''It's a huge win," said captain Joe Thornton, whose deft feed from behind the net just 1:12 into the third period set up Sergei Samsonov for a goal that put the Bruins in front, 2-0. Having watched his club squander chances down the stretch at Carolina and Toronto, Thornton had seen the Leafs dominate in the middle period, only to have the Bruins' fortunes saved by Toivonen, so the second score appeared large.
But nothing in this rough ride of an early season has been easy for the Bruins, and this affair would be no different, because the Leafs peppered Toivonen and finally cashed in at 17:23, the always-present Eric Lindros poking one home on the power play. A collective groan could be heard throughout the building, the patrons no doubt fearful of the late-game heartache that had befallen the Bruins twice in days prior.
''It wasn't easy, by any stretch," said coach Mike Sullivan. ''But I thought it was important for our guys to respond -- and they did."
Just barely, perhaps, but when you've lost five of your previous six games, who is going to quibble over that? Certainly not Sullivan, and definitely not his players. The fact that it was a backup goaltender -- with just three previous NHL games under his belt -- who provided the leadership mattered little to Sullivan, who is point-blank when it comes to the importance of having a good man between the pipes.
''It's not important, it's essential," said Sullivan, though the star of the show was still in a deflective mood after his 36-save performance.
''Even if they had a lot of shots, the guys made my job easier," said Toivonen, who was forced into action after Raycroft strained his hamstring late in Wednesday's overtime loss at Carolina. ''I think our defense did a tremendous job, simply clearing the way so I could see the puck so well."
