Leafs rally to beat Lightning in Game 5, take 3-2 series lead

TORONTO — Auston Matthews scored the winner with 6:06 left in regulation as the Toronto Maple Leafs recovered from an early 2-0 deficit to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 on Tuesday to take a 3-2 lead in their first-round playoff series.

William Nylander added a goal and two assists for Toronto, which sits one victory from advancing in the post-season for the first time since 2004.

John Tavares, with a goal and an assist, and Morgan Rielly also scored for the Leafs. Jack Campbell stopped 32 shots.

Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh replied for the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, who will look to stave off elimination in the best-of-seven matchup Thursday at home.

Nikita Kucherov added two assists. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 22 saves.

Game 7, if necessary, would be back at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.

Matthews snapped a 3-3 tie on a 2-on-1 rush in the third period after Mitch Marner fired a shot off Vasilevskiy's right pad into the path of Toronto's 60-goal man to bury his third of the playoffs and ignite the raucous home crowd.

The Lightning pulled Vasilevskiy late and had a couple of chances, but iced the puck with 21.9 seconds left to force the 2021 Conn Smythe Trophy winner back into his crease to effectively seal it.

Down 2-1 heading to the third, Toronto tied the score with the teams playing 4-on-4 at 3:01 when Tavares, who had been criticized for his offensive output through four games, held onto the puck in the offensive zone before finding Rielly to bury his first of the series.

The Leafs kept coming and took their first lead — the first time either team has done so in the series after falling behind — when Nylander ripped his third goal in the last two games on Vasilevskiy to nearly blow