Five Takeaways - Leafs at Bruins - 04/21/18

1. Leafs weather Bruins' shot storm in first frame, enter second period with two-goal advantage via goals from Brown, Johnsson. Facing elimination from the playoffs, the Leafs expected an early push from the Bruins in Boston, and that's what they got, as the home team outshot Toronto by more than a 2:1 ratio (15-6) in the first 20 minutes of action. However, Buds goalie Frederik Andersen was at his best in the opening frame, stopping every shot he saw in the period, and that allowed the Leafs to be at their opportunistic best: at the 6:36 mark of the period, centre Auston Matthews carried the puck around behind the Bruins' net, threw it out in front of goalie Tuukka Rask, and winger Connor Brown batted it in for his first-ever playoff goal and a 1-0 Toronto advantage.

Three minutes and 36 seconds later, the Leafs extended their lead when winger Andreas Johnsson took a terrific pass from centre Nazem Kadri and beat Rask for his first career NHL post-season goal, and Toronto took a 2s-0 lead into the first intermission. With their backs against the wall, the Buds needed Andersen to play well and for the skaters in front of him to make the most of their scoring chances - and that's precisely how the first period played out.

Video: TOR@BOS, Gm5: Bozak snaps puck past Rask2. Boston cuts Toronto's advantage in half midway through second, but Bozak restores two-goal lead less than a minute later.The Bruins won three of the first four games in part because they've never allowed a Leafs goal or two to deflate their energy, and thus was the case in the second period: after pressuring the Buds into giving them the first power play of the evening at 9:28 of the middle frame, the Bruins needed only 17 seconds to convert the man advantage into their first goal of the game: forward David Backes netted his second goal of the playoffs to cut Toronto's lead to 2-1 - but 51 seconds after that, the Leafs responded with a goal of their own when centre Tyler Bozak scored his second of the playoffs to restore the Buds' two-goal advantage.

Blueliner Morgan Rielly registered his fifth assist of the post-season on Bozak's goal, and winger James van Riemsdyk recorded the secondary assist on the play. And two of the three Leafs who helped produce that goal would generate even more offence 79 seconds after that with their first power play goal of the night.

3. Leafs stake out 4-1 lead on van Riemsdyk's power play marker, but Bruins keep pressure on them, get one back before second intermission.The Leafs have stressed that discipline has to be improved for them for the remainder of this series, but staying out of the penalty box proved problematic for them in the second: after defenceman Nikita Zaitsev's tripping penalty midway through the second, Toronto went on to give the Bruins another three man advantages before the second intermission, including a 5-on-3 power play for 1:34.

Andersen and the PK unit prevented the Bs from scoring any other man advantage goals in the frame, and the Leafs recorded a power play goal at 11:55 when van Riemsdyk scored his third of the playoffs to make it 4-1 in Toronto's favour and chased Rask from Boston's net in favour of backup Anton Khudobin. However, the cumulative effect of killing off so many penalties took a toll on the Buds, who surrendered their second goal of the night with 2:42 left in the second on centre Sean Kuraly's second of the post-season.
4. Bruins earn another power play to start third, pull within one goal approximately six minutes into frame.Having scored the final goal of the second - and starting the third with 33 seconds of their fifth power play of the game - the Bruins began the third outshoting the Leafs 9-3 in the first half of the final regulation frame. That sustained pressure led to another Buds penalty - this one at 3:10 of the period - and although Toronto's penalty killers didn't allow Boston to score, the home team produced their third goal of the game 46 seconds after it ended: centre Noel Acciari netted his first of the playoffs at the 5:56 mark, and suddenly Toronto's three-goal advantage was reduced to a single goal with approximately 14 minutes of regulation time still to play.

5. Buds outshot 20-5 in third, but Andersen sparkles, forces Game 6 at ACC Monday.Boston's goal to make it 4-3 for the Leafs was the lone goal of the period, although it wasn't for lack of trying on the Bruins' behalf. They fired another 20 shots on Andersen (while limiting Toronto to only five shots on Khudobin) in the third, and while Boston came close on a few occasions to forcing overtime, the Buds held on to lock up their second win of the series and force a Game 6 Monday at Air Canada Centre.

This victory wasn't nearly as self-assured as Toronto's Game 3 win over the Bruins, but you don't get any extra points or goals for quality of wins come playoff time. The Leafs now have Sunday to study tape and steel themselves for a Game Six that promises to be as ferocious and hard-fought as any between the two Original Six franchises so far this spring. Again, staying out of the penalty box will be of paramount importance to Toronto's fortunes in forcing a series-deciding Game 7, but so will a smart approach on offence that stresses patience, a cycle game and lots of action and screening around Rask's net.

If the Leafs can deliver on those fronts, there's every chance they can get back to Boston for Game 7 next Wednesday. But first thing's first: a total Toronto team effort is going to be required to win a second consecutive game for the first time in this round, and without one, the Leaf will find themselves filled wth regret and the frustrations of a too-long off-season.