at Hurricanes (WSH leads 3-2), 7 p.m. ET, NBCSN (Live Stream) Game 6: Predators at Stars (DAL leads 3-2), 8:30 p.m. ET, CNBC (Live Stream) Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck