CANADIENS FORCE GAME 7 VS. LEAFS

Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored at 15:15 of overtime and the host 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 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.

Game 7 is Monday night in Toronto, with the winner facing Winnipeg. Also an overtime winner in Game 5 in Toronto, the Canadiens are looking to come back from a 3-1 series deficit to win for the third time in franchise history.

About 2,500 fans were allowed in the 21,302-seat arena after the Quebec government relaxed some restrictions and the province’s curfew ended Friday.

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

Charlie Mcavoy and Taylor Hall also scored, and Patrice Bergeron had a pair of assists for the Bruins, who will host Game 2 on Monday night.

Tuukka Rask finished with 20 saves as the Bruins 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 tied it at 2. It was one of only four shots in the period for the Islanders, who were playing before a rowdy crowd of fans who packed TD Garden for the first time in more than a year.

Anthony Beauvillier also scored for the Islanders, Jordan Eberle had two assists and Ilya Sorokin finished with 35 saves.

Canadiens 3, Maple Leafs 2 (OT)