On road, Bruins and Sharks force Game 7s

TORONTO — Facing elimination, Boston didn’t panic when it fell behind halfway through the first period. The Bruins kept their focus, quickly tied it and took the lead, and then held off the Maple Leafs to force a Game 7 in their first-round playoff series.

Brad Marchand had two goals and an assist as the Bruins beat the Maple Leafs 4-2 on Sunday.

“We just knew there was a lot of game left,” Marchand said. “We’ve come from behind a lot this year. We weren’t fazed. We came together, played very hard after that. We played a really good game.”

Torey Krug and Jake DeBrusk also scored, and David Pastrnak had two assists to help Boston avoid elimination. Tuukka Rask stopped 22 shots.

“[We] gave ourselves another opportunity for another game,” Marchand said. “We got to try to replicate it. They’re going to come hard. They’ve played really well so far in our building this series.”

Morgan Rielly and Auston Matthews scored for Toronto in a series neither team has managed backto-back victories and each has won twice on the road. Frederik Andersen finished with 37 saves.

“It is what it is now,” Maple Leafs forward John Tavares said. “We’ve still got a good chance to win this series. That’s what our focus is on now. It’s over with now. Obviously we’d love to get it done today. It’s not the case.”

Sharks 2, Golden Knights 1

In Las Vegas, Tomas Hertl scored a shorthanded goal 11:17 into the second overtime to lift the Sharks to a win over the Golden Knights, forcing a Game 7 in their first-round playoff series.

Just 31 seconds after Barclay Goodrow was called for slashing Brayden McNabb, it was Hertl recovering the loose puck and skating in alone and beating Marc-Andre Fleury with a wrist shot to seal the win and force the deciding game Tuesday at San Jose.

Logan Couture also scored for the Sharks, and Martin Jones had a playoff career-high 58 saves.