Call it a throwback night at the TD Garden. The 39-year-old Brian Rolston had four points (the first time he's put up a four-spot in a Bruins uniform since Feb. 23, 2003), Milan Lucic put a major beatdown on Mike Komisarek, and the B's hung an eight-spot on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Yeah, quite a night indeed. But you had a feeling that'd be the case when the Leafs had as many shots as the Bruins had goals after 40 minutes of play, didn't you?

Toronto goaltender James Reimer's night got off to a terrible start when Chris Kelly scored his 18th goal of the season just 145 seconds in the game, and it didn't get any easier for the 24-year-old in the crease. Reimer, who entered played with a .971 save-percentage in his last two starts, found himself yanked after just nine shots thanks to additional B's goals from Gregory Campbell, Benoit Pouliot, and even a power-play marker from Boston agitator Brad Marchand.

"It was embarrassing," Mike Komisarek said about the team's start that left 'em in a four-goal hole after 20 minutes. "No excuse, and it’s unacceptable to come out like that."

However, the switch to Jonas Gustavsson would bring anything but relief to the Leafs, surrendering another three goals in the second period.

Beginning with Pouliot's second of the night, a Zdeno Chara power-play slapper (good for his 10th of the year), and a Rolston cherry-on-top with 35 seconds left in the period, the Bruins finished the opening two frames with seven goals. The Leafs? Seven shots, and zero goals.

Adding an eighth with Tyler Seguin's late third period marker, the "Thank You, Kessel's" chant would be the closing credits in the Hub as the Bruins left the ice as winners in two straight.

Needing to stop just 13 pucks on the night, despite the game being well in hand, Thomas didn't mind sticking around for his fifth shutout of the season. "Oh no, I was getting rest out there wasn’t I?" Thomas quipped when asked about sitting out the third period to get his 37-year-old bones some rest.

Finishing the year with a season series sweep of the Leafs -- going 6-0-0 against Toronto and outscoring them a devastating 36 to 10 -- the Bruins knew the importance of setting the tone before their cross-country trek to California for three battles with the Golden State's bubble teams.

"Obviously going out west is no easy feat," Kelly told reporters after the win, pushing the Bruins to 16-0-0 this year when he scores a goal. "I thought we handled ourselves well against Philly and again tonight so hopefully it’s a stepping stone in the right direction and we can have a good practice tomorrow and build on those two games."

By the numbers...

10 - Tens across the board tonight for the Pouliot-Kelly-Rolston line. They finished the night four goals and six assists for ten points, and a plus-10 rating.

3 - Leafs skaters that finished the night without a minus rating. Colby Armstrong, Matt Lombardi, and Jay Rosehill were the three.

.556 - Reimer's save percentage on the night. Holy Toledo is that bad.

Ty's Take: The Phil Kessel vs. Tyler Seguin Battle Isn't Even Close

Well, another year of the famous Phil Kessel vs. Tyler Seguin battle drew to a close tonight.

Whether you want to talk about it or not, through 12 games, this one has been a landslide victory for Seguin and the B's. In 12 career games against the Leafs, the 20-year-old Seguin has eight goals and five assists while the enigmatic Kessel has tallied just three goals and boasts a putrid minus-18 in 18 career games against the B's.

Crazy to think that the Bruins have two more pieces likely on the way next year with the expected jump to the pros for both Jared Knight and the rapidly progressing Dougie Hamilton.

Up next

The Bruins pack their bags and head out to San Jose to kick off a three-game road swing that sees 'em play all three California clubs. The Bruins lost to the Sharks earlier this year, and will face a terrible 10:30PM start for all you back in the Hub. Get your Red Bulls.

Follow me on Twitter, shoot me an email at [email protected], or become Facebook friends with the HockeyBuzz Bruins profile for links, interactions, and updates.


*********

KINDLE USERS: Please subscribe to Bruins Buzz; a one-stop feed for all things Bruins related on HockeyBuzz. For more information, click here.