Maple Leafs 2-1 Bruins (Apr 30, 2024) Game Recap

BOSTON — — Toronto did not have its largest scoring menace 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 extra time off a feed from John Tavares and Toronto beat Boston 2-1 on Tuesday evening 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 reduce Boston’s lead within the sequence to 3-2. Recreation 6 is about for Thursday in Toronto.

Knies mentioned Tavares’ means to combat off Bruins defenders and preserve the puck alive in entrance of the online 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 house,” Knies mentioned.

Ilya Lyubushkin, Max Domi, Mitch Marner had assists for the Maple Leafs, who outshot the Bruins 33-28.

Trent Frederic scored for Boston, which shall be making an attempt 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 and so they left all of it on the market,” Bruins captain Brad Marchand mentioned. “We should 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 group’s morning skate Tuesday.

Matthews had an NHL-leading 69 targets within the common season and the winner in Recreation 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 mentioned. “We didn’t mail it in. We went out and tried to take cost of the hockey recreation 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 online, 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 online, 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 known 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’ gradual begin and acquired 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 front 1-0 simply over 5 minutes into the opening interval.

Frederic made up for it.

Boston’s Jesper Boqvist forechecked Simon Benoit exhausting behind Toronto’s aim, making Boqvist fling the puck wildly off Pat Maroon and in entrance of the online. Frederic was there, gathered the puck and pushed it previous Woll to tie the sport. It was his third aim of the sequence.

“As tough as this one was right here tonight, the subsequent one goes to be be even tougher. Irrespective of the place the sport is performed,” Keefe mentioned.

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This story has been modified to appropriate the primary identify of Toronto participant McCabe’s identify to Jake as a substitute of Jack.

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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl