Boston (AP) — While waiting for Auston Matthews to initiate contact, Max Domi held the ball inside the Toronto defensive zone. Domi sent the puck hurtling over the neutral zone and struck Matthews in stride, much like a quarterback finding an open receiver.
The NHL’s top scorer gloved the puck with his left hand, dropped it in front of his stick, and then raced in on Linus Ullmark, the Bruins’ goalie, beating him to break a tie in the third period.
Monday night, following the Maple Leafs’ comeback from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to defeat Boston 3-2 and tie their first-round playoff series at one game apiece, Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe praised the playmaker for his “great pass to find Auston in the manner that he did.” “That connection between those two guys is really significant.”
Over a 534-day period beginning in November 2022, Toronto ended an eight-game losing streak against Boston with goals and two assists from Matthews and a goal from Domi. The Maple Leafs, who haven’t defeated the Bruins in a postseason series since 1959, got a goal from John Tavares and Ilya Samsonov stopped 27 saves.
“We managed to level the scores, but clearly there’s still a lot of work to be done,” stated Tavares, a player for the Maple Leafs that lost a 3-2 lead against the Bruins during the 2019 playoffs. “We need to keep raising the bar because you can be sure they’ll want to respond as well.”
With two games remaining, Matthews can aim to achieve 70 goals, a feat that just eight players in NHL history have accomplished. Matthews scored 10 goals in a period of eight games to reach 69. His longest point-less drought of the season was matched when he was shut out in the final two regular season games and the first playoff game (without providing an assist).
