First round: Lightning-Maple Leafs Game 5 live updates

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The Maple Leafs rallied from an early two-goal deficit, and Auston Matthews scored the winner with just over six minutes remaining as the Leafs pushed the Lightning to the brink of elimination with a 4-3 victory in Game 5 of their opening-round playoff series Tuesday at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

The Maple Leafs lead the best-of-seven series three-games-to-two heading to Game 6 Thursday in Tampa.

Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman scored in the first seven minutes of the game, as the Lightning jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead.

John Tavares put the Leafs on the scoreboard with a power-play goal 3-1/2 minutes into the second after Tampa Bay was penalized for too many men on the ice for the second time in the game.

Morgan Rielly and William Nylander scored early in the third to put Toronto ahead for the first time in the game, 3-2.

Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh tied the game with just under 12 minutes remaining, but Matthews scored on a two-on-one with Mitch Marner after a turnover in the neutral zone less than six minutes later to put the Leafs back ahead.

Here’s how it happened:

Third period

Jake Muzzin shot blocked in front by Erik Cernak

Hedman shot saved by Campbell

David Kampf penalized for hooking Kucherov, and the Lightning get an early power play

Stamkos penalized for high-sticking Brodie, negating the power play

MAPLE LEAFS GOAL: Morgan Rielly ties the score with a one-timer from the right circle after a cross-ice pass from John Tavares. Lightning and Maple Leafs tied 2-2

Matthews shot goes over Vasilevskiy’s shoulder

MAPLE LEAFS GOAL: Nylander scores from the left circle over a sliding Bogosian. Maple Leafs lead 3-2.

LIGHTNING GOAL! Ryan McDonagh scores from the left circle to tie the game at 3 with 11:43 remaining.

MAPLE LEAFS GOAL: Auston Matthews scores into an empty net on a 2-on-1 with Mitch Marner after a turnover in the neutral zone. Maple Leafs lead 4-3.

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Lightning pull Vasilevskiy for an extra attacker

Giordano shoots wide of the empty net, resulting in an icing call

Campbell makes a glove save on Hedman shot from the right circle

Lightning ice the puck, bringing Vasilevskiy back off the bench

(Maple Leafs win 4-3, lead series 3-2)

Second period

We’ll start with 4-on-4 play

Ryan McDonagh shot from the left point knocked down in front

Campbell stops Kucherov backhander after long pass from Mikhail Sergachev sent Kucherov into the Toronto zone

Lightning penalized for too many men on the ice for the second time in the game and third in the series

Anthony Cirelli gets the puck out of the zone

MAPLE LEAFS GOAL: John Tavares tips in a William Nylander shot from the top of the right circle from in front of the net on the power play. Lightning lead 2-1.

Vasilevskiy stops Marner shot from the right circle that was tipped

Campbell stops Zach Bogosian blast

Quick Cirelli shot from the slot saved by Campbell

Giordano shot saved by Vasilevskiy

Stamkos penalized for tripping Auston Matthews

Lightning clear the puck out of the zone off the draw

Ondrej Kase shot saved

Campbell stops Nick Paul shorthanded breakaway

Alex Killorn sends the puck back down the ice

Matthews shot from the right circle blocked by McDonagh

McDonagh clears the puck

Lightning kill the Stamkos penalty

Point shot blocked

Alex Kerfoot pass just out of Pierre Engvall’s reach on 3-on-2 break

Vasilevskiy stops Blackwell slap shot from the slot

Hedman hits Ilya Lyubushkin

Giordano blast from the blue line saved by Vasilevskiy

Marner slap shot saved by Vasilevskiy

Pass in front just misses Blackwell’s stick

Vasilevskiy stops Bunting blast

Campbell stops Paul on breakaway after Palat steal in the neutral zone

Vasilevskiy stops Nylander cutting through the crease after Sergachev couldn’t control a bouncing puck

Rielly shot tipped by Matthews and blocked by Hedman

Matthews crushes Sergachev into the boards, and the Lightning defenseman is down on the ice after his face makes contact with the glass

Paul shot saved by Campbell

Palat shot saved by Campbell

Hagel knocks down Brodie

(Lightning lead 2-1 after two periods)

First period

Ilya Mikheyev has an opportunity off the rush but can’t get a shot away

Steven Stamkos drives Jake Muzzin into the boards, sending Muzzin to the bench

Alex Killorn shot from right circle saved by Jack Campbell

Victor Hedman shot from the left point blocked

Mitch Marner stripped from behind by Anthony Cirelli on breakaway

Lightning penalized for too many men on the ice, giving Maple Leafs their first power play

Morgan Rielly shot blocked, leading to shorthanded opportunity for Nick Paul and Cirelli

Ryan McDonagh knocks down Marner centering attempt

Lightning clear the puck out of the zone

LIGHTNING GOAL! Steven Stamkos scores from between the circles. Lightning lead 1-0.

TJ Brodie penalized for hooking Nick Paul, and Lightning get their first power play

LIGHTNING GOAL! Victor Hedman scores power-play goal from above the left circle. Lightning lead 2-0.

Campbell stops Brayden Point backhand attempt off the rush

Stamkos shot saved by Campbell

Jason Spezza wraparound attempt stopped by Andrei Vasilevskiy

Spezza hits Pierre-Edouard Bellemare

Hedman clearing attempt hits Colin Blackwell in the side of the helmet

William Nylander penalized for pulling down Cal Foote (holding), and Lightning go back on the power play

Nikita Kucherov breaks his stick but is able to get a new one from the bench before the puck leaves the Toronto zone

Campbell stops Stamkos one-timer from the high slot

Mark Giordano penalized for cross-checking, so Lightning have 5-on-3 for 30 seconds

Brayden Point shot saved by Campbell

Kucherov shot goes off Muzzin’s stick

Kucherov one-timer misses the net

Vasilevskiy stops Nylander with stick save on short-handed breakaway

Campbell makes blocker save on Hedman wrister from the center point

Maple Leafs kill both penalties

Jake Muzzin shot knocked wide

Point penalized for interference on Michael Bunting

Marner fans on shot from the left circle as his stick breaks

Zach Bogosian penalized for interfering with Colin Blackwell

Marner penalized for hooking, which immediately negates the Toronto power play

Vasilevskiy stops Nylander off the rush

(Lightning lead 2-0 after one period)

Pregame scouting report

If they’ve said it once, they’ve said it a thousand times: The Lightning don’t play for regular-season awards.

Not the Presidents’ Trophy, or individual accolades.

So never mind their third-place finish in the Atlantic Division this season. Forget that defenseman Victor Hedman, despite being a Norris Trophy finalist for the sixth year in a row, is likely to come away empty-handed for the fifth time. And ignore the fact that goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy isn’t even among the finalists for the Vezina.

This team is built for the postseason.

It learned the hard way that regular-season accomplishments mean nothing in the playoffs when it tied an NHL record with 62 wins in 2018-19 only to be swept by Columbus in the opening round.

It recognized that it needed to add grit, improve its defense and focus on process over outcome. It had to commit to defending in all three zones, being relentless on the forecheck, getting to the hard areas of the ice and putting in the work that leads to scoring chances.

The Lightning didn’t win any scoring crowns, but their best players — perhaps none more than Hedman and Vasilevskiy — stepped up in the biggest moments as they won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.

Hedman, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2000, is making a strong case in the early going this year, locking down regular-season goal-scoring leader Auston Matthews while producing his first-ever four-point postseason game Sunday in Game 4 of the opening-round series against the Maple Leafs.

Vasilevskiy, who was awarded the Conn Smythe last year after shutting out Lightning opponents in all four series-clinching victories (and the past five dating to 2020), is 16-0 in games immediately following a loss over the past three postseasons, including Sunday, when he stopped 31 of the 34 shots he faced.

Brayden Point who led all NHL players with 14 goals in both the 2020 and ‘21 postseasons, has been a threat to score every time he has the puck on his stick. And Nikita Kucherov, who spent the entire 2021 regular season on long-term injured reserve, led all postseason scorers with 34 points in 2020 and 32 last season.

Meanwhile, the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Bruins (2020) and Avalanche (2021) didn’t advance out of the second round, while the Panthers (2022) currently find themselves with their hands full against the Capitals — tied 2-2 against a team that finished 22 points behind them during the regular season.

Now, despite entering the series as the underdog, the Lightning have tied the Maple Leafs in their first-round series and hope to press the advantage tonight as the series returns to Toronto for Game 5.

Matthews, who led all NHL players with 60 goals during the regular season, has been held without one in the past three games after scoring two in Game 1.

Further evidence that the postseason is a whole new season, one the Lightning hope to conclude with a third straight Stanley Cup championship.

Follow our live updates, starting at 7:30 p.m., as Tampa Bay hopes to move within one victory of eliminating the first obstacle in its path.

Game day scene

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