TORONTO — The Leafs look like they are for real.
They are young, fast and hungry, a combination that Saturday night helped them breeze to a convincing 4-1 win over Boston in the Blue-and-White’s home opener at the Air Canada Centre.
As for the Bruins, they were reeling much of the night, again yielding too many goals in the first period, and this time, contrary to Thursday vs. Blue Jackets, unable to find a way back into the game after spending the early going like a bunch of window shoppers on Yonge Street.
Perhaps adding to the Black-and-Gold’s woes: Top free agent acquisition David Backes hurt his right hand in a first-period fight with Nazem Kadri. The big pivot made it through the rest of the night, logged 16 minutes 35 seconds in ice time, but managed but one shot on net and didn’t factor in the scoring summary.
Boston’s traveling media contingent requested to talk to Backes after the loss, but a team spokesperson said the ever-affable former Blues captain would not be available. Already compromised with top center Patrice Bergeron yet to play due to an undisclosed injury, any loss of Backes, be it short- or long-term, would further challenge an offense that has been spotty.
Overall, the Bruins were unable to sustain a meaningful forecheck and too often made defensive coverage miscues that sealed their fate. Within the first 14 minutes, Connor Brown, Mitch Marner, and James van Riemsdyk all had goals — three of the first six shots getting by backup tender Anton Khudobin — and the remaining 46 minutes turned into basic bookkeeping to fill out the box score.
“We dug ourselves a hole at the beginning of the game with some poor choices,’’ said coach Claude Julien, whose squad reversed a 3-1 deficit in Columbus and pinned a 6-3 loss on the Blue Jackets. “We gave them some untimely goals and had to battle back. We had some momentum in the second period, but then came out flat in the third period. Not a good effort on our part. At the end of the night you don’t deserve that win.’’
Bergeron’s absence was painfully obvious at the faceoff dot, where the Bruins lost an eye-aching 80 percent of the drops in the first period. And when the night ended, the Leafs had won 32 of 52 drops for 62 percent efficiency. And perhaps a further indication that Backes’s right hand was hurting, he won only 6 of his 21 drops.
After the fight with Kadri, off the faceoff that followed Toronto’s first goal, Backes could be seen flexing the hand while in the penalty box, while serving his five-minute fighting major. Once sprung from the box, he sought quick attention at the bench from the training staff.
The Bruins also rarely asserted a strong forecheck, part and parcel of falling behind by three goals. The tepid, at times laissez faire, compete level clearly irked Julien.
“We told our guys they would be fast,’’ noted Julien, “and that they would have to fight to get to those positions. That’s where our team didn’t do a good enough job. A few times we had opportunities we didn’t stop in front of the net. We skated by. [Brad] Marchand at the end, if he puts on the brakes, he gets a goal there on a Pastrnak pass. But he did a fly-by there.’’
Pointing out Marchand’s failure was an obvious message by Julien, although he chose not to mention the two minors (high sticking, roughing) that the Li’l Ball o’ Hate picked up in the first six minutes of the game. Marchand was by the far the club’s best player in Game 1.
Only 48 hours later, he twice fell afoul of the refs in the first, and ended the evening without a single shot on net (compared to his seven shots in the season opener).
Across the dressing room, the Bruins were disappointed by both the early deficit and the failure to launch a meaningful comeback. In a regular season of 82 games, such nights are guaranteed. But in their first two nights, the Bruins, who have gone without a playoff appearance the last two seasons, came out too flat for comfort.
The only Boston goal was delivered by Pastrnak, who ripped home a one-timer on a power play with 2:25 to go in the first. Goalie Frederik Andersen turned aside their next 17 shots over the final 42 minutes. A workload he could have handled while in a Barcalounger.
“We need the five guys on the ice on the same page,’’ said team captain Zdeno Chara, who had a late-game punch-up with Matt Martin, answering for Martin’s heavy hit on Torey Krug. “We had that at times. But most of the night we didn’t. We need to improve that.’’
“Giving up the first goal early, that kind of got the ball rolling for them,’’ added John-Michael Liles. “And we got back on our heels after that. We’re in a tough building to come back from that. And credit to them, they were on their toes to start.
Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at kevin.dupont @globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeKPD.
