Canadiens prevail in OT to force Game 7

Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored at 15:15 of overtime and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Saturday night to force Game 7 in the firstround series.

Corey Perry and Tyler Toffoli also scored and Carey Price made 41 saves in front of the first Canadian hockey crowd — about 2,500 fans were allowed in the 21,302seat arena — since the start of the pandemic.

With his team outshot 13-2 and struggling to generate anything in the extra period, Kotkaniemi ripped a shot past goalie Jack Campbell’s glove side after Toronto defenseman Travis Dermott turned the puck over to Paul Byron.

Jason Spezza and T.J. Brodie scored for Toronto, beating Price with under 10 minutes to go in regulation to tie it. Campbell stopped 28 shots.

The Canadiens are looking to come back from a 3-1 series deficit to win for only the third time in franchise history.

Perry opened the scoring at 5:26 of the third period on a scramble in front with Toronto’s William Nylander off for goalie interference. Toffoli squeezed a shot past Campbell at 6:43 to stretch the lead to 2-0.

Spezza cut it to one with 8:25 left when his shot went in off the stick of Montreal defenseman Jeff Petry. Brodie tied it off Petry’s skate with 3:11 left.

at Boston 5, New York Islanders 2: David Pastrnak got his second career playoff hat trick, David Krejci had four assists and the Bruins took the opening game of the second-round playoff series.

Charlie McAvoy and Taylor Hall also scored, and Patrice Bergeron had a pair of assists for the Bruins. Tuukka Rask finished with 20 saves as Boston kept most of the action at the other end of the ice, outshooting the Islanders 40-22.

Rask didn’t allow anything past him after Adam Pelech’s goal for the Islanders 12:34 into the second period. It was one of only four shots in the period for the Islanders, playing before a rowdy crowd who packed TD Garden for the first time in more than a year.