Maple Leafs top Bruins in Game 6, push Eastern 1st Round series to limit

TORONTO -- William Nylander scored twice, and the Toronto Maple Leafs stayed alive with a 2-1 win against the Boston Bruins in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday.

“It was nice to get on the board scoring two goals for sure, but it was our team effort tonight,” Nylander said. “We battled and competed the entire 60 and Joseph Woll was incredible for us as well.”

Game 7 is at TD Garden in Boston on Saturday (8 p.m.; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS, CBC).

Woll made 22 saves in his second straight start for the Maple Leafs, who are the No. 3 seed from the Atlantic Division and won Game 5 in overtime 2-1. Toronto won its second straight game without center Auston Matthews, who led the NHL with 69 goals during the regular season and is out with an undisclosed injury.

“It was awesome to see [our defensive effort] in front of me,” Woll said. “It gives me a lot of confidence back there when our group has been playing like that the past couple games and guys are laying out and blocking shots and coming up big in those moments.”

The win ended Toronto’s six-game home losing streak in the playoffs dating back to Game 5 of the 2023 Eastern Conference First Round.

Morgan Geekie scored, and Jeremy Swayman made 24 saves for the Bruins, who are the No. 2 seed from the Atlantic.

For the second straight season, the Bruins have squandered a 3-1 series lead in the first round. They led the Florida Panthers by the same margin in 2023 before being eliminated with a 4-3 overtime loss in Game 7.

“It’s a tight game,” Boston captain Brad Marchand said. “They’re starting well every game. They are prepared to play, first shift and we need to be better in that area. I think we had maybe one game where we started as good or better than them.”

The Bruins did not have a shot on goal until Jake DeBrusk’s at 11:38 of the first period. The Maple Leafs outshot the Bruins 12-1 after 20 minutes. They outshot the Bruins 11-2 in the first period in Game 5.

“It’s unacceptable, our start again,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. “We have to find a way to start on time, and we just have to be better. Toronto, starting on time, they’re getting the advantage, they have the momentum. I thought the last 30 minutes we pushed back really well, but it shouldn’t take that long.”

Nylander put Toronto up 1-0 at 19:05 of the second period when his shot from above the right face-off circle went in off the knee of Boston defenseman Charlie McAvoy at the top of the goal crease.

Nylander, who had 98 points (40 goals, 58 assists) in 82 regular-season games, missed the first three games of the series with an undisclosed injury and had not scored since March 26, ending the regular season with four assists in his final 11 games and going without a point in Games 4 and 5 against the Bruins.

“Remarkable,” Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies said of Nylander. “He battled all night, threw a big hit, scored two goals. Can’t ask much more from him.”

Woll kept it a one-goal game with a glove save on Charlie Coyle at 6:44 of the third period just after a wild scramble in front of the net.

The Maple Leafs went up 2-0 at 17:47 when Nylander scored on a breakaway with a backhand deke between Swayman’s pads after taking a pass in the neutral zone from Knies.

“He’s a heck of a game-breaker,” Toronto captain John Tavares said. “When he has the puck on his stick, he can make something happen at any time. Two elite finishes for us tonight to obviously come at a big time in a huge way. It’s not surprising.”

Tavares said that he was impressed by the poise Knies showed to make the play to Nylander.

“Just feeling the pressure knowing they were being aggressive and pushing the envelope,” Tavares said. “Recognizing that and obviously just making a nice little play to give ‘Willy’ an opportunity to go in and do his thing. Those little plays go a long way and are big difference-makers when it’s playoff hockey and there’s not much room out there. Tension is high and it was a critical time in the game, it was a big play by him.”

Geekie cut it to 2-1 at 19:59 when he put in a rebound below the left circle.

“We finished well but we’ve got to definitely start that way,” Marchand said. “We’re both fighting for our season next game. That definitely is the recipe for us to have success. We were competing hard, winning battles, supporting each other well, something we didn’t do great in the first half of the game, so we have to bring it in the first half next game.”

NOTES: Toronto forward Noah Gregor made his series debut, replacing Ryan Reaves. He had one shot in 8:21 of ice time. ... Nylander became the fourth player in Maple Leafs history to account for each of the team’s goals in a win to avoid elimination, following Darcy Tucker (Game 5 of 2002 Eastern Conference Final), Dave Keon (Game 7 of 1964 Stanley Cup Final) and Ken Doraty (Game 5 of 1933 Stanley Cup Final).