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The Maple Leafs are on the cusp of including a major chapter to their storybook 12 months.
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After setting franchise data for wins and factors throughout the common season, the Leafs are one win away from advancing to the second spherical of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the primary time since 2004.
That’s the truth within the best-of-seven sequence in opposition to the Tampa Bay Lightning after the Leafs recovered with a terrific effort to take Recreation 5 on Tuesday evening, successful 4-3.
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With a 3-2 lead within the sequence, the Leafs can transfer on with a victory in Recreation 6 on Thursday in Tampa. If not, Recreation 7 goes on Saturday evening in Toronto.
The duo that has propelled the Leafs from October onward — Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner — attached for the winner at 13:54 of the third.
A Marner rebound off a 2-on-1 was buried by Matthews, sending the Scotiabank Area crowd right into a frenzy.
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“That felt good,” Matthews stated. “The gang, the vitality, there’s nothing just like the playoff ambiance, particularly right here.
“It was fairly particular. It’s an enormous one for us, however there’s nonetheless some work to be accomplished. It’s an enormous evening to battle again down two targets, by no means dropping hope and simply competing.”
Mentioned captain John Tavares: “It was a hell of a hockey sport, a hell of an environment.”
The 2-time Cup champion Lightning couldn’t get one other puck previous Jack Campbell, who had a powerful efficiency with 32 saves. A sprawling cease on Nikita Kucherov when the sport was tied 3-3 was his greatest of the evening.
Down 2-1 to begin the third interval, the Leafs didn’t let up from the place they completed the second.
Wonderful stick work by Tavares throughout four-on-four play allowed Morgan Rielly to search out open area and hammer a Tavares go previous Andrei Vasilevskiy at 3:01.
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Because the tying aim by Rielly was being introduced, the group erupted once more when William Nylander — who shone all through the sport and had three factors —took a go from Ilya Mikheyev and ripped a shot previous Vasilevskiy at 4:14.
Remarkably, that aim represented the primary lead change within the sequence.
Toronto’s 3-2 lead didn’t final. At 8:17, Ryan McDonagh blasted a shot previous Campbell.
Not solely have been the Leafs quite a few strides sharper within the second interval than they have been within the first, Tavares put his identify within the aim column on the scoresheet after recording simply two assists via 4 video games.
“I’m not going to chop corners and cheat for offence,” Tavares stated. “I perceive the sport I must play. I might have preferred some higher appears in among the different video games, however I nonetheless felt good about some sure issues and a few habits. It was good to contribute.”
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At 3:35 of the second, a shot by Nylander deflected off Tavares and previous Vasilevskiy. The facility-play aim ignited the Leafs to hold the tempo for the rest of the interval.
They buzzed round Vasilevskiy, who made 13 saves within the interval. Toronto performed with the type of willpower they need to have had from the sport’s opening faceoff, and the type they’ll want from the preliminary puck drop in Recreation 6.
After the primary 4 video games of the sequence have been slowed down by a run of penalties on each side, we lastly bought a peek on the depth that five-on-five hockey can deliver within the playoffs.
Campbell was stellar within the second, making 9 saves. Greater than as soon as, Tampa ahead Nick Paul skated away in frustration following a troublesome Campbell cease.
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Each Tavares and Matthews stated that passionate phrases from veteran Jason Spezza within the first intermission helped change the course of the sport.
“Spezz bought everyone within the room and stated some stuff,” Matthews stated. “The principle message was that was not our greatest interval and we bought to get again on the market and compete.”
The primary interval couldn’t have gone a lot worse for the Leafs, as they have been outshot 14-4 and trailed 2-0 when it was completed.
It wasn’t a great take care of the Leafs have been crushed in Recreation 4.
Not lengthy after a Toronto energy play ended, Steven Stamkos gave the guests a 1-0 lead when he beat Campbell at 5:19. It was 2-0 at 6:11 on a Tampa energy play when Victor Hedman’s well-placed bought previous a screened Campbell.
Just like the Leafs finally put the Recreation 4 loss behind them, they know the Lightning in Recreation 6 will attempt to overlook its Recreation 5 collapse.
“They’re back-to-back champs and they’re going to come out flying,” Nylander stated. “We now have to be ready.”
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