Tip of the Tower
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Toronto Maple Leafs Thrilling Come from Behind Win Gives them 2-1 Series Lead

By Chris Okrainetz

Apr 17, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (34) leads his teammates to the bench after celebrating scoring against Washington Capitals in the first period in game three of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 17, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (34) leads his teammates to the bench after celebrating scoring against Washington Capitals in the first period in game three of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Toronto Maple Leafs came back from a two-goal deficit and rallied past the Washington Capitals for a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory in Game 3 on Monday.

Thoughts and Observations

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs surrendered a two-goal lead on far too many occasions this season, but they flipped the script on Monday and overcame a 3-1 deficit en route to a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory. The win gives the Leafs a 2-1 series lead and puts an enormous amount of pressure on the Washington Capitals, who were viewed as an overwhelming favourite entering this series.

    • Two heroes from Monday’s game were

    Tyler Bozak

    and

    Nazem Kadri

    . Bozak scored the game-winning goal on the power play, while Kadri was everywhere on the ice and his physical shift, which was highlighted by a massive hit on

    Brooks Orpik

    , kick started the series of events leading to

    Auston Matthews

    goal. When you consider how fans viewed Bozak and Kadri the last time the Leafs were in the playoffs, and the tear down they’ve endured, it was hard not to feel good for both of these players.

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  • Matthews’ line was dominant in Game 3 and his linemates, William Nylander and Zach Hyman, gave the Capitals fits all night. If this line can continue their strong play, the Leafs will be an extremely difficult out for the Capitals.

    • The Capitals looked like, well, the Capitals in the first period. They were possessing the puck, using the middle of the ice in transition, their defencemen were pinching into shooting lanes when the Caps gained zone entry, it was the typical Caps’ style of hockey we’ve watched this season. However, for whatever reason, it only lasted a period and we never really saw the same Capitals team for the rest of the night.

    Meanwhile, the Leafs have dictated the pace of play against Washington and their ability to constantly win puck battles by using their foot speed has been a tremendous asset. Time and time again this series, we’ve seen the Leafs gain zone entry off the wing, flip the puck by the defencemen and simply outwork the Caps’ defenceman in order to regain possession. The Leafs speed advantage is what makes this series eerily familiar to last year’s Penguins-Caps series where the Penguins exploited the Capitals with their speed.

    If you want to see textbook Leafs, check out Kadri’s goal. The Leafs gained zone entry, cycled the puck, got traffic in front of the net and outworked the Capitals until they were able to get the puck towards the net. It was a a fantastic goal to watch.

    Aside from the Leafs’ speed giving the Capitals trouble, Washington had a hard time hitting the net with their shot, especially on the power play. If they were able to hit the net on a few of their shots, who knows how this game would have played it.

    What a play by

    Braden Holtby

    .

  • The Capitals wasted opportunity on the 5-on-3 power play they had during the second period came back to haunt them and instead of putting the game away, they gave the Leafs life. Who would have thought, the Capitals potent power play wouldn’t be able to convert on a 5-on-3? The Leafs’ penalty kill unit deserves a ton of credit for killing those two penalties off. Martin Marincin played the full two minutes and he was a difference-maker on the PK.

    • Sorry,

    Mike Modano

    . This series isn’t going to end in five.

    To Modano’s credit, he did revise his tweet following the game.

    I think this is as close as we’re going to get to a celebration from Lou Lamoriello.

    It’s been a while for the Leafs.

    So you’re saying there’s a chance…

    Maple Leafs Square was electric when Bozak scored the game-winner in overtime. Here’s a look.

    Stat of the Night

    13:25

    The Washington Capitals took 13:25 to register a shot in the third period. Yes, the high-octane Capitals took an astounding 13:25 to fire a shot on Andersen. For the most part, Andersen wasn’t tested too much during the third period and the Leafs dominated the Capitals, finishing the period with 28 shot attempts in comparison to the Capitals 9.

    What’s Next

    Game 4 will take place at the Air Canada Centre on Wednesday night with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m.

    Next: Best Toronto Maple Leafs' Playoff Hype Videos

    What did you think of the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 overtime win against the Washington Capitals in Game 3 on Monday night? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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