Bruins, 3-2

TORONTO -- In a breathless game that saw Toronto throw just about everything at Tim Thomas and his defense, the Boston goalie stood tall -- with some help from his net.

Thomas turned in yet another dazzler, resorting to the last-ditch acrobatics that have been a part of his game throughout his playing career. Thomas stopped 27 of 29 Toronto shots, backstopping his team to a 3-2 victory before 19,410 at the Air Canada Centre. Over the last two periods, when Toronto's assault was at its fiercest, Thomas made 18 total saves.

With his club up 2-1 after the first period, Michael Ryder scored the game-winning goal in the second period, dangling around defenseman Pavel Kubina and canning a top-shelfer over goalie Vesa Toskala at 14:11 of the second. In the third period, forward Mikhail Grabovski cut the lead to 3-2 by crashing the net and banging a shot past Thomas.

The Bruins took a 2-1 lead into the dressing room after the first period. A dazzling dish by Marc Savard and a weak display of goaltending from Toskala led to Boston's first goal at 9:40 of the first period.

Milan Lucic started the play by digging the puck off the wall in the defensive zone and giving it up to Savard. The clever center banked an indirect pass off the right-side boards to an in-stride Phil Kessel, who flipped a slow-moving wrister through Toskala's wickets. It was Kessel's first goal since Nov. 1.

Matt Hunwick gave the Bruins a 2-0 lead by scoring his first career NHL goal. Lucic spotted Hunwick coming onto the ice after a change, flying into the offensive zone. Lucic hit Hunwick with a tape-to-tape pass. Hunwick fired a shot on goal that Toskala stopped, but the defenseman scooped up the rebound and backhanded it into the net at 13:18. Lucic retrieved the puck for Hunwick after the goal.

Winger Jason Blake's strike at 17:51 made it a 2-1 game after 20 minutes. Forward Dominic Moore helped set up Blake's goal with some heavy forechecking behind the Boston net, preventing Hunwick and Dennis Wideman from clearing the puck. With Thomas leaning the wrong way, Blake's bad-angle goal found the back of the net.