NHL scores 2017: The Maple Leafs have officially exorcised their demons against the Bruins

Games between the Bruins and Maple Leafs always come down to 4-1, don’t they? Ever since that fateful Game 7 where Toronto blew a 4-1 lead to Boston in the 2013 playoffs, the Maple Leafs have been forever saddled with that narrative.

Four years later, it seems Toronto has bested the 4-1 curse — at least in the regular season anyway.

Monday’s game, like the other three Maple Leafs vs. Bruins tilts, involved a 4-1 score that favored Toronto. Unlike in their last meeting at the beginning of February, however, the lead stuck and the Maple Leafs earned a 4-2 victory. With playoff positioning on the line, Toronto got a few key — and potentially favorable — penalties called against the Bruins and scored four straight to close the gap to one point on Boston in the Atlantic Division.

While the Maple Leafs widened their wild card margin to three points in the Eastern Conference, the Bruins have to be feeling the heat. After a four-game winning streak, they’ve lost a pair and faltered in a key divisional matchup.

It’s a narrative the Bruins know quite well, after missing the playoffs last year thanks to their own inability to lock down games. The Maple Leafs rid themselves of their ghosts, but can the Bruins?

Maple Leafs 4, Bruins 2
Sabres 2, Red Wings 1
Predators 3, Coyotes 1
Stars 1, Sharks 0
Oilers 2, Kings 0

1. The Coyotes are officially eliminated from the playoffs...

We’ve known for awhile, but here lies Arizona’s playoff hopes for the 2016-17 season. A 3-1 loss to the Predators has the Coyotes as the second team to be eliminated from postseason contention. It wasn’t the best season, but there’s hope coming soon Coyotes fans.

As for the Predators, with St. Louis idle, they jumped into the third-place spot in the Central Division thanks to the victory. No one’s likely catching Minnesota or Chicago at this rate, but the win is a good sign for Nashville’s playoff hopes.

2. And the Red Wings aren’t far behind

Detroit is likely in the next batch of teams to get booted from the playoffs, and its 2-1 loss at the hands of the Sabres has only helped that cause. The Red Wings have lost five of their last eight and are without question about to break their 25-year postseason streak. But hey, at least Detroit’s had time to prepare for the inevitable after a disappointing season.

3. Kari Lehtonen pitched a rare shutout

The Stars stole a win from the Sharks on Monday thanks to their goaltender. A rare sentence indeed, especially coming from the black hole that is the Stars’ netminding. The shutout was Lehtonen’s second of the season and first since early December, as he made 30 saves in a low-scoring 1-0 win for Dallas.

A pair of first period goals lifted the Oilers over the Kings, with Patrick Maroon’s opening baseball-style tally a highlight.