Maple Leafs go 2-1 ‘up’ as Sharks in commanding lead
Devils sink Lightning in Game 3
TORONTO, April 17, (AP): Embarrassed and desperate after getting steamrolled by the Bruins through the first two games at Boston, the Toronto Maple Leafs had a point to prove.
His name sitting comfortably at the top of that list, Auston Matthews responded in a big way.
Matthews scored the go-ahead goal in the second period to lead the Maple Leafs picked in a 4-2 victory Monday night, cutting the Bruins’ lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series to 2-1.
Toronto was reeling in the wake of 5-1 and 7-3 losses on the road, but got back to using its speed at home.
Matthews was fiery after Saturday’s blowout, responding to a question about how Boston’s top line of David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron could have 20 points in two games compared to his trio’s goose egg with an expletive: “(It) happens”.
The raw emotion that comes with being a young star came out a different way in this one after he took a feed from William Nylander down low at 5:13 of the second and fired a shot short-side on Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask to send the Air Canada Centre crowd into a frenzy.
Toronto coach Mike Babcock said he hopes the goal takes a weight off the 20-year-old’s shoulders.
Patrick Marleau had two goals, James van Riemsdyk also scored, and Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly added two assists each for the Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen stopped 40 shots.
Toronto will look to even the series here in Game 4 on Thursday night.
Adam McQuaid and Zdeno Chara scored, Sean Kuraly had two assists and Tuukka Rask had 26 saves for the Bruins.
Pastrnak (four goals, five assists), Marchand (one goal, five assists) and Bergeron (five assists) had their way with Toronto through the first two games, but the Leafs held Boston’s big line at bay thanks in large part to Marner, Marleau and Tomas Plekanec.
Devils 5, Lightning 2 In Newark, New Jersey, Taylor Hall had a goal and two assists, setting up Stefan Noesen’s game-winner with 7:05 play, and New Jersey scored four times in the third to beat Tampa Bay in Game 3.
Rookie Will Butcher had a powerplay goal earlier in the third to tie the score 2-all, and Blake Coleman and Ben Lovejoy added empty net goals late. Cory Schneider made 34 saves while starting in place of Keith Kinkaid.
Schneider, who seemed to hurt his groin in a collision with Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh midway through the final period, survived a late power play to nail down the win and pul;l the Devils to 2-1 in the bestof-seven first-round series.
Sharks 8, Ducks 1 In San Jose, California, Joonas Donskoi scored one goal and set up another to start a four-goal barrage in the second period and San Jose raced past Anaheim for the third straight game to take a 3-0 series lead.
Donskoi scored and then set up Marcus Sorensen in the opening four minutes of the second period to seize control of the game and series.
Eric Fehr and Tomas Hertl added goals later in the second to turn this all-California series into a rout. Logan Couture had a goal and two assists, Joe Pavelski, Evander Kane and Timo Meier scored power-play goals in the third period, for the Sharks, who have outscored the Ducks 14-3 through the first three games of the first-round series.
Avalanche 5, Predators 3 In Denver, Nathan MacKinnon scored twice, including one as part of a three-goal first period and another to chase Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne from the game, and Colorado pulled to 2-1 in the first-round series.
Blake Comeau and Gabriel Bourque also scored in a furious opening period that revved up a pom-pom waving capacity crowd. Gabriel Landeskog was credited with an empty-net goal for the Avalanche, who snapped a 12-game skid against the Predators.