Game 5 takeaways: Leafs avoid elimination with OT win vs. Bruins
Game 5 takeaways: Leafs avoid elimination with OT win vs. Bruins originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
BOSTON — The Toronto Maple Leafs have new life in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Despite not having their best player and the NHL’s leading goal scorer, Auston Matthews, for Game 5 of their first-round series versus the Boston Bruins, the Leafs showed impressive fight and resilience to earn a 2-1 overtime victory Tuesday at TD Garden and force a Game 6 back in Toronto.
Leafs forward Matthew Knies scored the winning goal just 2:26 into overtime.
The Bruins were in a very similar situation last year, too. They had a 3-1 series lead entering Game 5 at home against the Florida Panthers. They lost Game 5 in overtime, then lost the next two games as their season came to a surprising end. Boston has two more chances to avoid a repeat scenario, starting with Game 6 on Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena.
The Leafs need to end their six-game home playoff losing streak to force a decisive Game 7 on Saturday back in Boston. Before we look ahead to Thursday’s matchup, here are three takeaways from Bruins-Leafs Game 5.
Bruins lucky to be tied after first period
The Bruins had a very rough start to this game. They iced the puck multiple times over the first 10 minutes, including one resulting in a defensive zone faceoff that eventually led to the Leafs opening the scoring.
Mitch Marner got the puck after a faceoff win and fed it to Jake McCabe at the point. His shot beat Jeremy Swayman through traffic to put Toronto on top early.
Faceoffs were a massive issue for the Bruins in the first period. They lost 16 of 20 faceoffs in the frame, including an abysmal 4-of-14 in the defensive zone. The Leafs also had a 30-7 edge in shot attempts, a 12-2 lead in shots and a 9-2 advantage in scoring chances during the period. The ice was tilted pretty heavily in Toronto’s favor.
And yet, the Bruins went into the intermission even at one goal thanks to Trent Frederic. Jesper Boqvist and Pat…
