Garden Party: Bruins in 7? Never in doubt 😬 – The Boston Globe

That was fun! Let’s never do it again.

The Bruins didn’t make it easy, but they finally dispatched the pesky Maple Leafs courtesy of a Game 7 overtime winner from David Pastrnak.

Boston will now head south to Florida, where the Panthers are waiting for Game 1 on Monday night. The Celtics, meanwhile, are still waiting for their second-round opponent, which will be decided this afternoon.

Let’s get into it.

About last night and what’s on deck

Boston looked on the brink of collapse when William Nylander gave the Maple Leafs the lead in the third period, with Jim Montgomery’s Bruins looking poised to become a trivia question (who is the only team in NHL/NBA/MLB history to blow 3-1 leads in back-to-back postseasons?) instead of a contender.

But Hampus Lindholm quickly tied the game, Jeremy Swayman continued his brilliant series between the pipes, and Boston’s Czech superstar picked a good time to finally reappear with a fresh serving of pasta.

After giving their fans a healthy amount of sports PTSD in this series, the Bruins now move on to face … let me just check my notes here … the Florida Panthers. Awesome.

• 🏀 Anthony Edwards is, without a doubt, that guy. The Timberwolves’ blossoming superstar poured in 43 points as Minnesota stole Game 1 from the defending champion Nuggets on the road in what looks like a special series in the making out West.
• 🏀 The Celtics will find out who their second-round opponent will be Sunday with the Magic and Cavaliers facing off in Game 7 this afternoon (1 p.m., ESPN).
• 🏒 There was no other NHL action on Saturday, but PWHL Boston punched its ticket to the league’s first postseason with a win over Montreal after — get this — blowing a 3-0 lead in the third period. Is it something in the water around here?
• 🏒 The Hurricanes and Rangers will open their second-round series Sunday afternoon, before the Stars and Bruce Cassidy’s Golden Knights play a Game 7 of their own down in Dallas.

Up next: The Bruins will open the second round on the road in Florida on Monday, with another late puck drop set for 8 p.m. on ESPN. The Celtics will host, uh, somebody, probably, on Tuesday night for Game 1 at TD Garden. That one is set for 7 p.m. on TNT.

In the know: Conor Ryan on the Bruins’ Game 7 thriller

Amin: What a finish to a rollercoaster of a series. What was it like in the building through the third period and overtime?

Conor: Man, did the Bruins (and their collective fanbase) need a win like that. That might have been the loudest I’ve heard the Garden in years, especially right out of the gate with Patrice Bergeron serving as fan banner captain. But there was some nervous energy percolating throughout the building as the minutes ticked away.

It’s only natural for Bruins fans to assume the worst – especially with other crushing results on home ice (2019 vs. St. Louis, 2023 vs. Florida) still fresh in their memory. But Hampus Lindholm’s equalizer sparked the crowd once again and the decibel meter really didn’t dip after that.

A win like this is huge for a fanbase worried if this team was mired in first-round purgatory, and the elation that followed after David Pastrnak tucked the puck past Samsonov reflected that. An all-timer on Causeway Street.

Amin: It’s a short turnaround for the Bruins as they head to Florida for Game 1 of the second round on Monday. How much better do they need to be to have a shot against the Panthers?

Conor: Congrats on beating the Maple Leafs, Bruins! Now go catch a flight Sunday afternoon to play what might be the best team in the NHL. They didn’t clinch the Presidents’ Trophy, but the Florida Panthers are a battle-tested team loaded with depth, skill, and a style of play that is seemingly built for playoff hockey.

Beyond needing their netminders to be stellar once again, the Bruins desperately need a few of their top forwards to start landing punches in this next round — headlined by Charlie Coyle (zero points at 5-on-5 play) and Pavel Zacha (two points over seven games).

What’s good?

Need something to watch with the Bruins and Celtics both off on Sunday night? We’ve got you covered.

You might want to clear your schedule for 8 p.m. EDT, because there’s one thing everyone will be talking about tomorrow: The roast of Tom Brady.

Yes, that’s right. The former Patriots quarterback, owner of seven Super Bowl rings and some stunningly defined cheekbones, is offering himself up to the comedy gods at the Netflix is a Joke Festival in Los Angeles.

”G.R.O.A.T. The Greatest Roast Of All Time: Tom Brady” is airing live on Netflix tonight, and will be available for streaming after. Kevin Hart is hosting and Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, Drew Bledsoe, and Randy Moss are expected to participate. But I’m most looking forward to the appearance of Bill Belichick, who is reportedly set to dish out a few zingers. Bring ‘em on, coach.

I know it’s not about the Bruins or Celtics. But if you watch, let me know what you think at gardenparty@globe.com. — Katie McInerney

Does your business have something exciting happening for the playoffs? Email us at gardenparty@globe.com 🎉

For the group chat

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I’m not even really sure what we were stressed about. Do you know how hard it is to out-choke the Maple Leafs?

The fallout on the other side of this series has been, to be honest, very funny. Let’s put Toronto’s playoff futility in perspective, with some numbers courtesy of @LeafsIastCup on Twitter (I’m not calling it the other thing):

The Maple Leafs last won the Stanley Cup 20,823 days ago. They did so in the same year Carl Yastrzemski won the Triple Crown and the Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl I.

Toronto last beat Boston in the playoffs 23,770 days ago, when Dwight D. Eisenhower was president and Dan Shaughnessy was starting kindergarten.

After scraping back from a 3-1 deficit to force a Game 7, with Auston Matthews returning, some Leafs fans thought it might be different this year. It was not.

You see: The Bruins merely adopted the choke. The Maple Leafs were born in it. Molded by it.

Go deeper

Tara Sullivan: David Pastrnak answered coach Jim Montgomery’s challenge, and saved the Bruins’ season in the process

Sliding near the net, puck on his stick, David Pastrnak did what David Pastrnak does. A slick move, a nifty shot, and a goal. The man they call Pasta saved the Bruins season. He might just have saved himself, too.

Kevin Paul Dupont’s observations from Game 7

Simple is often best. Simple on Saturday night advanced the Bruins to Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly had the last swipe at David Pastrnak, but his reach wasn’t long enough, and the simple, straight-ahead, Hockey 101 play helped the Bruins escape what would have been an agonizing summer had they lost again in Round 1 after holding a 3-1 series lead.

Kristaps Porzingis ‘expecting to recover at a historic rate’

When Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis felt his right calf muscle pop during last Monday’s Game 4 victory over the Heat, he feared the worst. So he was relieved when an evaluation revealed he had suffered just a strain, ensuring that his quest for a first NBA title could likely resume at some point. But he acknowledged Saturday that he does not expect the process to be particularly swift or easy.

Amin Touri can be reached at amin.touri@globe.com.