How the Maple Leafs won again to force Game 7: 3 takeaways

In Game 5, the Toronto Maple Leafs planted a seed of doubt in the Boston Bruins, whose 3-1 series lead fell to a 3-2 lead.

In Game 6 back in Toronto, the Leafs cultivated, fertilized and watered that seed to make the doubt grow.

And now, after a convincing but tense 2-1 win, the Leafs have forced a Game 7 back in Boston with yet another chance to exorcise their playoff demons. In the process, they brought to mind some of the Bruins’ demons of their own, having blown a 3-1 series lead against the Florida Panthers in the first round of last year’s playoffs. Game 6 showed more of the way the Leafs played in Game 5: Focused instead of tense, determined instead of deterred.

“Just following the wave,” Leafs defenceman Simon Benoit said. “When the wave is on your side, you just have to ride it.”

That wave gained momentum as the Leafs fed off arguably the best Scotiabank Arena crowd of the season.

“It was so loud in there, my voice was starting to go on me, just for line changes,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said.

What Keefe stressed – assuming his team heard him – was the need to keep things tight defensively. And while the Bruins mounted a push in the second period, the Leafs held their ground with stretches of their best defensive hockey of the series.

“(The Bruins) had some looks, but the way that we defended to deny anything clean to get to our net was tremendous,” Keefe said. “I challenged the group and talked to the group about, when your back is against the wall and you’re challenged the way we are and facing elimination, you’re going to be remembered one way or the other. So, how do you want that to be?”

The Leafs will at least be remembered for an edgy, low-event game. But two clutch goals from William Nylander – his first of the playoffs after missing the first three games of the series – and another outstanding performance from Joseph Woll in goal was enough for the Leafs to break their six-game home playoff losing streak.

William Nylander makes an impactAs the anxiety rose in a game deadlocked without a goal late in the second period, the typical calls from the Scotiabank Arena crowd to “Shoot!” reached a feverish pitch. And hey, if you’re Nylander, you know how important it is to be a great listener.

With a little more than a minute left in the second period, the Leafs had an offensive-zone draw and Keefe sent his two offensively-minded defencemen, Morgan Rielly and Timothy Liljegren, over the boards. It proved an effective move, as both blueliners got a touch on the puck before sending it to Nylander, who fired a wrist shot from distance on the goal.

You have to appreciate the simplicity of Nylander’s shot. There have been times throughout this series, especially on the power play, when the Leafs could be accused of being too cute with the puck on their stick in possession and waiting for the perfect opportunity to shoot. Nylander seemed to simply throw the playbook out the window and throw the puck at the net. It found its way through traffic and past Jeremy Swayman. Nylander isn’t the type to overthink, well, anything in his life, and his modus operandi held true on the Leafs opening goal.

This is the same Nylander who, again, wasn’t overthinking the game plan before Game 6:

“We got nothing to lose, we’re just f**king playing.”

William Nylander on facing elimination.

(🎥: @BR_OpenIce) pic.twitter.com/FZimOtOnOE

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 3, 2024

And “play” Nylander did, by then sealing the Leafs’ win with a sense of panache on a breakaway goal late in the third period.

“Big time stuff,” Keefe said of Nylander’s game. “That’s what you’re looking for from a player of his caliber.”

Full credit has to go to Matthew Knies for his behind-the-back pass to set up Nylander. Knies himself competed like a veteran all game and is growing into a dynamic, reliable playoff performer before our eyes.

“The sky’s the limit for a guy like (Knies). He’s a lot to handle out there. When he is playing like that, you can see how effective he is,” Keefe said.

Now, it should also be noted that the Leafs did get lucky seconds earlier when Pontus Holmberg wasn’t called for a penalty on what looked like a fairly clear hit from behind on Mason Lohrei.

Mason Lohrei hit from behind in front of the official.

No call. Maple Leafs scored after the next face-off. pic.twitter.com/f7tudZJw1O

— Evan Marinofsky (@EvanMarinofsky) May 3, 2024

​​​​Joseph Woll slams the doorAfter another impressive performance from Joseph Woll, who came into the series midway through Game 4, is it not worth wondering how different this series would look if Woll had been the starter from Game 1?

After Woll was one of the biggest stories in Game 5, the Leafs’ rookie goalie doubled down with an even more compelling showing in Game 6, stopping 22 of 23 shots.

The most notable takeaway from his performance was how little work he had in the first period, as the Bruins got just one shot on goal. In some cases, such a low amount of reps can threaten to derail a goalie mid-game.

Instead, Woll’s patience kept him in the first period, and his athleticism made him stand out in the second and third periods. He now owns a ridiculous save percentage of .964 through three appearances in this series.

Woll was at his best through a flurry of Bruins chances in the third period: He was forced to sprawl from side to side while on his stomach and make saves without his stick in an earlier sequence.

oh my goodness pic.twitter.com/bd0iImEchx

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) May 3, 2024

If you’re the Leafs’ skaters, how could you not feel more confident playing out of the defensive zone when Woll is as locked in as he was in Games 5 and 6?

“(Woll) hasn’t made any mistakes. So because of that, we’ve stayed in games. It’s given the group confidence. And we need that right now,” Keefe said.

Woll’s ability not to lose his cool in a nervous affair is yet another reminder that the Leafs’ goalie of the future has arrived in a big way. He wasn’t interested in any introspection postgame. Instead, he only wanted to look forward to Game 7.

“Very excited. (TD Garden) is a great building to play in. It’s going to be a great game,” Woll said.

Power play comes up empty. AgainWe’re running out of ways to describe how ineffective the Leafs’ power play continues to be in this series.

When David Pastrnak was assessed a double minor for high sticking in the second period, it felt, once again, like the Leafs might finally break through on the man advantage. Instead, both units looked as disorganized and hesitant as ever. Their puck movement was, at best, questionable, and their lack of urgency was notable. None of their offensively-minded players seem intent on playing to their strengths on the power play. After six minutes with the extra skater through two periods, the Leafs had mustered a measly six shots.

Make it 1-for-20 through six games. All series, the Leafs’ power play has seemed eerily reminiscent of a student sent in to take an important exam without having read a sentence of the syllabus.

Now, on one hand, you could argue that the Leafs are tied in the series, so at least they’re playing through their power-play struggles.

But in Game 7, the margins for error feel like they’re going to be that much slimmer. One power-play goal could end up being the difference. They’ll need to improve.

Leafs looking forward to Game 7Sitting at a podium with slicked-back hair and an equally slick-looking black suit, Nylander couldn’t help but smile with Game 7 less than 48 hours away in Boston.

The star forward was the only Leaf who found the ability to poke some humour at the Leafs situation and their history in Game 7s in Boston.

“It’s special,” Nylander said of playing in a Game 7. “I don’t know if we’ve won one yet. So we’re up to the test.”

Looking forward to Game 7, Nylander’s attitude permeated throughout the Leafs. This same Leafs team sounded defeated and looked dead in the water after Game 4. But after Game 6? It was hard not to pick up a sense of liberation. Even as the Leafs head to a building they’ve had such a difficult time winning in, they’re still playing with house money.

“In my mind, we just played two Game 7s,” Keefe said.

Maybe for once, not feeling like the end of the world is on the horizon could benefit the Leafs in a Game 7.

“In terms of what it feels like, it feels like what we’ve just gone through, where every single play matters,” Keefe said. “We expect it to be tight. Because at the end of the day, all we’ve earned is another game on the schedule.”

(Photo of William Nylander and Timothy Liljegren: Kevin Sousa / NHLI via Getty Images)