Leafs might be catching Bruins at just the right time

If you could look up NHL agitator in the dictionary, Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins would be the first example.

But the Maple Leafs’ Michael Bunting has worked his way into the conversation.

On Wednesday night, Bunting and Marchand will square off at Scotiabank Arena when the Leafs host the runaway leaders in the Atlantic Division and the NHL’s overall standings.

Toronto’s chances of catching Boston appear slim with an 11-point gap. But the Bruins, with just seven regulation losses all season, will arrive having lost three consecutive games, two of those in regulation time.

“They’re on an incredible pace and they’ll be hard to catch … but that’s what we’re going to try and do,” said Leafs forward William Nylander, named the NHL’s second star of the week after racking up four goals and three assists in four games.

The 31-12-8 Leafs held an optional skills practice Monday and will dig in for a hard practice Tuesday before their last game ahead of the NHL all-star break. Their next game after that won’t be until Feb. 10 against the Blue Jackets in Columbus.

Marchand, who praised Bunting’s play last season when the Leaf was a finalist for rookie of the year, returned ahead of schedule from off-season hip surgery and has helped pace the Bruins’ Perfection Line with Patrice Bergeron and, most games, David Pastrnak — although Taylor Hall has also made appearances there of late.

However they line up Wednesday, they’ll be riding a league-best 38-7-5 record and could be on course for one of the top five seasons in NHL history.

“There’s lots of excitement,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said about facing Boston, and trying to enter the all-star break on a high note. “It’s a great challenge … We’re a group that has been good through 40 games, but we’re expecting a tough game for sure.

“They’ve been the most consistent team in the NHL by far, and that’s because they believe in what they are doing, and they go out and do it every game. Our job is to try and keep pace and apply pressure on them (in the standings), but we’re also in a similar situation, with Tampa and Buffalo in pursuit of us.”

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