With stakes much less higher, Bergeron scores winner again as Bruins beat Leafs 3-1

BOSTON – Patrice Bergeron scored a power-play goal early in the third period and Tuukka Rask stopped 33 shots, lifting the Boston Bruins to a 3-1 win over Toronto on Saturday night in the teams’ first meeting since their playoff series last spring.

Bergeron also added an empty-netter with 22 seconds to play, and Zdeno Chara also had a power-play goal for Boston. The Bruins won for only the third time in seven games.

Joffrey Lupul scored for the Maple Leafs, who lost for just the second time in six games.

In Game 7 of the opening round of the last season’s Eastern Conference playoffs, Boston trailed by three goals with a little over 10 minutes left before forcing overtime — with the final two goals coming 31 seconds apart in the closing 90 seconds of regulation. Bergeron scored the game winner in OT, capping an improbable comeback.