Toronto Maple Leafs Win Game 6, Force Game 7

The Toronto Maple Leafs were facing elimination again last night as Game 6 of the series got underway, but more was at stake than just forcing game 7, the Leafs wanted to give hope to a city facing the heartache.

It was only hours before the game was to start between Boston and Toronto that ten people were killed and fifteen injured as a result of a van that drove into pedestrians in North York. Toronto arrived at the A.C.C not in good spirits after learning about the tragedy and used that pain to help them beat the Bruins 3-1 and force game 7. After winning Game 5, hopes were high for fans and the Leaf organization alike.

Speaking on the tragic events of the day, Mike Babcock said,

“We talked about the attack in a big group; we spent the whole time talking about it. That’s all everyone was talking about right from the get-go. The bottom line is, it was our job to do our part here tonight. It’s so important that we rally around these people, help out and do everything we can. We have a fantastic city; we can’t let this get in the way of what we’ve got going.”

Prior to the national anthems, Boston, Toronto and fans took a moment of silence to honour those that lost their lives yesterday and to choose solidarity in their sorrow. The crowd joined together to sing the national anthem and over support to both the victims and their team at a time of sadness.

Connor Brown, a native of Etobicoke, found the tragedy hitting close to home saying,

“That’s the power of sport. It brings people together. Something like that happens and you need to come together. You see all the people come together in a moment of silence before the game to unite a city like that, it’s special. It’s a tough day for the city.”

For Toronto to bring home the win, they had to deal with a hard push by Boston in the first half of the game. Frederik Anderson again was on top of his game in what saw Boston owning the Leafs with a puck control of 64% and out shooting Toronto 26 to 22. The Leafs didn’t help matters by giving up turnovers in the defensive zone. However, the first period ending scoreless, much to the relive of Leaf fans.

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The second period saw both the Bruins and the Leafs scoring. Jake DeBrusk scored for Boston after Matthews lost the puck in the defensive zone. Nylander, who had yet to score in the playoffs responded in kind and tied the game thirty-five seconds later.

Yet, the Bruins played far better than Toronto in the second taking shot after shot at Andersen only to see the battered goalie make save after save. With only 7 minutes left to go in the second period, Mitch Marner scored to give Toronto a 2-1 lead going into the third and giving fans hope for a Game 6 win.

Commenting, Marner said,

“I think we don’t want to sit back; we’re done with that. We’re a team that knows when we have a lead, we can still push, still make things happen. That’s the mindset now when we have the lead, and we’re doing a good job on it.”

The third period saw Toronto come out hard and focused holding Boston at bay for the full period, even if the Leafs only controlled the puck 28% of the time. The few tense moments saw Toronto working overtime after Marner was sent to the penalty box, but Toronto held off the Bruins to maintain their lead.

As the clock was ticking, Boston pulled the goalie only to see Tomas Plekanec pick up a turnaround and score on the empty net to give Toronto a 3-1 lead and ultimate Game 6 win. The crowds cheered, not only for hope the Maple Leafs will take Game 7 but for the bit of happiness it gave during what was a tragic day.

When asked post-game about the third period, Connor Brown said,

“We took a step forward in this game from last game, played a lot better with the lead,” said Brown. “We played a lot of that third period in their end even when we had the lead. We’re getting more and more comfortable in these high-pressure games.”

Ron Hainsey said the last thirty minutes were the best we had this series adding,

“We finally settled in, played better in the neutral zone, broke the puck out better and had some time not buried in our end in the second half. Hopefully the last 30 minutes of tonight’s game is how we play in Game 7.”

When asked what was said in the locker room before the game, Hainsey refused to say what was talked about in reference to yesterday’s attack but did mention that the team knew the city of Toronto was hurting.

For Mitch Marner, a Thornhill native, the events were one of sorrow. Commenting, he said,

“This world is made for loving each other and making each other better, and the things that have been happening this last year are unfortunate. We have to stop them some way, somehow. It was a big win for us after an emotional day.”

Toronto will now head back to Boston for Game 7 on Wednesday in what is expected to be a tough battle for both teams eager to advance to the second round. Whichever team proves victorious, the break between series will be a short one and facing a rested team another battle to face.