Boston Bruins 2, Toronto Maple Leafs 1 FINAL

TORONTO (AP) _ Travis Green thoroughly enjoyed beating his former team.

Green, waived by the Maple Leafs in October, scored twice as the Boston Bruins clinched a playoff spot with a 2-1 victory over Toronto on Tuesday night.

``I'd be lying if I said it doesn't feel good to come back and get the win,'' Green said.

Green, who scored the go-ahead goal with 7:29 left in the third, said he felt betrayed by the Maple Leafs.

``I thought I'd given this team a lot during the two years I was here,'' Green said.

In his initial return to Toronto on March 2, Green thought he played he played with too emotion.

``The emotion got the better of me, he said. ``I wasted a lot of energy trying to get some hits. I felt a lot better coming back the second time.''

Green had two power-play goals for the Bruins, who have won four straight.

Boston, unbeaten in six games (5-0-1), moved three points ahead of Toronto for first place in the Northeast Division. The Bruins joined Tampa Bay and Philadelphia as teams that have secured postseason berths in the Eastern Conference.

``It's a big two points. It's going to be tight until the last game of the season,'' Green said.

Boston went 2-for-5 on the power play, and the Maple Leafs went 1-for-6. Green couldn't remember the last time he played on the power play.

``It was a nice change,'' he said.

Toronto's Ed Belfour made 27 saves. Andrew Raycroft stopped 22 shots for the Bruins.

Raycroft was happy to see Green haunt his former team.

``It's a good story. It's fun to see guys come in and take it to their old mates,'' Raycroft said. ``It's nice to see Green get on the board, too. He's had a lot of chances lately.''

Joe Nieuwendyk scored for the Maple Leafs, who have lost four of six.

Nieuwendyk gave Toronto a 1-0 lead with a wrist shot from the circle at 7:00 of the first.

Green streaked toward the net and made it 1-1 on the power play at 6:08 of the second. He gave Boston the lead by putting a rebound past Belfour as Green was being checked to the ice.

Toronto defenseman Brian Leetch saved a goal by making a stick save in the second, and Boston's Jiri Slegr hit the post with a shot in the second.

The Maple Leafs pulled Belfour for an extra skater, but couldn't score with an extra attacker in the final 30 seconds.

``We had one team play as if it was the playoffs,'' Toronto coach Pat Quinn said.