Rookies bring optimism to Leafs ahead of clash with Bruins

When the toronto maple leaves Needed a big play or big saves in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series against the Boston Bruins On Tuesday, two rookies showed up and sent the process home.

Matthew Knies scored early in overtime and Joseph Woll made 27 saves in a 2-1 win for the Maple Leafswho now look to turn things around and bring Boston to the brink of elimination when the teams meet for Game 6 on Thursday.

“That’s what you want to do, right? You want to create positive momentum in your own way. You want to make them uncomfortable,” Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said. “You want them to pack their bags and head to Toronto.”

Boston still leads the best-of-seven series 3-2. The visiting team has won each of the last four games, including the Bruins‘ sweep of Games 3 and 4.

The rookie heroics on Tuesday were even more important considering Auston Matthews was out of Toronto’s lineup due to illness. Matthews led the NHL with 69 goals during the regular season.

“Our urgency, I think our depth also (showed),” Knies said. “Woll played a great game, and the same with (Max Domi), who took on Auston’s role… I think everyone raised his level and had urgency, which helped us.”

Knies has continually elevated his game throughout the series, while Woll earned his first postseason start after previously relieving Ilya Samsonov in Game 4. Woll became the third goaltender in the last 10 years and only the second. Maple Leafs goaltender to record the first two playoff wins of his career in potential deciding games.

“He’s really been building this series,” Keefe said of Knies. “Game by game, he’s gotten better and better.”

Tuesday marked a missed opportunity from Boston’s perspective, as the Bruins They failed to close out a series in five home games for the second straight season.

The past is the past, but the Florida Panthers came back from a 3-1 series deficit to eliminate the Bruins in a seven-game first-round series last year.

Boston was outshot 33-28 in Tuesday’s game, but Toronto’s 11-2 shooting advantage in the first period presented a clearer picture of how the contest played out.

“It’s hard to say that anyone was close to an offensive breakthrough.” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. “Our team play (on Tuesday) was not up to par, it was not up to our level.”

In the eyes of Boston captain Brad Marchand, the slow start made the difference. But now it’s on to the next game.

“We needed to be better than we were,” Marchand said. “It’s that simple. They were ready to play and start the game, and we weren’t. Unfortunately, we never got around to it the whole game.”

Montgomery hopes that BruinsThe previous success in Toronto carries over to Thursday’s meeting. Boston also beat the Maple Leafs on their home ice twice during the regular season.

“We played two really good games there,” Montgomery said. “There’s a bit of a mentality that we have to bring our own juice, we have to depend on each other.”

—Media at field level