Auston Matthews caps rally with 'pretty special' goal as Toronto Maple Leafs regain series lead

Auston Matthews knows when to seize a moment.

The Maple Leafs' star forward, and NHL's leading goal scorer in the regular season, hadn't scored since Game 1 of Toronto's first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against Tampa Bay. When Matthews lit the lamp again, it was to tally the game-winner in Tuesday's Game 5, capping off a furious comeback that gave the Maple Leafs a 3-2 series lead over the defending Stanley Cup champions.

«It was pretty special,» Matthews said of the goal. «To battle back from down two goals, and never losing hope and competing, that was big.»

The play materialized off a two-on-one chance with linemate Mitchell Marner, who sent a puck off Andrei Vailevskiy's pad to land perfectly in place for Matthews to bury.

«He's such a special player,» Matthews said of Marner, «that anytime he's got the puck, I just try to get open or try to anticipate it's coming to me. Just an unbelievably key play by him and I knew I just had to get my stick on the ice.»

It was a storybook ending for Matthews and the Maple Leafs, a stark contrast to the team's woeful start.

Tampa Bay was in control of the game early, scoring goals 52 seconds apart in the first period to leave the Maple Leafs shell-shocked. After 20 minutes, the Lightning not only led 2-0, but were outshooting Toronto 14-4.

The team that scored first in each of the series' opening four games had gone on to win. Game 5 looked headed for a similar finish.

In Toronto's dressing room during first intermission though, veteran forward Jason Spezza was delivering a speech that would get the Leafs headed back on the right track.

«Spezz got everyone in the room and said some stuff,» Matthews said. «And I thought we came out in the second with a really good purpose