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The talking points surrounding the Maple Leafs ahead of their crucial Game 3 match-up with the Boston Bruins on Monday focused on Toronto needing to stop giving up so many penalties, needing to get better play from goaltender Frederik Andersen, and needing young star Auston Matthews to snap out of his playoff drought.
All three needs were addressed on Monday as Toronto looked convincing in a 4-2 victory at Air Canada Centre.
The Bruins had run all over the Maple Leafs in Games 1 and 2 in Boston, benefiting from a feeble Toronto penalty kill and some shaky netminding from Andersen. With the series shifting to Toronto for Game 3, it was obvious where the Leafs' overall play could be improved, but the lingering question was whether the team could do so in the face of a 2-0 series hole.
MORE: Maple Leafs turn to veterans in crucial Game 3 victory over Bruins
Led by a pair of goals by Patrick Marleau, an opportunistic tally by James van Riemsdyk, and a game-winner from a charged up Matthews, Toronto answered the critics for at least one night.
However, it was the play of netminder Andersen that really stood out, as he turned away 40 of 42 Boston shots and came up huge at times when it appeared that the momentum was shifting in the Bruins' favour. The 28-year-old had some shaky moments, most notably on Zdeno Chara's second-period goal from a near-impossible angle that knotted the game at 2-2, but his work in the third period kept his team in front while the Leafs searched for an insurance marker.
Most notably, Andersen made an incredible stick save with just over two minutes remaining after the Bruins had pulled their own goaltender to bring on an extra attacker.
Andersen's stop kept a surefire goal off the scoreboard, and all but sealed Toronto's first win in the 2017-18 postseason.
The Maple Leafs will have a shot at tying up the series on Thursday, when the two teams meet for Game 4 in Toronto.
Sporting News provided live updates of the action on Monday night. Check out the by-the-minute updates below:
Maple Leafs 4, Bruins 2
Third Period
0:00 - The horn sounds, and this one is over! Toronto claims the much-needed Game 3 victory and the series is now 2-1 for the Bruins.
0:43.3 - Boston takes a timeout. The Bruins need two, and they've had plenty of opportunities all night so nothing is decided yet.
2:14 - What a save by Andersen!
Frederik Andersen are you kidding me pic.twitter.com/epcDpGYHHR — Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) April 17, 2018
2:33 - Rask vacates the Boston net and the Bruins will play with the extra attacker.
3:35 - TORONTO SCORES! Marleau drive in from the red line and puts a shot underneath Rask's glove. The Leafs' veteran did well to freeze Boston's goalie before the shot. 4-2 Toronto.
5:57 - Leafs are doing well to keep the Bruins from building up too much sustained pressure. Lots of nervous moments ahead for the Air Canada Centre faithful.
8:41 - McQuaid takes a puck to the neck and is slow to get up. Ouch!
Adam McQuaid is slow to get up after taking a James van Riemsdyk shot up high pic.twitter.com/UOJE7rpMzb — Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) April 17, 2018
10:12 - Toronto comes close to doubling its lead, but van Riemsdyk can't get to the loos puck in front of the Boston net. This game is being played on a knife's edge right now, but it's highly entertaining.
The intensity level here is... high. Incredible pace. — James Mirtle (@mirtle) April 17, 2018
13:20 - Looks like Johnsson is OK.
Johnsson is back. — Dave McCarthy (@DaveAMcCarthy) April 17, 2018
17:34 - Marleau steps out of the penalty box and the Leafs have survived the Boston power play.
18:42 - Johnsson is slow to get up after getting tangled up with Marchand.
Brad Marchand / Andreas Johnsson collision; Johnsson is hurt and heads to the room. Broadcast described it as knee to ankle. pic.twitter.com/JP2xB2tzeP — Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) April 17, 2018
Andreas Johnsson straight to the dressing room. He grabbed at his left leg after getting taken down by Brad Marchand. — Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) April 17, 2018
19:34 - Toronto penalty. Marleau upends Marchand in front of the Leafs' net and he heads to the box on a hooking call.
20:00 - And we're back for (possibly) the final 20 minutes.
Second Period
0:00 - And that's that for the period. Toronto leads 3-2.
0:01.2 - The puck goes over the boards after the horn sounded, but the officials determined that there was still time left to play.
4:45 - The crowd is firmly behind Matthews.
At the ACC, they're chanting ...
Auston Matthews 👏🏻
Auston Matthews 👏🏻 — Mark Masters (@markhmasters) April 17, 2018
5:13 - TORONTO SCORES! Auston Matthews finally gets on the board in the series with a nice wrister over Rask. Toronto leads 3-2.
7:39 - DING! Kapanen breaks free along the right side and wires a wrist shot off the far post.
Kasperi Kapanen came this close to regaining Toronto's lead, but it remains 2-2 pic.twitter.com/VG12sLxS2S — Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) April 17, 2018
10:02 - Chara is putting in work in this period.
Zach Hyman is hobbling after blocking a Zdeno Chara slapper with his skate pic.twitter.com/wixhie9zJB — Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) April 17, 2018
13:42 - BOSTON SCORES! The floodgates have opened now. Chara pots one off Andersen's back, and it's all even. 2-2 game.
Chara finds daylight to tie the game 2-2. pic.twitter.com/wALFxCpNFv — NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) April 17, 2018
16:11 - TORONTO SCORES! The Leafs retake the lead after Marleau taps in a nice pass from Marner. 2-1 Toronto.
Mitch Marner to Patrick Marleau and the Leafs re-gain the lead in Game 3, 2-1. What a breakout pass off the boards by Morgan Rielly to make this all start, though pic.twitter.com/4dAcTwUXfX — Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) April 17, 2018
Patrick Marleau's 69th playoff goal ... but the first assisted by Mitch Marner ...
The 38-year-old suiting up in his 180th NHL postseason game — Mark Masters (@markhmasters) April 17, 2018
16:54 - BOSTON SCORES! It's a tie game after McQuaid's low drive squeaks past Andersen. 1-1 game.
Adam McQuaid scores to tie Game 3 at 1-1 pic.twitter.com/5uVf6Xdo68 — Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) April 17, 2018
18:30 - Andersen makes a huge save on Krejci after a Leafs turnover. That seemed to be a surefire goal for the Bruins.
20:00 - And we're back!
First period
0:00 - The period comes to a close with Toronto up 1-0. To say that was the best period of the series for the Maple Leafs is an understatement.
2:00 - That's one streak the Leafs will be happy to see over with.
The #leafs went 137 minutes, 5 seconds of this series before getting their first lead. Bozak, Rielly get assists on the JVR pp goal. Toronto 1, #bruins 0. #tmltalk — Mike Zeisberger (@Zeisberger) April 16, 2018
2:55 - TORONTO SCORES! The Leafs waste little time in taking advantage of the power play. Van Riemsdyk scores seven seconds after the penalty call. Toronto leads 1-0.
. @JVReemer21 gives the Leafs the lead on the PP. pic.twitter.com/h1p1J7e1Qo — NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) April 16, 2018
3:02 - The game's first penalty goes to the Bruins. Riley Nash lifts the puck over the boards and it's a delay of game.
3:28 - Kapanen gets free on the right wing and flies down the ice. Rask comes up big in stopping the breakaway.
3:51 - Not a whole lot separating these teams right now. The pace has slowed down, significantly.
7:25 - Brad Marchand gets upended in the middle of the ice and the crowd absolutely loves it. It's fair to say the Bruins' forward is not will liked at the Air Canada Centre.
Biggest cheer of the night: Zach Hyman hitting Brad Marchand like he was a wide receiver coming across the middle — Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) April 16, 2018
7:40 - Best save of the night so far, by Rask.
7:52 - This game is flying by. No penalties to either team yet, either.
11:04 - The Bruins are having lots of success going right down the middle of the ice. It's something Toronto will need to adjust, or eventually pay the consequences.
Leafs may want to stop the pizza delivery across the middle, but otherwise — Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) April 16, 2018
11:40 - Boston registers its second shot of the night. The Leafs have six.
14:00 - Seems like a good strategy...
If the #Leafs can just make better decisions with the puck more frequently, this game might turn out in their favour — Kristen Shilton (@kristen_shilton) April 16, 2018
17:00 - A lively, but nervy, start for the home team.
Leafs are playing actual hockey. This is good. — Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) April 16, 2018
20:00 - And we're underway!
Pre-game
7:07 p.m. - This is a pretty good rendition of the anthem.
Turn your sound on and listen to Air Canada Centre belt out 'O Canada' #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/neM1wgvbq6 — NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) April 16, 2018
7:05 p.m. - A loud "Go Leafs Go" chant greets the players as they take the ice ahead of puck drop.
6:50 p.m. - And here are the lineups...
#NHLBruins line rushes:
Marchand – Bergeron – Pastrnak
DeBrusk – Krejci – Rick Nash
Heinen – Riley Nash – Backes
Schaller – Kuraly – Acciari
Chara – McAvoy
Krug – Miller
Holden – McQuaid
Matt Grzelcyk not on the ice for warmups. — Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 16, 2018
Leafs lines in warm-up
Hyman-Matthews-Nylander
Marleau-Plekanec-Marner
JvR-Bozak-Brown
Johnsson-Moore*-Kapanen
Rielly-Hainsey
Gardiner-Zaitsev
Dermott-Polak
Andersen starts
McElhinney
* 1st game since March 30 (5:31 TOI v NYI) — Mark Masters (@markhmasters) April 16, 2018
6:41 p.m. - One of the coolest fan experiences in North American sport is unfortunately closed due to the terrible weather in Toronto. The NBA's Raptors had to close it over the weekend, as well.
Due to dangerous conditions following the ice storm in Toronto the fan tailgate party in Maple Leaf Square for tonight’s playoff game has been cancelled
Fans attending are encouraged to take public transit where possible — Mark Masters (@markhmasters) April 16, 2018
6:34 p.m. - Both coaches go back to the same starting goaltenders as the first two games. It'll be interesting to see how Andersen rebounds after a rough Game 2.
6:30 p.m. - The Toronto Maple Leafs are in desperate need of a win.
After getting dominated for two games in Boston by the Bruins, the series shifts to Toronto with the Maple Leafs looking to avoiding going 3-0 down in the first round match-up.
The Leafs will be looking to keep the high-powered Bruins first line off the board while also sparking their own offence, which has sputtered in the first two games of the postseason.
Sporting News will keep you up to date on all the action. The puck drops shortly after 7 p.m. ET.
So what side should you back? And where does the value lie? Visit SportsLine to get NHL odds and picks for every Stanley Cup playoff game, all from the advanced computer model on a red-hot 21-8 NHL run.
The Toronto Maple Leafs aren't done just yet. On home ice, down two games, Toronto managed to climb back into its series against the Bruins with a 4-2 win. It was a big statement game from the Leafs, who were able to get a consistent offensive attack going against Boston for the first time in the series. They got two goals from Patrick Marleau, one from Auston Matthews and one from James van Riemsdyk.
They also got some very solid goaltending from Freddie Andersen, who made 40 saves in the win -- including these absurd ones.
Insane stick save by Freddie Andersen to rob Pastrnak pic.twitter.com/WO4axZUUfj — Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 17, 2018
Another look at Andersen’s crazy stick save pic.twitter.com/5vgNezsLUH — Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 17, 2018
Freddie Andersen gets shoved into his own net, still makes the save pic.twitter.com/T6lzEkxp8i — Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 17, 2018
Matthews was almost invisible in the first couple games in Boston, but he made his presence felt in Game 3. The 20-year-old got his first point of the series on this great shot that beat Tuukka Rask in the second period. That goal also gave the Leafs a 3-2 lead heading into the final frame, making it the official game-winner.
After dropping the first two games of their series against the Bruins in Boston, the Maple Leafs got a big break in their first period back in Toronto. Late in the first, Boston's Riley Nash was whistled for a delay of game penalty after officials ruled that he launched the puck straight into the crowd from the Bruins' defensive zone.
However, replays clearly showed that Nash's clear attempt rode up the glass before going out of play, meaning it shouldn't have been a penalty.
The “over the glass” penalty that led to the Leafs power play goal pic.twitter.com/5UbxiJ6twh — Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 16, 2018
The ruling on the ice wasn't reviewable, so the Leafs headed to the power play and scored seven seconds into the man-advantage to to take a 1-0 lead.
To follow along with all of Monday's action in the NHL playoffs, click here.
For the first 154:47 of the Eastern Conference First Round, the Maple Leafs center had been held without a point. The Boston Bruins held him in check in their two victories in Boston, and the same was happening deep into the second period of Game 3 on Monday.
Then, with a quick snap of his wrists, all that changed.
[RELATED: Pastrnak, Bruins not down after change in fortunes | Complete Bruins vs. Maple Leafs series coverage]
With the score tied 2-2, William Nylander faked a shot from the high slot, then slid a perfect feed to Matthews. Without hesitation, he shot the puck high into the short side past goalie Tuukka Rask, giving the Maple Leafs a 3-2 lead and removing an enormous amount of pressure from his 20-year-old shoulders.
As the fans erupted, Matthews unleashed a tribal scream and punched his fist in the air. It was the type of raw emotion Toronto had been badly lacking in the first two games.
"It felt like an earthquake in your feet," Matthews said of the moment. "Just the emotion of the crowd."
The goal, at 14:47, would prove to be the game-winner in 4-2 victory. Boston leads the best-of-7 series 2-1, with Game 4 here on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVAS, NESN).
The goal helped the Maple Leafs get some much-needed momentum in a series they'd had precious little of.
Video: BOS@TOR, Gm3: Matthews goes top shelf on Rask
Boston's first line of David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron had combined for 20 points through the first two games, while Mitchell Marner, Matthews and Nylander -- Toronto's top scorers in the regular season -- had combined for two, a goal and an assist by Marner.
It was a different story in Game 3. Marner (two assists), Nylander (assist) and Matthews (goal) had four points, while, Pastrnak, Marchand and Bergeron had none and were a combined minus-7.
Though there were other positive aspects of their play to be encouraged with, the Maple Leafs insisted this was about Matthews, about a kid who is the face of the franchise.
"He's a star, one of the best players in the League, and he takes it personally when the team doesn't do well," defenseman Morgan Rielly said. "You could see how much that goal meant to him. You could see it on his face.
"What did he go, pointless for 2 1/2 games? And people were actually calling that a slump? What a joke."
That quickly changed after the goal, when the fans busted out into chants of "Aus-ton Mat-thews …!"
It was a moment in this series, and in Matthews' NHL career, that Toronto coach Mike Babcock said was significant, especially given some of the feedback the second-year player was getting via social media.
Video: Leafs have to continue this momentum for this series
"I think it's important," Babcock said. "I think when you're my age, social media, it doesn't even really affect your life. When you're his age, it affects your life and you know what people are saying, and it's not just what people are saying -- you want to be the best player in the world and it's not going the way you want -- it probably tightens you up.
"Now, I haven't talked to him about this … but I think tonight gets a huge weight off his shoulders, and instead of thinking about all this stuff it'll just come natural and he'll get playing again. That, to me, is a huge thing for him.
"What you've got to remember is these guys are young guys. They're playing against real players and they're young guys. You've got to go through some of these slappings in your life to respond, and learn how to play and do things right."
Matthews led the Maple Leafs with four goals in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs but Toronto lost to the Washington Capitals in six games in the Eastern Conference First Round. He came into the matchup against the Bruins confident of using that experience to take the next step, but had been held in check.
Game 3 was about proving a point, for Matthews and the Maple Leafs.
"Absolutely," Matthews said. "I think everybody did. I didn't feel like we played to the capability we're capable of so tonight was definitely a statement game for us.
"We knew this was kind of a do-or-die game for us. We've been good at home and it was a fun game, a good one for us."
