BOSTON — — Toronto did not have its largest scoring risk on the ice for a must-win matchup with Boston.
However the Maple Leafs did simply sufficient to place the Bruins’ newest playoff lead in jeopardy.
Matthew Knies scored lower than three minutes into time beyond regulation off a feed from John Tavares and Toronto beat Boston 2-1 on Tuesday night time to stave off elimination of their first-round playoff matchup.
Jake McCabe added a aim and Joseph Woll completed with 28 saves to assist Toronto minimize Boston’s lead within the sequence to 3-2. Sport 6 is about for Thursday in Toronto.
Knies stated Tavares’ means to combat off Bruins defenders and preserve the puck alive in entrance of the web put him within the spot to place the sport away.
“I type of simply discovered my stick and was lucky to bury that one and ship us again dwelling,” Knies stated.
Ilya Lyubushkin, Max Domi, Mitch Marner had assists for the Maple Leafs, who outshot the Bruins 33-28.
Trent Frederic scored for Boston, which will probably be attempting to keep away from some déjà vu after surrendering a 3-1 sequence lead within the first spherical final season to the Florida Panthers. Jeremy Swayman completed with 31 saves.
“They got here they usually left all of it on the market,” Bruins captain Brad Marchand stated. “We must be higher. That is all it’s.”
The Maple Leafs performed with out star Auston Matthews, who sat out with an unspecified sickness after making solely a quick look within the workforce’s morning skate Tuesday.
Matthews had an NHL-leading 69 objectives within the common season and the winner in Sport 2 however managed solely 4 photographs mixed in Toronto’s losses in Video games 3 and 4.
However Toronto stayed in assault mode with out him.
“The aggression, the assertiveness that we performed from the beginning. We didn’t really feel sorry for ourselves,” coach Sheldon Keefe stated. “We didn’t mail it in. We went out and tried to take cost of the hockey sport within the first interval.”
With the sport tied at 1-1 within the third, Toronto had an opportunity to go in entrance with 5:05 remaining after Domi broke free with Tyler Bertuzzi for a two-on-one break. Domi handed to Bertuzzi who fired towards the appropriate nook of the web, however Swayman gloved it.
The warmth between the Atlantic Division rivals was on show with 22.1 seconds left within the second interval.
Knies tried a wraparound shot that Swayman pounced on. However a scrum ensued in entrance of the web, leaving our bodies piled up.
It led to some face-to-face exchanges and shoving by a number of gamers earlier than it was damaged up by referees.
When it was over, Toronto’s Joel Edmundson, and Boston’s Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle had been all referred to as for roughing. Coyle was despatched to the penalty field.
Toronto outshot Boston 12-2 and gained 16 of 20 faceoffs within the first interval. The Maple Leafs pounced on the Bruins’ sluggish begin and bought on the scoreboard first.
Domi gained a faceoff with Frederic within the Boston defensive zone and shuffled the puck to Marner. He flipped it to McCabe, who fired it previous Swayman from up excessive close to the blue line to put Toronto in entrance 1-0 simply over 5 minutes into the opening interval.
Frederic made up for it.
Boston’s Jesper Boqvist forechecked Simon Benoit laborious behind Toronto’s aim, making Boqvist fling the puck wildly off Pat Maroon and in entrance of the web. Frederic was there, gathered the puck and pushed it previous Woll to tie the sport. It was his third aim of the sequence.
“As troublesome as this one was right here tonight, the subsequent one goes to be be even tougher. Regardless of the place the sport is performed,” Keefe stated.
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This story has been modified to appropriate the primary title of Toronto participant McCabe’s title to Jake as an alternative of Jack.
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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
