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The Toronto Maple Leafs overcame the loss of goalie Frederik Andersen and some youthful jitters, rallying to score three third-period goals to clinch an Eastern Conference playoff spot with a 5-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins at Air Canada Centre on Saturday.
Rookies Kasperi Kapanen, Connor Brown and Auston Matthews each achieved career milestones with goals to erase a 3-2 Penguins lead to give Toronto their first playoff appearance since 2013 and in a full season since 2004.
A feeling of nervousness and dread engulfed ACC when ex-Leaf Phil Kessel fired a shot just inside the far post early in the first, but his former linemates responded quickly to even the score, as Tyler Bozak assisted on James van Riemsdyk’s tying goal 29 seconds later.
The feeling returned early in the middle frame, when Pens enforcer Tom Sestito collided with Andersen at the top of the crease and sent the Leafs goaltender down to the ice and from the game.
The two teams exchanged power play goals from Bozak and Crosby in the middle frame, but the the dread returned early in the third, as Gardiner redirected Jake Guentzel’s shot past McElhinney to give Pittsburgh the lead.
Kapanen (PIT’s 2014 first round pick traded to Toronto in the Kessel deal) converted a Matt Hunwick pass for his first NHL goal with just over five minutes left in regulation to tie the game, Brown deflected Jake Gardiner’s point shot past goalie Marc-Andre Fleury for his 20th of the season to give the Leafs the lead.
Kessel and Crosby nearly combined to tie the game with Fleury off the ice for an extra attacker, but McElhinney thwarted last year’s Conn Smythe Trophy winner with a sprawling left pad save. Matthews all but cemented the Calder Trophy with his 40th of the year into an empty net.
“I'm proud of the guys, I'm excited for the guys. They've done a good job. I told the coaches at the start of the year if we got in it was going to be tomorrow in game 82. I thought it would be like this – you have to really crawl in at the end. We're one game ahead of schedule.” Leafs coach Mike Babcock said after the victory. “I didn't know the kids could be this good. We still show our inexperience. I thought we started real good, I thought we were on it good and then as soon as something goes wrong we're tight again and got in our own way for a bit. It was a real big win for our team.”
After the game, the focus switched from the victory to Andersen’s status. Babcock said ideally he would start in the season finale against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but on Sunday the club summoned Garret Sparks from the AHL Toronto Marlies on an emergency basis and McElhinney will get the start against his former club.
Babcock said after the club’s optional skate on Sunday that Andersen has displayed no concussion symptoms and will be ready for Game 1 of the playoffs next week in either Washington or Ottawa.
The result of the Columbus game will determine the Leafs first round opponent. With Washington’s 3-1 victory in Boston on Saturday, the Bruins finish with 95 points. Toronto has 95, but have to win or lose in overtime or a shootout to the Blue Jackets because Boston wins the tiebreaker with 42 regulation/overtime wins(ROW) compared to the Leafs 39.
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