‘No one quit’ as determined Maple Leafs force Game 6 in Toronto

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The Maple Leafs had something to prove on Tuesday night.

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And with their season on the line, they proved they’re worthy of another game in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.

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Matthew Knies was the overtime hero in Game 5 at TD Garden in Boston, scoring at 2:26 to give the Leafs a 2-1 win.

Game 6 in the best-of-seven series, led 3-2 by the Bruins, goes on Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena.

Knies drove toward the crease and popped a loose puck past Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman. The play transpired thanks to captain John Tavares, who managed to get past Bruins defenceman Matt Grzelcyk and put the puck toward the net.

“The guys were moving their feet and playing hard,” Knies told Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas after the game. “No one quit, no one gave up. Johnny made an unbelievable play driving the net and fortunately I could bury that and send us back home.”

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Joseph Woll, in first start of the series, was brilliant in goal for the Leafs, making 28 saves.

And this was Knies to media in Boston on what he was experiencing right after he scored and was mobbed by teammates: “You black out a little bit. I was so excited and so happy. I think what brought me more joy was to see the faces of my teammates and how much they wanted to keep playing and keep moving on.”

The goal was Knies’ second of the series.

“He has been building in the series, game by game he has been getting better,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “Tonight he was terrific. Fitting he gets the winner. Incredible effort by John to drive wide and get the puck to the net front.”

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Playing without Auston Matthews, there was no questioning the Leafs’ effort.

From start to finish, the Leafs often carried the play, led by the lines of Max Domi between Tyler Bertuzzi and Mitch Marner, and Tavares between Knies and William Nylander.

The roster in its entirety performed with determination and character.

“I would say the aggression and the assertiveness we played with from the start (was crucial),” Keefe said. “We didn’t feel sorry for ourselves, we didn’t mail it in. We went out to take charge of the hockey game in the first period. I thought we did a terrific job of that.”

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WOLL IS THE MAN

While there will be some who, in hindsight, think Woll should have been starting in the series earlier, there’s no doubt that he will be in net for another elimination game.

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Keefe’s decision to start Woll instead of Ilya Samsonov was wise.

“We’ve had daily discussions about when is the right time to get Joe in,” Keefe said. “Joe showed tonight why we have confidence in him.”

A pad save on Charlie Coyle by Woll early in overtime was his best of the game, considering the sudden-death circumstances.

Each netminder made a 10-bell save in the latter stages of third period. With 7 1/2 minutes to go, Woll stretched across the crease to stop Trent Frederic with his right pad. A few minutes later, Swayman made the proper read on a Leafs two-on-one, sliding across the crease to make a save on Bertuzzi on a Domi feed.

“I’m having the time of my life out there,” Woll said. “(TD Garden) is a place I’ve played a lot of big games in (with Boston College) and to come in here and play the Bruins in an elimination game is pretty special.

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“I was very happy to get in the net and happy the coaches and team have faith in me. It’s a great win for us and excited to go back on home ice.”

Full marks to Woll, who wasn’t great in his final starts of the regular season after he returned from an ankle injury. On Tuesday, none of that mattered.

MATTHEWS OMEN

The indication in the morning was that Matthews would not play, as he didn’t spend much time on the ice before the Leafs had an optional skate.

“He’s working through things to try to make himself available,” Keefe said. “It’s always the doctors’ call.

“This time of year, the players are going to do all that they can to get out there and the medical team is going to do all they can to make sure the players are available, while also making sure that they are taken care of.”

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Speculation ramped up that Matthews also was dealing with an injury while getting through his illness. Keefe was not in a confirming mood.

“I’ve already answered too many questions on the situation,” Keefe said. “At the time of the year, we’re not going to answer much else.”

FIRST OFF THE HOP

Other than two blips in the first period, the Leafs couldn’t have expected a better start out of themselves.

They outshot the Bruins 12-2 and had 30 shot attempts while holding the Bruins to seven.

Domi was perfect in the faceoff circle in the opening 20 minutes, going 10-0, and one of those wins resulted in the first goal of the game at 5:33.

Domi beat Frederic on an offensive-zone draw and Marner passed back to Jake McCabe at the point. The defenceman’s high shot eluded Swayman on the blocker side and served as McCabe’s first career NHL playoff goal in his 16th post-season game.

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Frederic tied the game at 13:54 on the Bruins’ second shot. In the thick of a Boston forecheck, Leafs defenceman Simon Benoit tried to move the puck up the middle, but his pass caromed off the skate of Patrick Maroon to Frederic. A surprised Woll didn’t have time to react before Frederic ripped a shot past him.

That bounce and a listless late power play, which produced one shot on goal, were the lone negatives for the Leafs in the first.

The Leafs’ best chance to take a lead in the second period came early.

After serving a minor, Nylander skated in alone after he got out of the box and was spotted by Joel Edmundson. Nylander beat Swayman but not the crossbar, and the game remained tied.

Swayman had to be sharp to deny Morgan Rielly during a Leafs power play.

At the other end, Woll made a quick pad save on Morgan Geekie.

The Leafs didn’t score on three power plays in the game, running their struggles to 1-for-17 in the series. The Bruins didn’t score on their only power play.

“We’re just going to keep fighting,” Tavares said. “Keep believing, keep trusting in each other.”

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