Maple Leafs erase 3-goal deficit in final frame to beat Lightning in overtime

Alexander Kerfoot scored on a power play at 4:14 of overtime as the Toronto Maple Leafs roared back from a 4-1 deficit in the third period to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-4 on Monday and take a commanding 3-1 lead in their first-round playoff series.

With Mikaeil Sergachev in the penalty box for tripping, Kerfoot tipped a Mark Giordano point shot for his first goal of the series and move the Leafs to within one victory of their first series victory since 2004.

Auston Matthews, with two goals, Morgan Rielly and Noel Acciari also scored for Toronto. Ilya Samsonov made 27 stops for the Leafs, who improved to 2-17 over their last 19 post-season contests when leading a series.

Alex Killorn scored twice for Tampa, while Sergachev, with a goal and an assist, and Steven Stamkos provided the rest of the offence. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 32 shots. Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman each added two assists.

The teams have two days off before Game 5 of the best-of-seven matchup, which goes Thursday in Toronto. Game 6, if necessary, will be back in Tampa — which downed the Leafs in seven games in last spring's first round — on Saturday.

SIR ALEXANDER KERFOOT!!! <a href="https://t.co/XzD8nVu5Y5">pic.twitter.com/XzD8nVu5Y5</a>

Down 4-1 entering the third and looking like a team ready to answer more tough questions about its lack of killer instinct, the Leafs finally started to push back and got within two at 9:44 when Matthews scored his second of the series.

The star centre added another on a power play at 12:29 with a redirection of a Nylander shot.

Rielly, who scored in OT in Game 3 to give Toronto a 4-3 victory, and was booed every time he touched the puck after hitting Brayden Point into the boards on a clean, but awkward