Toronto Maple Leafs score in overtime to force game 5

The Toronto Maple Leafs rallied a remarkable comeback and three goal deficit last night in overtime to force Game 5 in its series against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Toronto pulled off what most thought impossible as the final minutes of the third period of Game 4 tickets away. Instead of Toronto faltering under pressure, the talented and young team defied the odds after eliminating the three goal deficit to force overtime in what ended becoming a replica of Game 3, only with the overcome being reversed.

Colorado was pushing hard from the start of Game 4 hoping to win the series. However, the Leafs seemed to come to life, scoring their first of four goals with four minutes remaining. It took Toronto less than fifty seconds to score their second and with 22 seconds remaining, the Blue Jackets watched in disbelieve as Toronto scored their third to force overtime.

At the seven minute mark of overtime, the Toronto Maple Leafs went on a power play that saw Auston Matthews scoring the winning goal to earn the victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets and their qualifying round series. Matthews, post-game stated,

“Your mind just kind of goes blank. It’s a credit to every single guy on our team for just sticking with it, battling back and just not quitting.”

Sportsnet

Zack Hyman, John Tavares, and William Nylander each scored for Toronto, while Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, Zack Hyman, John Tavares, and William Nylander each earned assists and Frederik Andersen racked up 36 saves. The performance wasn’t lost on Sheldon Keefe, head coach for the Maple Leafs, who stated post-game,

“Just the resilience of our team, and then just how it put new life in our group. It was pretty remarkable to be a part of it.”

The win put Toronto into the history books as the first team in the history of the NHL to overcome a deficit of three goals and then go on to win. Commenting on the feat, Zack Hyman stated,

“Natural that those thoughts start to creep in when they score the third goal, but it was just put your foot on the gas, keep going. It’s not over until, until the time runs out.”

Vladislav Gavrikove, Boone Jenner and Cam Atkinson scored for Columbus, while Pierre-Luc Dubois, Nick Foligno, Elvis Merzlkins, David Savard and Alexandre Texier earned assists. Merzlikins, who was making his first start during the post-season made 49 saves.

After Nick Foligno was handed a penalty for tripping in overtime, Matthews was able to pick up on a cross-ice pass and fire off a shot that beat Merzlikins. John Tortorella, head coach of the Blue Jackets and team Captain Foligno were left unimpressed by the call, and Seth Jones, who plays defence for the Blue Jackets and saw his linemate Zach Werenski go off with an injury, explained post-game,

“We just stopped moving our feet, kind of stayed back and stopped forechecking the last five and they took advantage of it. This is what happens in a series. The ups and downs, it’s a rollercoaster.”

Columbus’s Elvis Merzlkins was unbeatable for most of the game, and it appeared his performance would result in a shutout until William Nylander scored with 3:57 remaining in regulation time to put Toronto on the board. Less than a minute later John Tavares slapped another past Merzlkins to make it 3-2, and with the final seconds ticking away, Zack Hyman made it 3-3.

Merzlkins, who is in his first NHL season played remarkably well before the season was put on hold. His return so far has equalled his pre-COVID performance, but after Matthews scored in overtime, he hung his head in defeat.

Columbus came out strong with Foligno feeding Jenner the puck who then went on to score the Blue Jackets first. Less than five minutes later, they scored their second and five minutes into the third, they scored their third.

While Sheldon Keefe did his best to stack the first line with Tavares, Matthews and Marner, it seemed Toronto was unable to break down the Blue Jackets. The frustration began to become evident after Spezza dropped the gloves and went at it with Dean Kukan. Commenting on the fight, Keefe said,

“Jason Spezza just did not want our season end. That’s playoff hockey. I mean, that’s guys just not wanting to go down — literally — without a fight.”

The support wasn’t the case after the Leafs lost Game 3 as Keefe was vocal in his disappointment with the teams’ execution and mindset. However, a lot of time was invested on improving their defence after last seasons playoff loss to the Bruins. Yet, it seemed work is still needed as last night showed sloppy puck handling and an overall loss of the team staying focused.

However, for Leafs fans, Toronto is still in the hunt, and with sportsbooks such as 888sport offering new bettors up to $250 in bonuses, the playoffs still have much to offer, especially considering Game 5 is slated for Sunday night at the Scotiabank Arena.

Heading into Game 5, Spezza, the oldest player on the Leafs roster is feeling optimistic and hungry to stay in the fight. Speaking on the skill of his teammates, Spezza said,

“I’ve never been a part of anything like that. With the firepower we have, with these guys, where they can put the puck in the net, we’re never out of it. There’s a great sense of belief in our group. We stuck with it the whole way.”