How the Maple Leafs won Game 5 and stayed alive: 5 takeaways

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BOSTON — In a tense, must-win game with so many future possibilities within the franchise hanging in the balance, you'd expect it would be the Toronto Maple Leafs veterans to step up and take control of Game 5.

Instead, it was the work of two Leafs rookies who saved them from elimination with two of the best games of their careers.

Matthew Knies scored in overtime to seal a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins while Joseph Woll stopped 28-of-29 shots to force a Game 6 back in Toronto on Thursday.

Knies' goal was his second of the series and can undoubtedly be called the biggest of his young career so far.

Meanwhile, Woll showed the kind of composure and athleticism that proved why Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe had the confidence to turn to him with the team's season in the balance.

Not necessarily the heroes the Leafs might have expected, but undoubtedly the ones they needed.

"As I was waiting outside for (Knies and Woll) to finish (their media availability), it's not lost on you: You've got two young guys up here that make a real impact in the game here tonight," Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. "That's terrific to see."

Game 5 was by far the most tense and tight-checking affair of the series. The physicality that could open games up was replaced by the kind of low-event hockey you'd expect in an elimination game, and especially one that saw the Leafs lacking their best player in Auston Matthews.

But the Leafs deserve full marks for playing through the nerves that were evident in Monday's practice and ahead of Game 5 itself. It wasn't always pretty, but the Leafs did enough to keep things interesting.

HEROES! OUR HEROES! pic.twitter.com/m0lCS8mOC9

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) May 1, 2024

The Leafs as a unit looked far more aggressive than they did in Game 4. They were locked in on the finer details of playoff hockey, be it winning puck battles or not opening themselves up defensively.

A Leafs team that looked like sitting ducks over the past few days now has life in a big way.

"We didn't feel sorry for ourselves. We didn't mail it in," Keefe said. "We went out to take charge of the hockey game in the first period. And I thought we did a terrific job of that. Tremendous effort from everybody in that first period."

Matthew Knies the overtime hero

Knies has had an up-and-down series against the Bruins. He took the brunt of the Bruins physicality early in the series and got up to speed very quickly on the rigours of playoff hockey. But he's now scored two key goals that will undoubtedly fill him with confidence for the rest of the series.

His smart play on the overtime winner stands out. And it was the kind of goal that not only Knies has gotten better at scoring, but one crucial in the playoffs.

As linemate John Tavares drove to the net and kept the puck away from Bruins defenceman Matt Grzelcyk, Knies sniffed out the open ice and drove to the net. He has the size to ward off defenders and the nose for the net to do so, and made a simple play to quickly fire a rebound past Jeremy Swayman.

A mature play from a rookie who is growing up fast.

"(Knies) has been really building this series. This series, game by game, he's been getting better and better. I thought it was very fitting (that) he got the winner," Keefe said.

It's a goal Knies will undoubtedly remember for the rest of his career. That the play was cemented postgame with a long hug between him and Woll said a lot about how much these two players mean to each other and to the Leafs.

Watching Knies and Woll sit together at a podium postgame that after Game 2 was occupied by Auston Matthews and John Tavares was a showcase of contrasts: The Leafs likely future stars could not stop grinning throughout, soaking up the moment and the attention.

When you step back and remember Knies is just 21, it's easier to appreciate how impressive his form and his attitude have been throughout the postseason. Walking away from Game 5, there should be a little more comfort in the Leafs' future if their young stars can step in a must-win game the way they did.

"Gosh, you black out a little bit," Knies said of scoring the overtime winner. "I think what brought me more joy were the faces of my teammates, and how much they wanted to keep playing and keep moving on."

Woll's ability to lock down the game for the Leafs comes after he had back-to-back games against the Bruins that he would like to forget. He allowed eight goals over two games in March that might have taken him out of the playoff starter's job for good.

And yet those performances felt far in the past during Game 5 as he rebounded when it mattered with typical composure.

"I feel pretty safe when he's in the net," Knies said of Woll. "He's very calm and sees the ice well. I trust him a lot."

Joseph Woll stands tall in net

Sheldon Keefe was clear after Game 4: The Leafs needed better goaltending to have a chance to stay alive in the series. That meant the end of Ilya Samsonov as the Leafs starting goalie and, it's worth wondering, whether that meant the end of Samsonov's time as a Leaf as well.

Keefe turned to Joseph Woll to provide that, just as he did last year when Samsonov was injured during Game 3 against the Florida Panthers.

And just as he did last year, Woll stood tall: His reads were outstanding and even when he lost a skate blade and had the Bruins crash his net, the cool-as-a-cucumber Woll that Leafs fans have come to appreciate stood his ground.

Woll's best save came with the game on the line late as he sprawled out to prevent a Trent Frederic wraparound with his pad.

JOSEPH WOLL! pic.twitter.com/UAGtAaHnKj

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) May 1, 2024

The Bruins then came at Woll aggressively in overtime, throwing five shots on goal in just over two minutes. But Woll stopped them all and kept a tight grip on the starter's job for the rest of the series in the process.

No Auston Matthews

The Leafs' best player continues to suffer from an ailment serious enough to keep him out of an elimination game.

After Matthews took the ice for approximately eight minutes ahead of the Leafs' optional morning skate, there was hope he might play in Game 5. But that hope was extinguished later in the day as it became clear the Leafs would need to stay alive without the three-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner.

As Game 5 unfolded, it became clear the Leafs missed Matthews' ability to break a game open with his world-class shot. There just weren't a ton of dangerous opportunities for the Leafs. But in Matthews' place, Mitch Marner had a tremendous game, showing consistent effort at both ends of the ice. Marner had the primary assist on the game's opening goal and drove the top line. Max Domi deserves credit as well for one of his better performances of the postseason, winning 12 of 14 faceoffs and showing just as much energy. That line ended with 67 percent of the 5-on-5 expected goals while on the ice, per NaturalStatTrick. It was the kind of performance from puck drop onward that we've been waiting for Marner to have.

Once again, the Leafs struggle to score

OK, we expected Game 5 to be tense given that the Leafs season was on the line and all the franchise-altering scenarios that could play out in their offseason.

And yes, this Leafs team was without the league's leading scorer.

All that is valid, but we're still talking about a team that finished second in the NHL in regular-season scoring with 3.63 goals per game. To then score just two goals in undoubtedly their most important game of the season? And zooming out, to not score more than two goals in a game just once in their past 12 playoff games?

You could get micro on this topic and scratch your head at why Max Domi would elect to slowly skate toward the goal on an odd-man rush in the third period and telegraph his pass instead of just firing it at the goal.

Domi was looking for the pass the whole way pic.twitter.com/QmzYLJRd8t

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) May 1, 2024

But the Leafs' inability to score in the playoffs isn't just on one player. The primary and the secondary scoring has mostly dried up.

Their chances were there, as the Leafs outshot the Bruins 33-28 and owned 55 percent of the 5-on-5 possession. But their execution, particularly on a power play that again did not convert in Game 5, has to improve.

Hey, at least the Leafs have a chance to right their wrongs in Game 6?

(Photo: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)