Nylander, Maple Leafs force Game 7 in Boston

“It’s special,” the scoring hero of Thursday night’s 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins said of Game 7s. “I don’t know if we’ve won one yet. We’re up to the test.”

That’s the coy side of Nylander — anyone who follows this team knows its recent disappointment in seventh games — and the fun, optimistic side all in one post-game quote.

And it signals that he’s back in form in the nick of time.

Nylander scored both Leafs goals in the Game 6 win at Scotiabank Arena, forcing a decisive matchup Saturday night at Boston’s TD Garden.

Rookie goalie Joseph Woll got the win — denied a shutout in the final second — while his teammates played some of their best hockey of the season when it mattered most.

“The guys have competed and worked incredibly hard,” said coach Sheldon Keefe. “They’ve pulled together. They fought. They didn’t lay down. They didn’t accept their fate; they changed it.”

Without ailing star centre Auston Matthews for the last two games and essentially left for dead after trailing three games to one, the Leafs have given themselves a chance to flip the script on playoff disappointment.

“I think it’s a reflection of the character of the group,” said Keefe. “I challenged the group and talked to the group about it. When your back is against the wall and you’re facing elimination, you’re going to be remembered one way or the other. So, how do you want that to be and to look? The guys pulled together and found ways to win.”

Just enough

The goals, again, were hard to come by. The Leafs have scored two or fewer in 12 of their last 13 post-season games.

Nylander ended a personal 13-game goal drought with a wrist shot that deflected off Bruins defenceman Charlie McAvoy and beat goalie Jeremy Swayman to open the scoring with 55 seconds left in the second period. He scored again on a breakaway with 2:13 to go in the third, and the crowd went from nervous to bedlam.

“He’s a heck of a game breaker,” Leafs captain John Tavares said of Nylander. “He gets the puck on his stick, he can make things happen any time. Two elite finishes. Came at a great time.”

Nylander missed the first three games of the series with an undisclosed ailment, but seems to have found his footing.

“It was nice to get on the board, scoring two goals,” said Nylander. “But I ... loved our team effort tonight. We battled and competed the entire 60 (minutes). And I mean, (Woll) was incredible for us as well.”

Woll faced only one shot in the first period. The Bruins poured it on later, but didn’t get one past him until there was just a tenth of a second left in the third period — Morgan Geekie scoring with the crowd thinking time had expired.

Woll became the first NHL goalie to make his first four playoff appearances in elimination games.

“It’s about the win,” said Woll. “That’s the most important thing ... I wasn’t even sure at the time what happened (in the final second), but I was just happy when I saw the guys coming towards me to give me fist bumps for the win.”

The Game 7 story

The Bruins might be feeling their collars tightening. They are 13-10 in home Game 7s, but one of those losses was just last year, when they blew a 3-1 series lead against Florida.

“We’re not living in the past, and we’re not living in the future, either,” said Bruins coach Jim Montgomery. “Right now we’re not happy with our game, and we’re going to get ready for Game 7.”

It won’t be easy for the Leafs. Road teams are 82-122 in Game 7s. The Leafs are 5-11 in that situation, including three losses in Boston (2013, 2018 and 2019).

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“It’s a great opportunity,” said Tavares. “We’ve got the series back level and we have an opportunity to move on. That’s what we’re playing for. This is what it’s all about.”

TD Garden will be every bit as loud and crazy as Scotiabank Arena was.

“To me, we just played two Game 7s, elimination games,” said Keefe. “The crowd was tremendous tonight.”

No Matthews

Matthews’ status remains the subject of speculation. It’s believed he was indeed sick when he missed practice prior to Game 3, but something else happened — perhaps in that game — that has left him unable to play. Teams are not required to divulge injuries if they believe it would put the player in harm’s way when he returns.

The Leafs power play went 0-for-3 and is 1-for-20 in the series.
Keefe raised a few eyebrows by scratching rugged forward Ryan Reaves for the first time in the series and activating Noah Gregor, who hadn’t played since the final game of the regular season. It was the first playoff game of Gregor’s career.
Defenceman Mark Giordano took the warm-up for what might have been his last skate at Scotiabank Arena.