Three periods were not enough to determine a winner in Game 7 between the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs. The teams traded third-period goals, and there were more close calls late, but it will take sudden death to decided this game.
William Nylander gave Toronto a third-period lead after a brutal mistake by Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo, but that 1-0 score didn’t hold for long. Just 1:21 later, Hampus Lindholm’s seeing-eye shot got through traffic to beat Ilya Samsonov.
The Maple Leafs looked dead in the water after falling behind 3-1 in the series, especially with Matthews exiting Game 4 with an illness. Over the last two games, the Leafs have punched their way off the ropes and put the Bruins on their heels heading into Game 7. Matthew Knies was the overtime hero in Game 5, and William Nylander stepped up with two Game 6 goals in Matthews’ absence.
Now, Toronto has the chance to beat Boston in the playoffs for the first time since 1959. Matthews was able to skate in warmups prior to Game 7, and he checked back into the lineup. The 69-goal scorer can provide some badly-needed firepower to a Maple Leafs team that has struggled to solve Jeremy Swayman in the series.
However, the injury news wasn’t all good for Toronto. Goalie Joseph Woll, who started and won Games 5 and 6, is out with an injury. Samsonov, who started the series for the Leafs, replaced him in the starting lineup. In four appearances this postseason, Samsonov has posted discouraging numbers with a 3.31 GAA and a save percentage of .883.
If there is a silver lining for the Bruins, it’s that Game 7 has been very kind to them in past playoff meetings against the Maple Leafs. This matchup has gone the distance three times since 2013, and Boston has defeated Toronto every time.
How to watch Bruins vs. Maple Leafs, Game 7
Date: Saturday, May 4 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: TD Garden — Boston
TV: ABC | Live stream: FuboTV (try for free)
