TORONTO – Austin Matthews broke the tie in the third period and the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 in match 5 of the first round of the Eastern Conference of Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday.
Maple Leafs led 3-2 in the series, pushing the two-time Stanley Cup defenders to the brink of elimination. Game 6 of the best of-7 series is in Tampa Bay on Thursday.
“That felt good,” Matthews said. “Only the audience, the energy, there is nothing like the atmosphere of the playoffs, especially here in Toronto. It was quite special. It was a great victory for us, but there is still work to be done. It’s a good night, just to fight with two goals, never lose hope and just compete, but as I said, the job is not done. “
Mitchell Marner shot 2-on-1, which led to a rebound in the slot, which Matthews led past goalkeeper Andrei Vassilevski for a 13:54 lead over the third for the Maple Leafs, who were 2-0 behind after the first period.
Video: TBL @ TOR, Gm5: Matthews takes the lead in a 2 on 1 rush again
William Nilander scored a goal and two assists, John Tavares scored a goal and an assist, and Jack Campbell made 32 saves for Toronto, ranked No. 2 in the Atlantic Division.
Stephen Stamkos and Victor Hedman scored, Nikita Kucherov made two assists and Vassilevski made 21 saves for Tampa Bay, ranked No. 3 in the Atlantic.
The lightning is 16-0 since the start of the playoffs for the Stanley Cup 2020 after a loss.
“We’re here to win the series,” said Tampa Bay coach John Cooper. “We lost a game tonight; we let this one slip, that’s up to us. But we didn’t let the series slip; we let one game slip, so you watch it like that. Play game by game.”
[RELATED: Complete Maple Leafs vs. Lightning series coverage]
Stamkos led Lightning 1-0 5:19 in the game when he fired from the slot past Campbell’s blocker.
Headman made it 2-0 at 6:11 when he took a pass from Kucherov and shot from the high slot in the power play.
Toronto interrupted a 30-second 5-on-3 game beginning at 11:17 a.m. when Mark Giordano was given a small penalty for a cross-check with Nylander, who was already in the penalty area.
Lightning beat Maple Leafs 14-4 in the first period.
“We knew they would insist and you have to give them credit,” Stamkos said. “It was a great start for us, the start we wanted. Usually it’s one of those bad omens, when you get an extended 5 on 3 score and you don’t score, I always say it’s the rule. Due to the lack of looks, we had an amazing look and that could have made the match look early, rising 3-0, so I was disappointed that we didn’t perform. We just sat down too much and backed away from our game plan. “
Video: TBL @ TOR, Gm5: Stamkos scored the 2nd goal in 2 matches
Tavares reduced the lead to 2-1 at 3:35 of the second period when he deflected a shot into the Nylander slot in a power play.
Campbell stopped Nicholas Paul in the break at 15:18 to keep the score 2-1.
“He kept us in the game,” Nylander said. “I mean, he’s been doing this all year. It’s amazing to see him make a huge save, whatever the outcome. I think he was amazing and we just have to help him in the next game.”
Maple Leafs scored twice at 1:13 in the third period to take the lead, with each goal coming in 4-on-4.
Morgan Riley tied 2-2 at 3:01 when he made a one-time pass to Tavares on the right hash.
Nylander led Toronto 3-2 at 4:14 when he took a pass from Ilya Mikheev and shot past Vassilevski’s glove from the left straight point.
“We’re not actually making them win it, we’re giving it to them,” Cooper said.
Video: TBL @ TOR, Gm5: Rielly, Nylander give Maple Leafs leadership
Ryan McDonagh tied 3-3 at 8:17 when he made a one-time pass to Ross Colton from the left hash mark over Campbell’s blocker.
“This is the best team in the NHL in the third period in terms of not giving up much and defending their lead and they certainly know how to win,” said Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe. “We got some ice at 4-on-4 and it was a great game by John against (Riley), a great game by (Mikheev) against (Nylander) and an incredible shot and suddenly you have the lead.
“We gave it back to them, but then another big game of Mitch and Austin connecting there. This is what you are looking for in key moments, a great game like this, you need the best people to step up and make a difference and they certainly did. And Jack Campbell was probably the key to this whole thing here today. He kept them in two for a long time and gave us a chance to come back. “
NOTES: Maple Leafs won a few goals in the playoffs against defending Stanley Cup champions for the second time in their history, following their victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4 of the 1945 semifinals.… Toronto has not won a playoff series since 2004, losing six consecutive series. … Matthews scored his fifth winning goal in the playoffs.
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