Maple Leafs’ road approach works in Game 6 victory at home

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The Maple Leafs are shipping up to Boston.

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They couldn’t be more thrilled than to be heading back to Massachusetts again. 

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Given up for dead earlier this week — at least in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs — by many, the Leafs beat the Bruins 2-1 on Thursday in Game 6, forcing a seventh and deciding game on Saturday. 

This after a bad performance in Game 4 put the Leafs in a 3-1 hole in the best-of-seven series.

Joseph Woll was superb in the Leafs net at Scotiabank Arena and the Leafs again were victorious without Auston Matthews. Toronto has won all three of its games in 2023-24, including one in the regular season, without its best player. 

Now, all of the heat is on the Bruins, who collapsed in the first round last spring against the Florida Panthers.  

Some buzzer-beating thoughts on the Leafs’ win:

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GAME ON

Coach Sheldon Keefe wanted his club to use the kind of approach it has had on the road: Simply put, play hockey. Don’t get cute. Don’t try to impress. Just go play. The Leafs were in that mode as soon as the game started and kept it going. The Bruins, similar to Game 5, didn’t respond well … A flurry of shots, and saves, prior to the seven-minute mark of the third resulted in a standing ovation for Woll. A couple of saves on Charlie Coyle and another on Brad Marchand were part of the sequence, as well as a Morgan Rielly block on a Brandon Carlo shot that still almost found its way into the net … Jeremy Swayman stopped Max Domi, who found some space, with just over three minutes to play … Matthew Knies’ overtime winner in Game 5 remained fresh on the minds of the paying patrons at Scotiabank Arena, as he was cheered for every move during his first few shifts. Knies said he had got a jubilant call from his dad Miroslav on Wednesday morning. “I think he was in shock, just really happy and couldn’t believe it, my first playoff overtime goal,” Knies said. “He was really excited for me.” … Knies has proven in this post-season than any experimenting with him among the forward lines shouldn’t have to happen next year. He’s top-six material, period, and is on track to becoming a dominating power forward … And how about the pass by Knies along the side boards to get the puck to William Nylander for the second Toronto goal? Knies avoided a check by Charlie McAvoy to send Nylander in alone  … Nylander made some nifty moves inside the blue-line just before he scored his first goal, escaping from Bruins forward John Beecher long enough to get a shot toward the net. Jeremy Swayman had a beat on the puck until it hit McAvoy and went past the goalie and in. Bedlam in the crowd ensued, and in sharp contrast to Game 4, when the Leafs were booed off the ice at the end of the second period, they departed under a sea of white towels … Great timing on the first Nylander goal, which came at 19:05 of the second. There had been a clear momentum shift in the Bruins’ favour and Woll had to be on his toes to make several key saves. He couldn’t have appeared more calm when he got his glove on a McAvoy shot from the slot … The Leafs had a 15-1 shot advantage through the first 26 minutes of the game. Toronto defended well in front of Woll, giving the Bruins little chance to penetrate to the net … For good reason, Guy Boucher was trending during the second period. The Leafs power play managed just two shots on goal during a four-minute double minor to David Pastrnak for high-sticking, serving as another terrible showing for a group of players that should be producing much more. The Leafs are 1-for-20 on the power play in the series, a failure on Boucher’s part. Somehow, the Leafs have managed to get to a seventh game — after winning the past two — with a power play that has not scored since Toronto’s win in Game 2 … The crowd was at attention from the opening faceoff, send up a mocking “Swayman, Swayman” chant a few minutes in. The chant was louder and had more edge to it in the third period … Morgan Geekie scored the Boston goal with one second remaining.

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LOOSE LEAFS

With the Marlies’ season over, the Leafs recalled a group from their American Hockey League affiliate including goalie Dennis Hildeby, defencemen Topi Niemela, Max Lajoie, Marshall Rifai and Mikko Kokkonen, and forwards Nick Abruzzese, Kyle Clifford, Alex Steeves, and Dylan Gambrell … Leafs prospect Noah Chadwick was named the Western Hockey League’s scholastic player of the year. A sixth-round pick by the Leafs last year, the Lethbridge Hurricanes defenceman signed a three-year, entry level contract in December. Chadwick had 56 points (12 goals and 44 assists) in 66 games for Lethbridge and also played in one game for the Marlies.   

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @koshtorontosun

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