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TSN Toronto Maple Leafs Reporter

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TORONTO – For the second time in three days, the Toronto Maple Leafs are set to face the Boston Bruins with their season at stake.

It’s a pressure-packed situation Toronto is familiar with now, having just won Game 5 of the first-round Stanley Cup playoff series in Boston on Saturday to force Game 6 in their barn. The victory had a restorative effect on the Leafs, rewarding the team’s belief that, by not straying from the structure and mentality that got them to playoffs in the first place, they can stretch their run out a little longer. 

“You want to consider yourself, part way through your career or at least by the end of your career, that you’re a guy who got it done at this time, when it mattered,” said Mike Babcock after morning skate on Monday. “I don’t think you have to do special things, I think you have to do your job. If you do your job, we can be great together. Just do your job, do it well, start on time, be mentally tough.”

Good starts have been a difference-maker in this series, with the team that scores first winning all five games so far. The Leafs not only did that, but were in solid control of Game 5 after 20 minutes. From there, the contest come dangerously close to slipping away for Toronto, first with a parade of penalties in the second period and then with a full-on offensive assault from the Bruins in the final frame where they outshot the Leafs 20-5. 

Toronto is aiming to emulate Boston’s third-period punch from the outset of Monday's game. They acknowledge being on their heels too much in Game 5, and that if not for sensational efforts by the penalty kill (which was 5-for-6) and Frederik Andersen (in a 42-save performance), the momentum swings in Boston’s favour could have swallowed the Leafs’ whole. 

“We want to play to win,” said Auston Matthews. “We want to attack first, play on offence and play in their zone. It helps when you have all five guys out there, so we’ll do a better job of that tonight. These are the [elimination] situations we’re going to be in, but you have to go out there, have fun and play hockey. Just like in Game 5, backs are against the wall. We have to get another win and force Game 7.”

Matthews has had a relatively quiet postseason, recording one goal and one assist with 18 shots on goal. It’s not the type of dominant showing the Leafs have come to expect (and, frankly, rely on) from the 20-year-old centre, so his line got a makeover in Game 5 that will carry over into Monday. 

Instead of William Nylander on his right wing, Connor Brown has slotted in with Matthews and Zach Hyman; the trio scored on their third shift Saturday, but was more invisible in the second and third periods as the Bruins took over.

Still, there were enough positives for Babcock to keep Brown with Matthews even when the Leafs have last change at home. The only alteration projected to be made is Nazem Kadri going back between Patrick Marleau and Mitch Marner, while Tomas Plekanec centres Andreas Johnsson and Nylander.

“I thought [Matthews] was more engaged [on Saturday], didn’t spend as much time in his own zone,” said Babcock. “He did a better job playing defensively fast so he could get on offence quicker. He skated better. Against good players, you end up in your own zone chasing the puck all the time and that makes for a long night and usually zaps the life out of you. I think both teams understand that, so when you get the puck, you don’t want to give it back to them.”

“Connor is that hard-working guy who digs the pucks out, so it’s nice going into the corner when he’s there too because he’s on the puck and we feed off each other,” added Hyman. “We played well, it’s a good line, and we’re excited to keep it rolling tonight.”

Using the benefit of that last change, the Matthews line won’t have to see much of the Bruins’ top unit of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak that has buried them in their own zone so often this series. That trio has combined for 23 points in the series, but only three over the two games in Toronto (one of which Bergeron didn’t play in). 

Kadri hasn't played a home game yet in this series, and he relishes the thought of trying to solve the Bergeron line at a pivotal juncture for the Leafs. That's what Plekanec managed to help do in Kadri's place for Game 3, the first victory Toronto earned in the series. Holding those big guns for the Bruins off the scoresheet once again will be a major key to the Leafs punching their ticket back to Boston.

“Naz is a good player for us. I thought Naz played real well last game,” said Babcock. “We had a real good game going, and then…it disintegrated for us. Lots of guys sat there and froze to death, other guys played too much. Ideally we can play right [tonight]. The series is tight and it’s fast and there’s not a lot of room, there’s a lot of 50-50 shifts, so understand that and be patient with it.”

Maple Leafs projected lineup vs. Boston:
Hyman-Matthews-Brown
Marleau-Kadri-Marner
van Riemsdyk-Bozak-Kapanen
Johnsson-Plekanec-Nylander
 
Rielly-Hainsey
Gardiner-Zaitsev
Dermott-Polak
 
Andersen starts
McElhinney